Prevention

The future of health care will include increasing emphasis on prevention—measures taken to prevent disease. Disease prevention relies on anticipatory actions that can be taken prior to the onset of an adverse health condition. As an area of research focus, prevention spans all diseases and conditions, populations, and phases of life and is designed to prevent or reduce harmful exposures, disease onset, or disease progression. Prevention research, which can be either primary or secondary in nature, includes studies that identify and assess risk and protective factors; screen and identify individuals and groups at risk; develop and evaluate interventions to reduce risk; and translate, implement, and disseminate effective preventive interventions into practice. Columbia University School of Nursing researchers who specialize in prevention research contribute substantially to improving public health both in the United States and internationally by working to increase the delivery of protective health mechanisms (e.g., regular health check-ups, vaccinations, and screenings) and thus reducing future risks for adverse health outcomes.

Researchers

  • Billy Caceres, PhD, MSN, RN

    • Assistant Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Comparative Effectiveness, Interdisciplinary, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Cardiovascular Health, Social Determinants of Health, Behavioral Medicine

  • Lorraine Frazier, PhD, RN, FAHA, FAAN

    • Dean, School of Nursing
    • Mary O'Neil Mundinger Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Precision Health
    Research Interests: Genetics, Determining Phenotypes, Prediction, Heart Disease, Depression, Stress

    Headshot of Dean Lorraine Frazier wearing bright pink blazer.
  • Amanda Hessels, PhD, MSN, MPH, BSN, CPHQ, CIC, FAAN, FAPIC

    • Assistant Professor of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Dissemination and Implementation, Health Services and Policy, Translational

  • Elaine L. Larson, PhD, RN, FAAN, CIC

    • Anna C. Maxwell Professor Emerita of Nursing Research and Professor Emerita of Epidemiology
    • Special Lecturer in Nursing

    Research Approaches: Clinical, Comparative Effectiveness, Interdisciplinary
    Research Interests: Infection Prevention and Control, Epidemiology, Patient Safety, Antimicrobial Resistance

  • Corina Lelutiu-Weinberger, PhD, MPhil, BA

    • Associate Professor of Health Sciences Research (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Dissemination and Implementation, Interdisciplinary, Translational

    Research Interests: Racial, Ethnic, Sexual and Gender Minority Health Equity; Stigma and Discrimination; Mental Health; Substance and Alcohol Use; HIV/AIDS Continuum of Prevention and Care; Global Health; Multi-Level Intervention Research; Mobile Health Technologies

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  • Phoenix A Matthews, PhD, MS, BS, LCP

    • Professor of Behavioral Sciences (in Nursing)

    Research Approaches: Quantitative, Quantitative, Mixed Methods, Intervention Development

    Research Interests: Health Inequities, Cancer Prevention and Control, Tobacco Cessation, Sexual and Gender Minority Health, Racial and Ethnic Minorities,  Culturally Targeted Health Promotion Interventions

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  • Se Hee Min, PHD, PMHNP-BC, RN

    • Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of Nursing

    Research Approaches: Informatics, Precision Health

    Research Interests: Aging, Alzheimer's disease, cognition, dementia, health disparities, older adults, symptoms

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  • Yihong Zhao, PhD, MPhil, BS

    • Professor of Data Sciences (in Nursing) at CUMC

    Research Approaches: Interdisciplinary

    Research Interests: Substance Misuse, Mental Health Disorders

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