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Public Health Expertise
Public Health Expertise
I’m a social epidemiologist with three decades of experience studying the causes and consequences of epidemics. I’ve investigated both infectious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on the social and environmental conditions that generate illness or health.
I studied at Brown University as an undergraduate and then completed doctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where I was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar. Currently, I’m a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Public Health Expertise
I’m a social epidemiologist with three decades of experience studying the causes and consequences of epidemics. I’ve investigated both infectious and chronic diseases, with an emphasis on the social and environmental conditions that generate illness or health.
I studied at Brown University as an undergraduate and then completed doctoral training at the Harvard School of Public Health and a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, where I was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health & Society Scholar. Currently, I’m a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
Writing
Writing
I'm grateful for parents who filled our home with books, newspapers, magazines, and endless conversations. When I write to make sense of the world, I hear my parents' voices, recalling the rich back-and-forth they promoted—even when we disagreed. Our parents were good with words, and they've left that imprint on me, my siblings, and the next generation.
Teachers stoked my love for words. “Write like you speak” was the best writing advice I ever received—from my fourth-grade teacher. So, whenever I write, I imagine a friend sitting next to me, and I write to converse with them. With you.
I'm grateful for parents who filled our home with books, newspapers, magazines, and endless conversations. When I write to make sense of the world, I hear my parents' voices, recalling the rich back-and-forth they promoted—even when we disagreed. Our parents were good with words, and they've left that imprint on me, my siblings, and the next generation.
Teachers stoked my love for words. “Write like you speak” was the best writing advice I ever received—from my fourth-grade teacher. So, whenever I write, I imagine a friend sitting next to me, and I write to converse with them. With you.
I'm grateful for parents who filled our home with books, newspapers, magazines, and endless conversations. When I write to make sense of the world, I hear my parents' voices, recalling the rich back-and-forth they promoted—even when we disagreed. Our parents were good with words, and they've left that imprint on me, my siblings, and the next generation.
Teachers stoked my love for words. “Write like you speak” was the best writing advice I ever received—from my fourth-grade teacher. So, whenever I write, I imagine a friend sitting next to me, and I write to converse with them. With you.
Art
Art
As a young adult, I sat at my parents’ giant round table, sketching. I looked up at my mom and said, with surprise, “Mom, I just realized I really like doing this.”
And she said, “Carolyn, you’ve been sitting at that table doing this since you were three.”
I like to make things, including messes. My mom is still finding leftover glitter in her kitchen. But now I have a bright, airy art studio , and that's my favorite place to experiment and make a mess.
As a young adult, I sat at my parents’ giant round table, sketching. I looked up at my mom and said, with surprise, “Mom, I just realized I really like doing this.”
And she said, “Carolyn, you’ve been sitting at that table doing this since you were three.”
I like to make things, including messes. My mom is still finding leftover glitter in her kitchen. But now I have a bright, airy art studio , and that's my favorite place to experiment and make a mess.
As a young adult, I sat at my parents’ giant round table, sketching. I looked up at my mom and said, with surprise, “Mom, I just realized I really like doing this.”
And she said, “Carolyn, you’ve been sitting at that table doing this since you were a little girl.”
Yes, I like to make things, including messes. My mom is still cleaning up the glitter. I have a bright, airy art studio that is my refuge.
I try to approach the world with curiosity, connection, and creativity.
I grew up on Eastern Long Island, with parents who encouraged their kids (three brothers + me) to run fast, play ball, and look up the words we didn’t know in the dictionary. We played “Man Hunt” in the woods (yes, scary!), boated on the bay, and ate delicious pizzas made by our Sicilian grandfather. My mom helped us with our homework, and my dad coached Little League. We were lucky.
Now, I teach epidemiology and the history and sociology of epidemics. I’m an expert on outbreaks and disasters. Fun at a dinner party!
The views here are my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.