Kathryn Leifheit, PhD MSPH is a social epidemiologist who aims to identify policy levers to improve population health and health equity, with a focus on housing programs and policies. Her research has documented population health impacts of widespread housing insecurity and evictions, as well as health impacts of key housing policies.
Education
- PhD, Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, US
- MSPH, International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, US
- BA, Biochemistry and Latin American Studies, Bowdoin College, Brunswick, ME, US
A series of three related and recently published studies by an international team led by UCLA Fielding School of Public Health researchers found that COVID-19 vaccination during early pregnancy is not associated with an increased prevalence of major structural birth defects in infants.
CalMatters interviewed UCLA Fielding's Dr. Arturo Vargas Bustamante on the potential impact of federal decisions on health insurance funding, including the reality that when fewer young people enroll in coverage, premiums tend to go up for everyone.
“Then sick people who really need to get coverage pay the price," Vargas Bustamante said.
Dr. Naomi Zewde, assistant professor in the UCLA Fielding School Department of Health Policy and Management, was interviewed by NPR about her research into the potential impact of so-called "baby bonds."
A study published this month reveals that the health of children in the United States has significantly deteriorated across nearly every major health indicator over the past 17 years.
Dr. James Macinko, professor in the UCLA Fielding School departments of Health Policy and Management and Community Health Sciences, was interviewed by NPR about research into the impact of the U.S. Agency for International Development.
Dr. David Eisenman, professor in the UCLA Fielding School's Department of Community Health Sciences and of medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine (DGSOM) at UCLA, co-authored research that found the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit helped prevent energy insecurity among middle-class families with children but provided no measurable benefit to the lowest-income households.
Dr. Kristen Choi, associate professor in the UCLA Fielding School's Department of Health Policy and Management, co-authored research that found children with adverse childhood experiences are more likely to miss school due to illness or injury.
Less than half of children ages 5 and younger in California had regular child care arrangements in 2023, with affordability, lack of available space, or concerns about quality being the main reasons, according to a new study from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR).
Dr. Annette Regan, assistant professor in the UCLA Fielding School's Department of Epidemiology, was interviewed for a Q&A by The Conversation about why pertussis, also known as whooping cough, has become so prevalent and how families can protect themselves from the disease.