Based in the NYU School of Global Public Health, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Abu Dhabi, our research focuses on tobacco, alcohol, and drug addiction to enhance our understanding of the health disparities experienced by key vulnerable populations.
IDEAS Mission
We primarily aim to address disparities in addiction treatment among key vulnerable populations and build research capacity among lab members. We approach this through creating an engaging environment for both graduate and undergraduate students, from NYU and other universities, where they can learn quantitative and qualitative research methods and develop valuable research skills, such as writing and publishing manuscripts, conducting literature reviews, grant writing, and collecting and analyzing data.
You will have the opportunity to:
- Gain research experience before grad school/medical school
- Earn letters of recommendation
- Help with scientific literature reviews, grant writing, research study design, and writing IRB applications
- Develop skills related to data collection and analysis
- Develop skills related to smoking intervention development and execution
- Co-author and publish manuscripts
We are currently recruiting undergraduate and graduate students to become lab members. Apply Here
If you have any questions when filling out the application, please contact Kaitlyn Gee at kaitlyn.gee@nyulangone.org.
Projects
E-cigarettes for Smoking Harm Reduction among People Living with HIV/AIDs
A 6-month long study following smokers living with HIV/AIDs to evaluate e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy for smoking cessation versus traditional Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
E-cigarettes for Smoking Harm Reduction among Persons with Substance Use Disorder
A 3-month long study following smokers diagnosed with Opioid Use Disorder and/or Alcohol Use Disorder to evaluate e-cigarettes as a harm reduction strategy versus traditional Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
mHealth Intervention Evaluation among Chinese Diabetic smokers
A two-part study that aims to characterize the treatment barriers and facilitators among Chinese American male smokers with Type 2 diabetes and user preferences for mHealth. Study methods include conducting qualitative interviews in Chinese to inform future use of a culturally and linguistically tailored smoking cessation and diabetes management texting intervention.
Systematic Review: Evaluating the impact of care delivered via telehealth on patients’ treatment satisfaction
Review primary research studies pertaining to using telehealth modality on patients’ treatment satisfaction to characterize the existing body of research and its limitations.
Digital Health Optimization: Evaluating patient-physician encounters for weight management
Quantitative assessments and formative qualitative evaluation of the impact of physician-patient encounters using FitBit data in Weight management. Study is conducted at the VA-New York Harbor.
Data Analyses using Existing National Surveys
Using publicly available national datasets such as National Youth Tobacco Survey (NYTS), Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH), National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to address several research questions pertaining to IDEAS Lab scope of research.
Leadership
Dr. Omar El Shahawy MD, MPH, PhD
Principle investigator, Founder
omar.elshahawy@nyulangone.org
Dr. Omar El Shahawy MD, MPH, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health, Section on Tobacco, Alcohol and Drug Use at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and an affiliated faculty at the Division of Global Health, NYU School of Global Public Health. Dr. El Shahawy co-founded the lab in January 2021. Dr. El Shahawy research extensively on developing high impact multi-modal interventions targeting smoking cessation and harm reduction in nicotine addiction. His current research interests include tobacco treatment, addressing disparities among vulnerable populations, telehealth and digital health interventions, and patient-physician decision making.
Kaitlyn Gee
Associate Lab Director, Project Manager
kaitlyn.gee@nyulangone.org
Kaitlyn is a Research Coordinator in the Department of Population Health. She manages lab projects and oversees several research studies pertaining to harm reduction with e-cigarettes. Kaitlyn received her B.A. in Psychology, chemistry minor from NYU on the pre-health track and first joined the IDEAs Lab as a quantitative team student intern working on a project analyzing Tobacco and Marijuana dual-use patterns among Sexual and Gender Minority Youth. She is passionate about harm-reduction, narrative medicine, and substance use treatment.
Affiliated Faculty
Dr. Erin Rogers DrPH, MPH
Affiliated faculty
Dr. Erin Rogers DrPH, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Dr. Rogers helped initiate IDEAS Lab. She focuses on gaps in tobacco treatment for smokers with psychiatric diagnoses and develop interventions to enhance the implementation of tobacco use treatment into behavioral health settings. Her research also aims to understand economic determinants and costs of tobacco use and to develop interventions that reduce financial insecurity as a barrier to cessation in low-income populations.
Dr. Liz Stevens, PhD, MPH
Affiliated faculty
Dr. Stevens in an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health at NYU Langone Health and a Health Science Specialist with the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System. Her research aims to improve tobacco-related health outcomes in hard-to-treat populations. In particular, her research focuses on the role of e-cigarettes in smoking and symptom reduction in patients with COPD as well as intervention cost-effectiveness. Additionally, she studies the role of collaborative research behaviors in the enhancement of implementation research quality and productivity.
Lab Members
Adriana Bayron
Senior lab member/Study team leader
Adriana is a senior at NYU studying Biology with a minor in Chemistry on the pre-health track. She is interested in cancer biology, neurology, and addiction. In her free time, she enjoys playing the ukulele. She is study team leader for the E-cigarettes as harm-reduction for People Living with HIV/AIDs (PLWHA) study.
Maariyah Kharal
Senior lab member/Study team leader
Maariyah is a sophomore at NYU studying Global Public Health on the pre-health track. She is interested in harm reduction, food insecurity, and reducing healthcare disparities. In her free time, she enjoys cooking. She is study team leader for qualitative analyses projects.
Britney Omene
Senior lab member/Study team leader
Britney is a senior at NYU majoring in Public Health and minoring in Chemistry. She is on the pre-health track and is deeply passionate about clinical research and medicine. In her free time, she loves watching Marvel movies and biking. She is study team leader for the PLWHA study.
Amodhya Samarakoon
Senior lab member
Amodhya recently received her B.A. in Biology from NYU with minors in Chemistry and Latin American/Caribbean Studies while on the pre health track. She is interested in harm reduction and addressing healthcare disparities, and is currently working as a Dermatology Medical Assistant.
Quiann King
Senior lab member
Quiann is a junior at NYU studying Global Public Health and Biology with a minor in French. She is interested in harm reduction counseling and likes to go out to eat with friends in her free time.
Brian Kang
Research intern
Brian is a third year at NYU studying Psychology. He is interested in substance abuse, harm-reduction, and intervention. In his free time, he plays the guitar and waits for the next episode of Euphoria.
Caroline Romano
Research intern
Caroline is a second year Master’s of Public Health candidate at NYU. She is interested in infectious diseases and the health effects of climate change. In her free time, she enjoys hiking and baking.
Diego Quintana Licona
Research intern
Diego is a pre-health senior at NYU majoring in Chemistry and Gender & Sexuality Studies. He hopes to tackle the health disparities that disproportionately affect racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities by exploring the intersection of science, healthcare, and social studies.
Emilia Aligaen
Research intern
Emilia is a second year MPH candidate at NYU. She is passionate about improving the health of marginalized communities around the world through the health and human rights approach. She enjoys hiking and doing puzzles.
Jianan Zhu
Research intern
Jianan is a second-year master student at NYU studying Biostatistics. She is interested in tobacco, alcohol and addiction. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar and travelling around.
John Crupi
Research intern
John is a junior at NYU studying Biology and Psychology on the pre-health track. He is interested in research related to drug use and addiction. Interestingly, John’s family is from Calabria, Italy.
Marisa Gerard
Data analyst
Marisa Gerard is a second-year Epidemiology MPH student. Prior to NYU, she graduated from Cornell University in May 2020 where she studied Biology and Classics. She is interested in research that bridges social and behavioral determinants of health and infectious disease.
Michelle Alvarado
Research intern
Michelle is a junior at NYU studying Global Public Health/Biology and a Social Entrepreneurship minor on the pre-med track. She is passionate about treatment accessibility for Spanish speaking communities and enjoys biking.
Michelle He
Research intern
Michelle is a first-year graduate student at NYU School of Global Public Health studying Master of Biostatistics. She is interested in genetic research and mental health. She enjoys traveling when she is free.
Mirkelis De Jesus
Research intern
Mirkelis is a senior at NYU studying Public Health on the pre-health track. She is interested in mental health, prevention methods, and medicine. In her free time, she enjoys crocheting.
Mohamed Doucoure
Research intern
Mohamed is a junior at New York University studying Biology on the pre-health track with Chemistry and Psychology minors. He is interested in telehealth and harm Reduction. In his free time, he enjoys drawing and reading books.
Tanmik Shah
Senior data analyst
Tanmik received his MPH in Biostatistics from NYU. He is interested in identifying tobacco-related behaviors and health outcomes and evaluating the effects of smoking and alternative tobacco products use on various health outcomes.
Nada Hamade
Research intern
Nada is a first-year graduate student at NYU pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in global health. She is interested in health disparities among vulnerable populations especially the ones living with HIV/AIDS. She enjoys traveling.
Diksha Thakkar
Research intern
Diksha is pursuing her MPH concentrating in global health and is interested to work with urban populations. She is working with prison healthcare policy and grievances and plans to attend medical school to work in the cross-section of healthcare and access. She loves reading, cooking, and traveling.
Sanobar Jaka
Post-Doctoral Research Fellow/ Study Team Leader
Sanobar is an MD who recently received her MPH in Health Management and Policy from NYU School of Global Public Health. She currently works in a clinical role at Bronx Care Health System. Her research interests are in Behavioral Health disorders including substance abuse, and exploring health care delivery and access models in mental health.
Siddhi Savla
Research intern
Siddhi received her MPH in epidemiology from Temple University. Her main area of research is characterizing associations of mental health issues with several comorbidities. She loves travelling, cycling, and trying new cuisine.
Meghan Durr
Stacy Hsu
Naomi Cruz
Le Li
Rachel Friedlander
Siddhi Salva
Shu Zhu
Korie McManus
We welcome interested undergraduate and graduate students to apply! Apply Now
If you have any questions when filling out the application, please contact Kaitlyn Gee at kaitlyn.gee@nyulangone.org.