Improving Population Health through the Integration of Public Health and Clinical Care

My name is Dr. Diane J. Abatemarco and I am energized by being here at the beginning of an exciting process – the creation of a school of population health that is cutting-edge in its science and its vision. I’d like to tell you a bit about my research. My primary areas of expertise include evaluation research methods, behavioral epidemiology and intervention science.

My primary research is focused on maternal and child health. I am the Co-Principal Investigator of Practicing Safety, a study to evaluate a pediatric-based practice change intervention to prevent child maltreatment of children age 0 to 3 years of age. The work is highlighted as an AHRQ Innovation http://www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=1806, and can also be found on the American Academy of Pediatrics website http://www.aap.org/practicingsafety. The project is funded by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation through the American Academy of Pediatrics. This work is important because a healthier start to life is necessary for a healthy life not only through childhood but into adulthood as well.

I’ve had several global health experiences; one is a US/Croatian Healthy Cities Partnership to delay the onset of alcohol use among adolescents in Split, Croatia. We implemented Project Northland, a U.S. intervention developed by Perry and Williams. My work in Croatia included the use of experimental design, qualitative and quantitative methods in implementation and evaluation. Working with the country of Croatia for more than four years was an incredible experience. Croatia has wonderful citizens who showed me how a country recently war torn could remain hopeful about life and their country.

The work I have done in social epidemiology has been to conduct a study of HIV infected pregnant women to determine their rates of treatment and to identify factors associated with receipt of treatment. I also conducted numerous survey research projects to determine tobacco prevalence among pregnant women, college students, and adults and surveyed prenatal providers about tobacco dependence treatment practices. Current and ongoing research includes the measurement of stress, anxiety, and socioeconomic factors as determinants of maternal health and birth outcomes, and an exploration of biomarkers that may inform us as to how anxiety affects gestation. We experience a great amount of stress in our lives and understanding how stress affects us biologically may lead to interventions that enhance the quality of our lives, thereby reducing stress, anxiety and depression.

Additionally, I am currently evaluating an obesity prevention program developed by a professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The project is called Fitwits - www.Fitwits.org. This exciting multidimensional intervention has received national attention from the Clinton Foundation. Watching the children interact with the Fitwits characters and seeing them digest (no pun intended) the nutritional knowledge shows that even our youth can make better eating choices with the right support.

All of my work is predicated on improving population health through the integration of public health and clinical care. As a key dimension of population health, each project promotes empowerment over one’s own health behavior. Join me in learning more about our new school as I begin to work with the faculty to develop doctoral programs in Population Health Sciences.


Diane J. Abatemarco, PhD, MSW Associate Professor, Director of Doctoral Programs
Jefferson School of Population Health