Epidemiology Student Highlighted in Illuminated Magazine

Abraham Alhassan, Doctor of Public Health student with a concentration in Epidemiology, was recently highlighted in the School of Graduate Studies’ publication, Illuminated, a magazine that focuses on graduate student research at East Tennessee State University. Dr. Alhassan was featured for his work with Dr. Arsham Alamian, Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, on cardiovascular health risks in Hispanic children.

For his dissertation, Dr. Alhassan focused on three different topics that influence health outcomes--diet, sociodemographic factors, and biomarkers, to examine their association with cardiovascular disease risk factors including metabolic syndrome among Hispanic children. Metabolic syndrome is defined as a clustering of several risk factors including central obesity, elevated blood pressure, low HDL levels, increased triglycerides, and high glucose levels.

Dr. Alamian said of Dr. Alhassan, ““He has been one of the best students I’ve had come through this program.”

Dr. Alhassan will graduate this spring and is pursuing a career in public health practice as a hospital epidemiologist or with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.