Sophie Ravanbakht
Sophie Ravanbakht is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Gilling’s School of Global Public Health, Department of Health Policy and Management, minoring in Decision Sciences and Outcomes Research. Sophie’s research interests center on exploring solutions to complex health problems that emerge from systemic and cultural intersections affecting underserved immigrant and pediatric populations. Using systems science (e.g. systems dynamics) and a mixed-methods approach in her research, Sophie is interested in the biosocial influence of immigration and acculturation across generations and the life course in order to improve clinical guidelines, patient-centered care, policy guidance, and community resources for vulnerable populations.
Through her dissertation, Sophie seeks to increase understanding of how stress-related mechanisms that underlie discordant acculturation in Latino immigrant children and their caregivers influence health behaviors, quality of life, and weight status.
Research Interests
- Systems Science
- Immigrant and Pediatric Health
- Health Disparities
- Obesity
Preceptor(s)
Amanda L. Thompson, Leah Frerichs