Kristen A. Feemster

Dr. Feemster's portfolio reflects a longstanding interest in public health and a commitment to improve outcomes for children by addressing contextual factors that may impact disease risk and access to health services. This has resulted in two complimentary foci: understanding how environmental factors, social networks, and community systems affect the epidemiology of infectious diseases; and evaluating policies related to the prevention of pediatric infectious diseases, specifically vaccine policies.

Her current research includes vaccine acceptance among parents and immunization providers in the United States and internationally, community-based interventions to improve vaccine uptake, neighborhood factors associated with the incidence of pertussis and influenza, and healthcare-associated respiratory infection in the pediatric ambulatory setting. This body of work has also demonstrated the importance of understanding the drivers of health-related behaviors and adoption of new recommendations to ensure effective policy implementation.