Kayo Fujimoto, PhD
Professor
Sally W. Vernon, PhD Distinguished Professor in Social Determinants of Health
Kayo.Fujimoto@uth.tmc.edu
Department
Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, Primary appointment
Biostatistics and Data Science, Secondary appointment
School of Biomedical Informatics, Adjunct appointment
Research Interests
Social Determinants of Health
Infectious Disease
Health Equity
Big Data/Data Science
Biostatistics
Health Education/Behavioral Sciences
Epidemiology
Adolescent Health
Substance Use
Biography
Kayo Fujimoto, PhD’s research specializes in the development and application of social network methodologies, various statistical methods, deep learning methods, and agent-based network models to various areas of population health research from a multidisciplinary perspective in order to address the social determinants of health. Her research topics include HIV/AIDS & STIs, men who have sex with men (MSM) populations, molecular epidemiology, community organizational networks, and healthcare delivery systems. This research focuses on social contexts/structures as a driver for generating health inequities by modeling the impact of social networks among people and organizations in order to investigate these influences on people’s health behaviors, diffusion of health information and group norms, and actual disease transmission, all of which will inform the design, development, and implementation of prevention programs/interventions through the use of social networks among individuals and organizations. Her current research interests are in undertaking population health research with an eye towards turning network research into deliverables based on Artificial Intelligence in order to enhance the delivery of personalized interventions, and in building an innovative technological infrastructure to facilitate coordination among health service agencies within a local health care delivery system with the ultimate goal of improving community health.
Contact
Email: Kayo.Fujimoto@uth.tmc.edu
Phone: +1 (713) 500-9766
Current Projects
Supplement for Next-generation phylodynamics-targeted partner service models for combined HIV prevention
This supplement project proposes to examine next generation responses to HIV related events in ending the epidemic contexts in Chicago and Houston.
YMAP: Young Men’s Affiliation Project of HIV Risk and Prevention Venue
This project conducts a multisite longitudinal network study to investigate the HIV/STD risk and protective behaviors associated with social networks created by venue affiliations among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) ages 16-29 years.
PrEParados
A multi-level social network model to increase PrEP enrollment by Latino MSM selfidentified as gay, bisexual or straight in Miami.
Methodology and Advanced Analytics Resource Center (MAARC)
This project proposes advanced bi-directional data sharing, analytics, and modeling capacities to provide new scientific insights into interventions at the intersection of opioid use and justice contexts.
HIV intervention models for criminal justice involved substance-using Black MSM (BARS: Building Agent-based Models for a Racialized Justice System)
This project aims to study the effectiveness of HIV prevention interventions for criminal justice involved younger Black men who have sex with men in HIV prevention services by developing Agent-based Network Modeling methodology.
Next-generation phylodynamics-targeted partner service models for combined HIV prevention
This project aims to guide and transform the rapidly evolving public health implementation of molecular HIV surveillance (MHS) based prevention interventions as a critical step towards HIV elimination in Chicago and Houston.
Network Dynamics of Syphilis Co-infection within Biomedical Prevention
This project takes biological, behavioral, and epidemiological perspectives to investigate complex syphilis-HIV transmission dynamic processes among young Black men who have sex with men at the aim of creating effective syphilis eliminations interventions for most-at-risk population in the United States.
Blockchain-based HIV Testing Management System
This project proposes to develop and research the first blockchain-applied HIV status management platform, enabling marginalized and stigmatized individuals to digitally document and update their HIV status.
RADx-Up
Addressing COVID-19 Testing Disparities in Vulnerable Populations Using a Community Just in Time Adaptive Intervention.