Staras, Stephanie
Assistant Professor, Health Outcomes & Policy
Faculty, Institute for Child Health Policy
Phone: (352) 273-9702
Fax: (352) 294-5994
sstaras@ufl.edu
2004 Mowry Rd, Rm 2238
PO Box 100177
Gainesville, FL 32610-0177
Education
- Ph.D., Epidemiology, Emory University
- M.S.P.H., Epidemiology, Emory University
- B.S., Mathematics and Biology, Bucknell University
Professional Biography
Dr. Stephanie Staras, MSPH, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Outcomes and Policy within the College of Medicine and a faculty member of the Institute for Child Health Policy at the University of Florida.
Dr. Staras’ research program focuses on improving the understanding of the interactions between alcohol use, partner selection, and HIV/STD risk in order to improve prevention efforts. As part of her NIH NIAAA K01 entitled “HIV Risk among Racially-Diverse, Minority Youth: Alcohol and Partner Selection,” she is investigating the contextual influence (partner and alcohol activities) on sexual risk-taking among a cohort of urban adolescents in Chicago. Additionally, she is collaborating with researchers at University of Florida, Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando, and Orlando Health to increase understanding of how girls select sexual partners. Both of these efforts will lead to development of an alcohol-related HIV preventive intervention focused on modifying partner selection.
Dr. Staras also studies factors associated with Florida low-income adolescents’ receipt of a clinically available STD preventive measure, the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. In collaboration with Moffitt Cancer Center researchers, Dr. Staras’ team assessed HPV vaccine use with a Medicaid claims review and analysis; a Medicaid provider survey with a 67% response rate; a telephone survey of approximately 800 adolescents and their parents; and a mail-based, non-responder survey to over 6,000 Florida families.
Expertise
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- HIV
- Sexually transmitted infections (STI)
- Methodology
- Racial/ethnic disparities
Recent News
- ICHP Article Listed in Top 25 Most Read Ethnicity and Race Articles of 2013!
- Dr. Stephanie Staras Receives First UF Grant from the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM)
Publications
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- Staras SA, Livingston MD, Wagenaar AC. Maryland Alcohol Sales Tax and STIs: A Natural Experiment. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. In press.
- Wagenaar AC, Livingston MD, Staras SAS. Effects of 2009 Illinois Alcohol Tax Increase on Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes. American Journal of Public Health. 2015.105(9): 1880-5. PMCID: PMC4529769.
- Staras SAS, Vadaparampil ST, Livingston MD, Thompson LA, Sanders AH, Shenkman EA. Increasing Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Initiation among Publically-Insured Florida Adolescents. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2015. 56(5 Suppl):S40-6. PMCID: PMC4394203.
- Staras SA, Livingston MD, Christou AM, Jernigan DH, Wagenaar AC. Heterogeneous Population Effects of an Alcohol Excise Tax Increase on STI Morbidity. Addiction. 2014. 109(6):904-12. PMCID: PMC4529769
- Malo TL, Staras SAS, Bynum SA, Giuliano AR, Shenkman EA, Vadaparampil ST. (2013). HPV vaccine administration among Medicaid providers who consistently recommended vaccination. Sexually Transmitted Diseases. 2014 Jan;41(1):24-8. PMCID: PMC3962075.
More…
Grants
- HIV Risk Among Racially-Diverse, Minority Youth: Alcohol and Partner Selection
- Maryland Alcohol Tax Analysis
- Social and Health Effects of Changes in Alcohol Prices: A Research Collaborative
- Reducing HIV Risk among Low-Income Women
- Cervical Cancer Prevention among Low-income Adolescents
Courses Taught
- GMS6885 Research Designs in Health Outcomes and Policy (Graduate), Instructor