Publications by authors named "Katherine Y Tossas-Milligan"
Breaking the Cycle of Health Inequities: The Bioethics of Data.
J Health Care Poor Underserved
August 2020
Social epigenomics measures the mechanisms through which place and context change our biology. Big data science connects, analyzes, and allows inferences from previously disconnected data. Precision medicine promises individually-tailored treatments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe compared the performance characteristics of 297 629 full field digital (FFDM) and 416 791 screen film mammograms (SFM). Sensitivity increased with age, decreased with breast density, and was lower for more aggressive and lobular tumors. While sensitivity did not differ significantly by modality, specificity was generally 1%-2% points higher for FFDM than for SFM across age and breast density categories.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To address locally relevant cancer-related health issues, health departments frequently need data beyond that contained in standard census area-based statistics. We describe a geographic information system-based method for calculating age-standardized cancer incidence rates in non-census defined geographical areas using publically available data.
Methods: Aggregated records of cancer cases diagnosed from 2009 through 2013 in each of Chicago's 77 census-defined community areas were obtained from the Illinois State Cancer Registry.
Article Synopsis
- Late HIV testing (LT) is a serious issue in Puerto Rico, with 47% of patients testing late between 2000 and 2011, leading to worse health outcomes compared to those who tested early.
- While the prevalence of LT decreased from 47% in 2000 to 37% in 2011, factors like being male and older age were linked to higher odds of LT, while a history of amphetamine use lowered those odds.
- Notably, only men who have sex with men (MSM) showed a significant decrease in LT rates, highlighting a need for better early detection strategies and evaluation of HIV-testing guidelines in Puerto Rico.
Article Synopsis
- Late HIV testing (LT) is linked to higher transmission rates and worse health outcomes, particularly among Latinos, who make up a significant portion of LT cases in the US.
- A study conducted in Puerto Rico showed that from 2000 to 2011, 47% of eligible HIV patients were late testers, but this number decreased to 37% over the years, with men and older individuals being more likely to test late.
- The findings reveal a specific improvement in LT rates among men who have sex with men (MSM), but overall, there is still a notable need for earlier HIV detection efforts in Puerto Rico.