Grantee: Philip T. Veliz, PhD

Philip T. Veliz

Philip T. Veliz, PhD

Social Epidemiologist
TCRB FEATURED GRANTEE
Organization:
  • University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Current Title
Associate Research Professor

Describe your scientific identity.
I am a social epidemiologist that primarily uses existing secondary data sources to assess health disparities across vulnerable sub-populations.

What are your research interests?
My research interests include using secondary data to extend and enhance knowledge regarding various types of substance use and how they differentially influence health outcomes among vulnerable populations.

What is the significance of your current research project?
The significance of the current research project will be to enhance our understanding of smoking and smoking-related health disparities among sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) minority (e.g., lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) adults in the United States. The integration of multiple data sets with common smoking, gender identity, and sexual orientation measures will allow us to examine innovative research questions related to SOGI-specific policy factors associated with smoking behaviors and cancer related outcomes among adults that cannot be adequately addressed with one data set alone.

What motivated you to work in tobacco control research?
My motivation to work in tobacco control research was to better understand the developmental course of both tobacco and other substance use during critical phases of the life course to determine how they shape negative health related consequences in early and later adulthood.

Describe something that had a profound influence on your program of research or scientific interests (an "ah-ha!" moment).
The moment I realized that the majority of research questions can be answered with information and data that has already been collected – Existing data is just like a puzzle, you just need to figure out how the pieces fit.

Selected training, awards, and honors:

  • T32 Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, NIDA training grant (T32 DA007367; Sean McCabe & Carol Boyd, Co-Mentors). University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
  • Research Faculty Recognition Award, University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, MI. (2020)


The moment I realized that the majority of research questions can be answered with information and data that has already been collected - Existing data is just like a puzzle, you just need to figure out how the pieces fit.”



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