About us

Steven Foti is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Director of Graduate Studies. He received his PhD in Statistics Education in 2017 and his MS in Statistics in 2013, both from the University of Florida. Steven is originally from New York where he earned his BS in Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Physics from Clarkson University. He teaches Biostatistics courses in literacy, methods, and data visualization to graduate students in public health and medicine. His experience and interests are in statistics education, statistical literacy, and assessment.

Dr. Joseph Bisesi is an Associate Professor of the Department of Environmental and Global Health and a member of the Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology and the Emerging Pathogens Institute at the University of Florida. He received his B.S. and M.S. in Biological Sciences, and his Ph.D. in Environmental Toxicology from Clemson University in 2005, 2007, and 2011, respectively. He then completed his post-doc at the University of Florida, where he studied molecular toxicology. Dr. Bisesi then joined the Department of Environmental and Global Health in 2014. In addition to his teaching and research program, Dr. Bisesi currently serves as the program director for the departmental Ph.D. programs.

Dr. Bisesi’s training is grounded in environmental toxicology with a focus on studying the effects of waterborne toxicants in humans and aquatic organisms. His dissertation research was focused on understanding the impacts of antidepressants on the brain biochemistry and feeding behavior of aquatic organisms. Additional training in the examination of molecular mechanisms of toxicants in mammalian and fish models allows Dr. Bisesi to work across human health toxicology and ecotoxicology to address complex public and environmental health issues related to environmental contaminants. Dr. Bisesi’s current research program is focused on elucidating the effects and toxic mechanisms of numerous emerging contaminates, including nanomaterials, plasticizers, and pharmaceuticals as well as legacy contaminants of concern including pesticides and heavy metals. Much of his research is focused on the gastrointestinal system, which is an understudied target of chemical contaminants. His research has been published in numerous high impact environmental journals including Environmental Science and Technology, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, and Environmental Science: Nano. His research has been funded by the National Science Foundation.

Dr. Bisesi current projects include: probing the contributions of phthalate plasticizers to the obesity epidemic using zebrafish as a model, examining the desorption behavior of pharmaceuticals and pesticides bound to carbon nanomaterials in fish gastrointestinal systems, and exploring the impacts of heavy metals to aquatic organisms under varying pulsed exposure and water quality conditions, and examining the presence and impacts of environmental toxicants in developing countries including Haiti and Zambia.

Dr. Krishna Vaddiparti holds the position of Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, specializing in social and psychiatric epidemiology. He earned both his Master of Philosophy and PhD in Psychiatric Social Work from the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore, India. Additionally, he obtained a Master’s degree in Psychiatric Epidemiology from Washington University in St. Louis. With over fifteen years of clinical experience in the field of mental health in India, Dr. Vaddiparti brings a wealth of practical knowledge to his academic role. Presently, within the Department of Epidemiology, Dr. Vaddiparti assumes a dual role as both a faculty member and the Director of the PhD Program in Epidemiology. Additionally, he maintains an affiliation with the Southern HIV/AIDS Research Consortium (SHARC) as a core faculty member. (For additional details about SHARC, please visit http://sharc-research.org/about/faculty/.)

Dr. Vaddiparti’s research interests encompass three main areas:

1. Examining the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and its connections to treatment engagement, substance use, and mental health.

2. Utilization of medical marijuana in the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder and associated sleep disturbances.

3. Investigating the adverse health and mental health effects resulting from exposure to trauma, particularly violence, victimization, and adverse childhood experiences.

His research efforts have taken him to various parts of India and Haiti, where he has conducted extensive cross-cultural international studies. These studies involved primary data collection and rigorous fieldwork. Notably, in India, he conducted pioneering epidemiological research on alcohol use problems and common mental disorders in the Himalayan region of Ladakh, marking the first such study in that area. In Haiti, Dr. Vaddiparti collaborated with colleagues from the Department of Epidemiology on the Haiti Health Study, focusing on mental health conditions such as depression, panic attacks, posttraumatic stress disorder, and the social determinants of health.

Mentoring plays a pivotal role in Dr. Vaddiparti’s academic journey, and he welcomes prospective students interested in pursuing doctoral work in Epidemiology to reach out to him directly. Beyond his academic pursuits, he finds relaxation and fulfillment in activities such as painting, photography, and spending quality time with his family.

Dr. Santanu K. Datta, PhD, MBA, MS, is an Associate Professor and holds the Louis C. Gapenski Endowed Professorship. He joined the University of Florida in May, 2019 after a 22-year career with the Division of General Internal Medicine in the Duke University School of Medicine as well as a joint appointment in the Center of Excellence in Primary Care at the Durham VA Medical Center. He obtained a BS in Chemistry, an MBA in Finance, and an MS in Economics from Florida State University and a PhD in Health Policy and Administration from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Dr. Datta conducts health economics, health outcomes, and implementation science research for various diseases, health interventions and programs, and health policies. His current research is focused in the areas of lung cancer screening, smoking cessation, and adolescent vaping.