Research interests
Background:
Dr. Fuller is an Assistant Professor at Columbia University, Mailman School of Public Health and an infectious disease epidemiologist with Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies at the New York Academy of Medicine. She completed her MPH at Tulane University School of Public Health and her Ph.D. at Johns Hopkins University, School of Public Health in the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program. Dr. Fuller has extensive experience in design, conduct and analysis of cross-section and follow-up studies focusing on HIV, STDs and hepatitis infections among urban populations using a community-based approach. Her background stems from conducting clinical research among HIV seropositive adolescents in an inner-city public health clinic in New Orleans as well as coordinating and directing the local Baltimore site of the multi-city Collaborative Injection Drug User Study (CIDUS-2) funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since arriving to Columbia University in July 2000, her work has involved adolescent and young adult injection and non-injection drug users and their increased risk for HIV, HCV and other blood-borne pathogens. Specifically, her research focuses on the effect of high-risk behavior (particularly social networks), and other social determinants (individual and contextual) on initiation of injection drug use, subsequent risk behavior, and early transmission of blood-borne pathogens among drug users in NYC. Dr. Fuller is also heavily involved with evaluation and implementation of harm and risk reduction interventions among adolescent and adult injection and non-injection drug users. These interventions include: Expanded Syringe Access Demonstration Program (ESAP) aimed at increasing access to sterile syringes through pharmacies and health care providers in an effort to reduce multi-person use of syringes; Harlem ESAP Intervention Project aimed at increasing participation in ESAP in East and Central Harlem using a multi-level approach; Positive Health Project, Inc evaluation of targeted harm reduction services, including primary heath care through Positive Health Clinic, for injection drug users in NYC; and the ACTION Study which a social-network-based risk reduction intervention aimed at reducing sexual risk among non-injection drug users in Harlem and South Bronx.
Dr. Fuller advises several infectious disease students in the Department of Epidemiology who are interested in community-based research serving hard-to-reach, drug-involved adolescents and young adults. She co-directs two courses in infectious disease epidemiology, “Design of Infectious Disease Studies (P8462), and Infectious Disease Epidemiologic Methods (P8473). Dr. Fuller is committed to enhancing student and faculty life and serves as the Chair of the Diversity Committee in the Department of Epidemiology.
