Presenter Bio
Dr. Martha Felini is an epidemiologist at the University of North Texas Health Science Center College of Osteopathic Medicine – Department of Pediatrics and Women’s Health and also affiliate faculty at Texas Christian University School of Medicine. She received a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and MPH in Biostatistics and Epidemiology from Texas A&M University-College Station. Dr. Felini has nearly two decades research experience using population-level data to understand health disparities in our most historically underrepresented populations and evaluate prevention programs designed to mitigate these disparities. Her research work has been supported by NIH, CPRIT, HRSA, and CDC funding and received recognition by AACR as among the most innovative and high impact research being conducted in the field of health disparities. A centerpiece of her research was partnering with Dallas law enforcement and over 35 community organizations in a 5 year street initiative providing a safe exit strategy, medical triage assessment, and social services directly to the streets for truck stop and street sex workers along interstate corridors in Dallas – many with current or past experiences in human trafficking. Findings were used to change Texas law in 2012 (SB#484) and produced a baseline health profile for healthcare organizations providing care for trafficking survivors. Dr. Felini is an active speaker at conferences, community events, hospital programs, and health professional schools training our next generation of healthcare providers how to identify and respond to human trafficking survivors within clinical settings.
Start Date
4-6-2024 8:30 AM
End Date
4-6-2024 9:15 AM
Field of Study
Data Science
Utilizing health data to combat human trafficking: an epidemiologic perspective of data opportunities and challenges
