Professional Overview
Dr. Padamsee is a sociologist by training and brings theoretical and methodological tools from sociology and women’s studies to bear on public health problems. Her research agenda explores the nexus of social inequality, public policy and health care. Dr. Padamsee is the Principal Investigator for two major ongoing projects. The first is a multi-method study of how diverse women at elevated risk for breast cancer make prevention decisions, and the effects of these decision-making processes on physical and psychosocial health. This research is funded by a K01 award from the National Cancer Institute, the OSU Cancer Control Program and the Stefanie Spielman Fund. The second is an in-depth comparative study of how HIV/AIDS policies have been made in the United States and the United Kingdom over the past 30 years. This research draws on more than 200 original interviews with national-level policy makers and is the subject of a book manuscript under development. It has been funded by grants from the National Science Foundation, Reed Foundation, and Wellcome Trust.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Padamsee has been a member of the Health Equity Workgroup at the Ohio Department of Health, which collects, assembles, interprets and disseminates data to shape Ohio’s response to COVID-19 in vulnerable populations. She is also Co-Author, with Dr. Julianna Nemeth, of Ohio’s COVID-19 Populations Needs Assessment.
