Dr. Paula lozano, pHD | Director of Research & Evaluation

Originally from Colombia, Dr. Lozano is a behavioral scientist and social epidemiologist who investigates how risk factors such as social norms, socioeconomic status, gender and age, influence subsequent cigarette and electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) use. She received her PhD at the University of South Carolina in 2016. During her PhD training, Dr. Lozano authored and co-authored several manuscripts that examined the relationship between smoking social norms and smoking-related stigma with cigarette use among adults in Latin America. In her postdoctoral research, she examined the social and psychosocial risk factors associated with ENDS and cigarette use among adolescents and adults in Mexico. In 2018, Dr. Lozano moved to Chicago and worked as an epidemiologist at Sinai Urban Health Institute (SUHI). At SUHI, Dr. Lozano focused on investigating disparities in adult cigarette use by race/ethnicity in diverse communities in Chicago. Most recently, Dr. Lozano has expanded her research focus to include mental health. Through her research, she has investigated the influence of loneliness on alcohol use and access to healthcare among Chicago residents. Her research has also focused on understanding the relationship between acculturation and mental health among Hispanic/Latinos from diverse ethnic background using data from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

Dr. Lozano joined CAHE in 2020 to serve as a Research Professional. In this role, Dr. Lozano will be responsible for managing and analyzing datasets and drafting scientific publications, protocols and grant proposal.

When she is not working, Dr. Lozano enjoys spending time with family, reading, watching movies and meditating.