School of Public Health

Education

• Ph.D. in Epidemiology at University of Michigan, 2001
• M.P.H. in Epidemiology/Biostatistics/Health Services at Boston University, 1995
• B.A. in Nursing Education/Community Health Nursing Science at University of South Africa, 1989

Background

Contributing Faculty; Walden University, College of Health Sciences, Minneapolis, Minnesota (2010)

Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health University of Nebraska Medical Center, (2004-2010)

Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health University of Michigan (2003)

Adjunct Professor, Center for Afro-American and African Studies, University of Michigan (2001 to 2002)

Visiting Professor, Department of Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe,(2002-date)

Visiting Professor, University of Zambia, (2007)

Coordinator, Chitungwiza Kellogg funded Project, Community Medicine, University of Zimbabwe (1990-1994)

Awards and Honors:

Fogarty Post Doctorial Research Fellowship (2002 to 2004)
Mellon Foundation Post Doctorial Research Fellowship (2001 to 2002)
Jan de Vries Award of Global Health, Awarded to the Best student in International Health, University of Michigan (2001)
Delta Omega Award, American Public Health Association (2000)
Best Original Research, American Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (2000)
Travel Award, Infectious Diseases Society of America (2000)
Young Scientist Award, University of Zimbabwe (1999)
W.K. Kellogg Foundation Fellowship (1994 to 2001)
Merit Bursary, University of South Africa (1986)

Research Interests:

Etiologic studies in perinatal/pediatric/reproductive epidemiology, issues related to birth out comes including prematurity, low birthweight, stillbirths and infant mortality. Also issues related to women health in pregnancy such as obesity, HIV infection, maternal complications and maternal mortality.

Epidemiologic research in cancer screening for women, including breast and cervical cancer screening, and etiologic research in cardiovascular disease and diabetes screening.

HIV/AIDS research including etiologic research, HIV Interventions, HIV infection or antiretroviral therapy and their relationship to birth outcomes.

Studies related to substance abuse and mental health, and behavioral modifications.

I am also interested in collaborative research, Childhood obesity, HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Infections, Breast and Cervical Cancer screening, cardiovascular diseases and Diabetes screening.

Publications

Selected Recent Research Publications

Feresu S.A. Annual Distribution of Births and Birth Outcomes at Harare Marternity Hospital, Zimbabwe, submitted to Central Arican Journal of Medicine, 2010. 56(5/8): 30-41.

Chen, Aimin MD, PhD; Feresu, Shingairai A. PhD; Barsoom, Michael J. MD Heterogeneity of Preterm Birth Subtypes in Relation to Neonatal Death. Obstetrics & Gynecology: September 2009 - Volume 114 - Issue 3 - pp. 516-522.

A Chen, S. A. Feresu, C. Fernandez, and WJ. Rogan Maternal obesity and the risk of infant death in the U.S. Epidemiology, 2008, 19 (6): 1-7.

Feresu S. A., Zhang W, Puumala S, Ullrich F, and Anderson J. Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Low-income Women in Nebraska: Findings from the Every Woman Matters Program, 1993- 2004. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 2008, 19 (3): 797-813.

Feresu S. A., Zhang W, Puumala S, Ullrich F, and Anderson J. The Frequency and Distribution of Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors Among Nebraska Women Enrolled in the WISEWOMAN Screening Program.Journal of Women's Health. 2008, 17 (4): 607-617.

Frank W.J. Anderson, Sujata I. Naika, Shingairai A. Feresu, Bette Gebrian, Manju Karki, Sioban D. Harlow. Perceptions of pregnancy complications in Haiti International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics (2008) 100, 116-123.

S. A. Feresu, S D Harlow, K Welch and B W Gillespie. Incidence of Stillbirth and Associated Factors among Women Delivering at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, 2005, 5:9.

URL http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2393/5/9.

Feresu S. A., Woelk G. B., and Harlow S. D. Risk factors for Prematurity at Harare Maternity Hospital, Zimbabwe. International Journal of Epidemiology 2004; 33: 1-8.

Feresu S. A., Welch K. Gillespie B. & Harlow S.D. Incidence of and Sociodemographic Risk Factors for Stillbirth, Pre-term birth and Low Birthweight in Zimbabwean Women. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2004, 18: 154-163.

Feresu S. A. Does the Modified Ballard method of assessing gestational age perform well in a Zimbabwean population? Central African Journal of Medicine 2003; 49 (nos 9/10): 97-103

Feresu S. A., Harlow S.D, Gillespie B., Welch K. & Johnson T.R. B, Birthweight Adjusted Dubowitz methods: Reducing Misclassification of Assessments of gestational age in a Zimbabwean population, Central African Journal of Medicine 2003; 49 (nos 5/6): 47-53.

Feresu S. A., Gillespie B. Sowers M.F, Johnson T.R. B, Welch K. & Harlow S.D. "Improving the Assessment of Gestational Age in a Zimbabwean Population". International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2002; 78: 7-18.

Recent Presentations:

Feresu S. A, Smith L, Stacy R., Adipo A, Ross C. Needs Assessment on HIV/AIDS for Sudanese and Bantu Somali Immigrant Women in Omaha, Nebraska; Poster presented at the 3rd South African AIDS Conference June 5-8, 2007.

Kathleen M. Grant, M.D., Gustavo Carlo, Ph.D., Shingairai Feresu, Ph.D., Rick Bevins, Ph.D., Stephanie Sinclair Kelley, BS, Ishrat Husain, BA, and Miriam Marilu Martinez, MA. Risk and Protective Factors in Rural and Urban Persons with Methamphetamine Dependence. "2010 Meeting on Improving Health Care for Rural Veterans," May 5-6, 2010, Portland, Maine

A Chen, S. A. Feresu, C. Fernandez, and WJ. Rogan Maternal obesity and the risk of infant death in the U.S. presentation accepted for presented at the 41st Annual Society for Epidemiology (SER) Meeting, June 24-27, 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.

Feresu S. A, Gillespie B. Welch K. Sowers MF, Johnson TRB & Harlow S.D "Incidence, Demographic and Reproductive Risk Factors of stillbirth, Prematurity and Low Birthweight in Zimbabwean Women". The American Public Health Association; Atlanta; October 21-25, 2001.

Book Publications

Feresu, Shingairai. 2011. The Epidemiology of Perinatal Outcomes in Zimbabwe. VDM Verlag Dr. Muller Aktiengesellschaft & Co. KG. ISBN 978-3-639-37945-7.

Book Chapters:

Grant KM, Feresu S.A., Bevins RA, Romberger DJ, Mueller KJ.(2008) Methamphetamine use. In Goreham GA, ed. Encyclopedia of Rural America: The Land and People. 2nd ed. Millerton, NY: Grey House Publishing, Inc.; pp 627-630.

Shinga Feresu, with Margaret Nyandoro and Leonard Mumbwanda.(2003) ZIMBABWE CASE STUDY, 1980-2000; in Reducing Maternal Mortality: Learning from Bolivia, China, Egypt, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, and Zimbabwe. Edited by Marjorie Koblinsky. The World Bank. Washington DC.

T Gerrits P Boonmongkon, S Feresu and D Halperin, (1999) "Involuntary Infertility and Childlessness in Resource-Poor Countries". Het Spinhuis Publishers, Oudezijds Achterburgwal 185, 1012 DK Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Courses Recently Taught

Y611: Epidemiology

Y652: Advanced Epidemiology: Methods and Design

Y654: Advanced Epidemiology Methods: Applied Epidemiologic Data Analysis

Y614: Chronic Disease Epidemiology

Courses Previously Taught

Infectious Diseases Epidemiology

Epidemiology of Socio-economic Determinants of Health