Yasi Zamani-Hank, PhD, MPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, Director of the MSU Primary Care Research Collaborative, and Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. As Director the MSU Primary Care Research Collaborative, Dr. Zamani-Hank oversees the development of a statewide practice-based research network that aims to enhance capacity for primary care settings to conduct interdisciplinary, clinically relevant research to address gaps in evidence-based medicine and integrate primary care and public health frameworks to ultimately improve patient care.
Dr. Zamani-Hank is a social and perinatal epidemiologist whose research focuses on studying the role of socioecological influences on maternal and infant health outcomes and disparities using lifecourse and health equity frameworks. Her work investigates the impacts of adverse childhood experiences on maternal and infant health, and the role of psychosocial protective factors, like social support, in mitigating the risk of adverse birth outcomes and buffering the effects of early life adversity on pregnancy health. Another direction of her research involves understanding the impacts of macro-level policies on maternal and infant health outcomes and racial health equity, including the ACA Medicaid Expansion, the Expanded Federal Child Tax Credit, and cash transfer programs. She is a Co-Investigator of the RxKids project in Flint, Michigan (PI: Mona Hanna-Attisha), the first-ever city wide prenatal and infant cash prescription program in the United States. In this role, she works with a team of interdisciplinary collaborators to assess the impacts of this innovative unconditional and universal program on maternal, infant, and family health and well-being.
Prior to joining the Department of Family Medicine, Dr. Zamani-Hank was in the MSU Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics (2017-2023) where she completed her PhD in Epidemiology and post-doctoral work. Previously, she worked in the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) where she served as Quality Assurance Coordinator for the Michigan Drug Assistance Program and the Ryan White Part D Women, Infants, Children, and Youth Program, working to improve the continuum of care for low-income people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) across Michigan.
Dr. Zamani-Hank received her PhD in Epidemiology from Michigan State University, MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, and her Bachelor of Science in Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science from the University of Michigan.
Areas of Interest:
- Social determinants of health; lifecourse and health equity frameworks
- Racial and socioeconomic disparities in maternal and infant health outcomes
- Early life adversity, biological embedding, resilience, and protective factors
- Impacts of macro-level economic and health policies on maternal and infant health
- Latent class and difference-in-difference methodologies
- Practice-based research networks
- Integration of primary care and public health frameworks
- Clinical quality improvement
Education:
- PhD, Epidemiology, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Michigan State University
- MPH, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health
- BS, Brain, Behavior, and Cognitive Science, University of Michigan
Selected Publications:
Zamani-Hank Y, Brincks A, Talge N, Slaughter-Acey J, Margerison C. The association between adverse childhood experiences and preterm delivery: a latent class approach. Journal of Women’s Health. (Published online ahead of print, March 8, 2024).
Margerison C, Zamani-Hank Y, Catalano R. Hettinger K, Michling TR, Bruckner T. Impacts of the 2021 Child Tax Credit advance payments on low birth weight in the United States. JAMA Network Open. 2023; 6(8): e2327493. Doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.27493.
Zamani-Hank Y, Margerison C, Talge N, Holzman C. Differences in psychosocial protective factors by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status and their relationship to preterm delivery. Women’s Health Reports. 2022; 3(1): 243-255.
MacCallum-Bridges C, Gartner D, Hettinger K, Zamani-Hank Y, Margerison C. Did the Affordable Care Act promote racial equity in pregnancy-related health?: a scoping review. (Forthcoming).
Newsworthy:
https://msutoday.msu.edu/news/2023/graduate-voice-iranian-woman-life-freedom
