Judith Rijnhart, MSc, PhD

Assistant Professor

Contact Info

• Office: CPH 2121
• Academic Email: jrijnhart@usf.edu
• Academic Phone: (813) 396-2761
• View My C.V.

Education

Discipline

Epidemiology

Specialization

• Mediation analysis
• Causal inference
• Health disparities
• Aging and dementia

Biography

Judith Rijnhart, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the College of Public Health. Dr. Rijnhart has an interdisciplinary background with degrees in Nursing, Prevention and Public Health, and Epidemiology. In 2018, she was a visiting Fulbright scholar in Dr. David MacKinnon’s Research in Prevention Laboratory at the Department of Psychology of Arizona State University. In addition to research, Dr. Rijnhart has always been interested in teaching, as exemplified by her minor in education and the completion of Basic and Senior Teaching Qualifications. Together with Dr. Matthew Valente, Dr. Rijnhart runs the Causal Inference in Public Health Research (CIPHR) lab. This lab is focused on the evaluation and application of causal inference methods in public health research. Drs. Valente and Rijnhart hold bi-weekly lab meetings in which causal inference topics are discussed. The students in the CIPHR lab have a wide range of backgrounds and skill levels, including undergraduate students, master-level students, and doctoral-level students with concentrations in epidemiology or biostatistics. Students interested in joining the CIPHR lab can send an email to Dr. Valente (mjvalente@usf.edu) and/or Dr. Rijnhart (jrijnhart@usf.edu).

Research Interests

• The evaluation and application of methods for statistical mediation analysis. Statistical mediation analysis is used to investigate the causal mechanisms that underlie exposure and intervention. Dr. Rijnhart has (co-)authored multiple papers on mediation analysis methods.
• Investigation of the socio-cultural mechanisms underlying health disparities in late-life cognition and dementia. In this line of research, Dr. Rijnhart applies mediation analysis to investigate the factors that cause and sustain health disparities in cognitive aging. Dr. Rijnhart is currently funded by the Alzheimer's Association to study education and occupation as mediators of gender differences in late-life cognition and dementia.