Projects
We are engaged in a variety of interdisciplinary social, medical, and environmental research projects. New opportunities and projects are developing all the time. Contact Dr. Stoler for the very latest.
Select Current Projects
Household Water Insecurity Experiences Research Coordination Network (HWISE-RCN)
The HWISE-RCN aims to better understand and measure the nuanced ways that households around the world experience water security. Our ultimate goal is to improve water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions to help the world achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6, clean water for all.
HWISE and Sustainable Development Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
Under the HWISE umbrella project, Dr. Stoler leads and supports several water insecurity projects in Ghana, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mexico, and Colombia. Recent projects have focused on diverse topics such as infrastructure expansion, climate migration, Covid-19, water quality, and packaged water.
LatiNET, a Social Network Model for Understanding COVID-19 Misinformation among Low-Income Latinos
Led by Dr. Mariano Kanamori at the Miller School of Medicine, this project will study how misinformation related to COVID-19 and other health issues spreads through social networks. The project focuses on low-income Latino communities that face unusually high rates of HIV transmission in South Florida.
Geo-Ophthalmology
We partner with the University of Miami Health System's Bascom Palmer Eye Institute on several projects about rare childhood eye diseases such as pediatric glaucoma and uveitis. We study service deserts in Florida and nationally, and are interested in the environmental determinants of eye diseases.
Pediatric Traumatic Injuries
We collaborate with Jackson Memorial Hospital's Ryder Trauma Center on studies of the spatial epidemiology of pediatric injuries due to factors such as gun violence, seatbelt use during motor vehicle collisions, pedestrians hit by vehicles, and bicycle injuries.
Environmental and Epigenetic Determinants of Breast Cancer
We partner with the University of Miami Health System's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center to study the spatial epidemiology of breast cancer. We are particularly interested in the epigenetic effects of structural determinants of health such as residential segregation, poverty, and neighborhood composition.
Covid-19 Conspiracies and Vaccine Hesitancy
Our interdisciplinary team conducts survey research to study how people's beliefs in Covid-19 conspiracy theories and misinformation shape Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy. We hope to provide insights for overcoming certain types of reluctance after accounting for personal politics and personality traits.
Select Past Projects
Sachet Water in Ghana: Socio-environmental Implications for Water Security
For over a decade, I studied Ghana's sachet water industry to understand its tradeoffs in alleviating water insecurity. My industry reviews and body of research informed policy at the WHO, who recognized sachets as a primary water source in 2017, and in Ghana, where officials struggle to regulate the plastic waste.
Mosquito-borne Disease and Undifferentiated Acute Febrile Illness in Ghana
We spent several years studying the extent to which pediatric acute febrile illnesses—which are often erroneously diagnosed as malaria—were potentially caused by other types of infections in Ghana. We used molecular methods to provide evidence of dengue fever and other pathogens mistaken for malaria.
Interpersonal Violence in Miami-Dade County
We completed a series of studies that explored disparities in adult gunshot wound injuries, and intimate partner violence screening services and arrests, in Miami-Dade County. We found persistent disparities driven by the interaction of race, space, and poverty.