Elizabeth Dawn Lowenthal, MD,MSCE
- Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Epidemiology | University of Pennsylvania
- Botswana | Dominican Republic
- HIV/AIDS | Pediatrics
Languages: English (native), Spanish (moderate)
Bio statement
After living in Botswana from 2004-2008 and serving as the Clinic Director of the Botswana-Baylor Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence at that time, I came to Penn for Epidemiology training and stayed here as faculty of the medical school. I am now Research Director for Global Health at CHOP and I have active research in Botswana and the Dominican Republic. I mentor numerous students, faculty, and in-country partners whose work is focused on the health of children in resource-limited settings.
Recent global health projects
1. My team is working with the Ministry of Child Welfare and Basic Education in Botswana to introduce the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (PCNB) as a tool to help education professionals identify children who need additional support for neurocognitive challenges. With funding from an NIH R01-funded study that I led with J. Cobb Scott, we culturally adapted and validated the PCNB for use among children in Botswana to help improve recognition and support for children with cognitive challenges.
2. With colleagues in Ghana, I am looking at rates of HIV viral suppression among breastfeeding mothers who present for infant HIV testing at two large referral centers. Breastfeeding leads to better child health outcomes than formula feeding, especially in resource-limited settings. However, women living with HIV have increased challenges remaining in care and maintaining medication adherence post-partum, potentially increasing the risk of HIV transmission to their infants. Therefore, understanding how to optimize systems to support safe breastfeeding among mothers who are living with HIV is our long-term goal.
Selected publications
Amelia E. Van Pelt, Elizabeth D. Lowenthal, Onkemetse Phoi, Ontibile Tshume, Mogomotsi Matshaba & Rinad S. Beidas (2021) Medical stakeholder perspectives on implementing a computerized battery to identify neurocognitive impairments among youth in Botswana, AIDS Care, DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2021.1990202
Bast ES, Stonbraker S, Halpern M, Lowenthal E, Gross R. Barriers to HIV treatment adherence among adults living with HIV in the eastern Dominican Republic. Int J STD AIDS. 2021 May 14:9564624211014102. doi: 10.1177/09564624211014102. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 33990170.
Japa I, Ancha B, Custodio A, Ohrenschall R, Cordero R, Deverlis A, Chapman J, Hickson MR, Steenhoff AP, Lowenthal ED. Effectiveness of Deworming with Single-Dose Albendazole for Preschool-Aged Children in the Dominican Republic. Glob Pediatr Health. 2021 Mar 19;8:2333794X211002949. doi: 10.1177/2333794X211002949. PMID: 33796636; PMCID: PMC7983463.
Last Updated: 11 December 2024