Dr. Ashenafi S. Cherkos, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Population & Community Health
Education & Experience:
I hold a PhD in Epidemiology and an MPH in Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
from the University of Washington in Seattle. I also earned an MPH from Mekelle University
and a BSc in Public Health from Debub (Hawassa) University in Ethiopia. I began my
career as a clinician at a health center in 2006 before transitioning to higher education
in Ethiopia, where I advanced from assistant lecturer to assistant professor in the
School of Public Health at Mekelle University. From 2020 – 2022, I was a clinical
instructor in the Department of Health Systems and Population Health at the University
of Washington.
Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
With 16 years of experience in public health research and practice, my focus has primarily
been maternal and child health and infectious diseases epidemiology. I taught public
health courses in epidemiology, biostatistics, and research methodology at Mekelle
University, where I also chaired and mentored graduate theses and students’ practicum
projects. In 2021 and 2022, I taught quantitative methods to first-year students in
the Master of Public Health in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program
at the University of Washington. Since 2022, I have been teaching the following courses
at UNT Health:
• EPID5300 – Principles of Epidemiology
• EPID6312 – Advanced Methods in Epidemiology II
• EPID5312 – Survey Research & Questionnaire Design
• MACH5336 – Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
• MACH5391 – Topics in Maternal and Child Health
Professional Activities & Awards:
I am a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Society of
Epidemiologic Research. I received the Junior Investigator Award from the Washington
TB Research and Training Center in 2022.
Scholarly Interests:
My research focuses on populations such as pregnant women, lactating mothers, and
HIV-exposed children in the U.S. and developing countries. I am especially interested
in fetal origins, perinatal outcomes, maternal and infant nutrition, childhood obesity,
growth and development, predictors and impact of diarrhea, maternal and child health
service utilization, family planning, reproductive health, and the effects of HIV
infection, ART, and TB preventive therapy on children’s long-term growth and development.
Methodology and Analysis:
I am interested in longitudinal analysis, causal inference, and the application of
machine learning in public health.