Rachael Piltch-Loeb
Biographic Data
| ID | 6065619 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rachael Piltch-Loeb |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rachael |
| FAMILY NAME | Piltch-Loeb |
| SIGNATURE | PILTCH-LOEB R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Harvard University |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-6813-1934 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 2 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2018 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Sars-CoV-2 testing behavior in symptomatic adults in a U.S. national cohort, 2020–2023
Individuals with the greatest risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, susceptibility to COVID-19 complications, and barriers to healthcare access were the least likely to test when ill. Public health initiatives should prioritize improving testing uptake among these populations
The American Public’s Disengagement With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
Barriers and Facilitators to Vaccine Equity Amidst the Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout in the United States
State and local health departments were responsible for ensuring equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. This qualitative study aimed to identify the challenges, strategies, disappointments, and successes in achieving equity for hard-to-reach and at-risk populations. Using a purposive sampling strategy, 16 individuals affiliated with health departments across nine states, each holding leadership roles in vaccine distribution, were intervi…
Exploring Covid-19 Vaccine Decision Making
Within the USA, the uptake of the updated COVID-19 vaccines is suboptimal despite health authority recommendations. This study used qualitative methods to examine factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine decision making and the effects of anxiety and depression on these decisions within the CHASING COVID Cohort (C3). Between October and December 2023, we conducted 25 interviews with participants from 16 different US states, 14 of whom endorsed recent…
Reframing human trafficking awareness campaigns in the United States
Introduction: Human trafficking (HT) awareness campaigns can educate the public and specific professional figures about this crime and ways to prevent it. However, there currently remains a gap in terms of how to best frame such campaigns without stigmatizing groups of individuals or portraying victims in unrealistic ways. Methods: We conducted four focus groups with 22 experts in HT to explore their perspectives and opinions on current challenge…
Covid-19 vaccine uptake, confidence and hesitancy in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between April 2021 and April 2022
High COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Africa limits protection against future epidemic waves. We evaluated how vaccine hesitancy and its correlates evolved April 2021-April 2022 in a well-characterized rural KwaZulu-Natal setting. All residents aged >15 in the Africa Health Research Institute’s surveillance area were invited to complete a home-based, in-person interview. We described vaccine uptake and hesitancy trends, then evaluated associat…
Learning from Covid-19
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the challenges of effective emergency risk communication (ERC) to protect public health, including the difficulty in tackling the spread of inaccurate information. This study aimed to understand those challenges and potential solutions by interviewing leading government spokespersons and their advisors from around the world with experience during large scale emergencies. Int…
Disasters, Displacement, and Housing Instability
Catastrophic disasters disrupt the structural and social aspects of housing, which can lead to varying lengths of displacement and housing instability for affected residents. Stable housing is a critical aspect of postdisaster recovery, which makes it important to understand how much time passes before displaced residents are able to find stable housing. Using the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of Mississippi and …
Rapid Behavioral Health Assessment Post-disaster
Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage Covid-19 Vaccine Misinformation
Vaccine hesitancy (delay in obtaining a vaccine, despite availability) represents a significant hurdle to managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is in part related to the prevalence of anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation, which are spread through social media and user-generated content platforms. This study uses qualitative coding methodology to identify salient narratives and rhetorical styles common to anti-vaccine and COV…
Covid-19 Vaccine Early Skepticism, Misinformation and Informational Needs among Essential Workers in the USA
This study presents the results of a survey of 1591 hesitant U.S. essential workers, conducted over Pollfish in December 2020 when they were the only group eligible for the vaccine, aiming to describe their concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccine safety, effectiveness and distribution policies. We computed frequencies using the SAS software for each answer, using chi-squared statistics and Cochran-Armitage trend tests to determine how informational n…
From information to intervention
Emerging disease threats are on the rise. Risk communication in an emerging threat is used by public health officials to reach the population in a timely and effective manner. However, limited research has drawn on data gathered during an emerging threat to understand how risk communication shapes intervention perceptions. This analysis examines the relationship between risk communication, especially where information comes from, and receptivity …
Getting the most from after action reviews to improve global health security
Housing Transitions and Recovery of Older Adults Following Hurricane Sandy
Findings suggest that the old-old were more resilient to Hurricane Sandy than younger age groups. Understanding the unique post-disaster housing needs of older adults can help identify critical points of intervention for their post-disaster recovery
Public Health Surveillance for Zika Virus
Zika virus provides an example for which public health surveillance is based primarily on health care provider notifications to health departments of potential cases. This case-based surveillance is commonly used to understand the spread of disease in a population. However, case-based surveillance is often biased—whether testing is done and which tests are used and the accuracy of the results depend on a variety of factors including test availabi…
Housing Transitions and Recovery of Older Adults Following Hurricane Sandy
Findings suggest that the old-old were more resilient to Hurricane Sandy than younger age groups. Understanding the unique post-disaster housing needs of older adults can help identify critical points of intervention for their post-disaster recovery
Housing Transitions and Recovery of Older Adults Following Hurricane Sandy
Findings suggest that the old-old were more resilient to Hurricane Sandy than younger age groups. Understanding the unique post-disaster housing needs of older adults can help identify critical points of intervention for their post-disaster recovery
Public Health Surveillance for Zika Virus
Zika virus provides an example for which public health surveillance is based primarily on health care provider notifications to health departments of potential cases. This case-based surveillance is commonly used to understand the spread of disease in a population. However, case-based surveillance is often biased—whether testing is done and which tests are used and the accuracy of the results depend on a variety of factors including test availabi…
Getting the most from after action reviews to improve global health security
From information to intervention
Emerging disease threats are on the rise. Risk communication in an emerging threat is used by public health officials to reach the population in a timely and effective manner. However, limited research has drawn on data gathered during an emerging threat to understand how risk communication shapes intervention perceptions. This analysis examines the relationship between risk communication, especially where information comes from, and receptivity …
Rapid Behavioral Health Assessment Post-disaster
Development of a Codebook of Online Anti-Vaccination Rhetoric to Manage Covid-19 Vaccine Misinformation
Vaccine hesitancy (delay in obtaining a vaccine, despite availability) represents a significant hurdle to managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccine hesitancy is in part related to the prevalence of anti-vaccine misinformation and disinformation, which are spread through social media and user-generated content platforms. This study uses qualitative coding methodology to identify salient narratives and rhetorical styles common to anti-vaccine and COV…
Covid-19 Vaccine Early Skepticism, Misinformation and Informational Needs among Essential Workers in the USA
This study presents the results of a survey of 1591 hesitant U.S. essential workers, conducted over Pollfish in December 2020 when they were the only group eligible for the vaccine, aiming to describe their concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccine safety, effectiveness and distribution policies. We computed frequencies using the SAS software for each answer, using chi-squared statistics and Cochran-Armitage trend tests to determine how informational n…
Disasters, Displacement, and Housing Instability
Catastrophic disasters disrupt the structural and social aspects of housing, which can lead to varying lengths of displacement and housing instability for affected residents. Stable housing is a critical aspect of postdisaster recovery, which makes it important to understand how much time passes before displaced residents are able to find stable housing. Using the Gulf Coast Child and Family Health Study, a longitudinal cohort of Mississippi and …
Reframing human trafficking awareness campaigns in the United States
Introduction: Human trafficking (HT) awareness campaigns can educate the public and specific professional figures about this crime and ways to prevent it. However, there currently remains a gap in terms of how to best frame such campaigns without stigmatizing groups of individuals or portraying victims in unrealistic ways. Methods: We conducted four focus groups with 22 experts in HT to explore their perspectives and opinions on current challenge…
Covid-19 vaccine uptake, confidence and hesitancy in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa between April 2021 and April 2022
High COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in South Africa limits protection against future epidemic waves. We evaluated how vaccine hesitancy and its correlates evolved April 2021-April 2022 in a well-characterized rural KwaZulu-Natal setting. All residents aged >15 in the Africa Health Research Institute’s surveillance area were invited to complete a home-based, in-person interview. We described vaccine uptake and hesitancy trends, then evaluated associat…
Learning from Covid-19
BACKGROUND: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlighted the challenges of effective emergency risk communication (ERC) to protect public health, including the difficulty in tackling the spread of inaccurate information. This study aimed to understand those challenges and potential solutions by interviewing leading government spokespersons and their advisors from around the world with experience during large scale emergencies. Int…
Barriers and Facilitators to Vaccine Equity Amidst the Covid-19 Vaccine Rollout in the United States
State and local health departments were responsible for ensuring equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. This qualitative study aimed to identify the challenges, strategies, disappointments, and successes in achieving equity for hard-to-reach and at-risk populations. Using a purposive sampling strategy, 16 individuals affiliated with health departments across nine states, each holding leadership roles in vaccine distribution, were intervi…
Exploring Covid-19 Vaccine Decision Making
Within the USA, the uptake of the updated COVID-19 vaccines is suboptimal despite health authority recommendations. This study used qualitative methods to examine factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine decision making and the effects of anxiety and depression on these decisions within the CHASING COVID Cohort (C3). Between October and December 2023, we conducted 25 interviews with participants from 16 different US states, 14 of whom endorsed recent…
Sars-CoV-2 testing behavior in symptomatic adults in a U.S. national cohort, 2020–2023
Individuals with the greatest risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure, susceptibility to COVID-19 complications, and barriers to healthcare access were the least likely to test when ill. Public health initiatives should prioritize improving testing uptake among these populations
The American Public’s Disengagement With Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI)
Medicine (13 works) · Environmental health (9 works) · Political science (9 works) · Psychology (7 works) · Public health (6 works) · Vaccine Coverage and Hesitancy (6 works) · COVID-19 epidemiological studies (5 works) · Population (5 works) · Public relations (5 works) · Disaster Management and Resilience (4 works)