Deepthi S Varma,
Research Assistant Professor
About Deepthi S Varma
Dr. Varma is a Psychiatric Epidemiologist with research experience in the area of mental health with specific focus on women’s mental health, and substance use. She has considerable field experience in rural India specifically working on the reproductive health of women. Her current research focus on perinatal mental health, mHealth applications (use of mobile technology) to deliver prevention interventions, and community engagement. She is the Director of Work Force Development at HealthStreet – the community engagement initiative at University of Florida and also serves on the Board of Directors at the Healthy Start of North Central Florida Coalition. Dr. Varma is a trained qualitative researcher and leads the biweekly Qualitative Research Colloquium at the College of Public Health and Health Professions.
Accomplishments
Elected Member
2021
·
Beta Upsilon chapter of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
CTSI Mentor Academy
2018
·
University of Florida
Global mHealth Research Training Institute
2016
·
NIH Fogarty International Center, NIH Campus, Bethesda, MD
International Research Travel Grant
2015
·
University of Florida International Center (UFIC)
Nominated Member
2015
·
Academy Of Research Excellence (ARE), UF, Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Travel Award
2009
·
First International Conference on Alcohol and HIV, Mumbai, India 2008
Travel Award
2008
·
American Psychopathological Association Meeting, New York
Best Paper Award
2000
·
Scientific Sessions of the 19th Annual Conference of Indian Society of Professional Social Workers, Mysore, India
Dr. Govindaswami Award
1998
·
Best outgoing student in M.Phil in Psychiatric Social Work (1996-1998 batch), National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
Certificate on Eligibility for Lectureship
1996
·
University Grants Commission (UGC), New Delhi, India
MPhil Fellowship in Psychiatric Social Work
1996
·
National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, India
Research Profile
Areas of Interest
- Maternal and Child Health
- Mental Health
- Qualitative Research
Publications
2021
It should not require a pandemic to make community engagement in research leadership essential, not optional.
Journal of clinical and translational science.
5(1)
[DOI] 10.1017/cts.2021.8.
[PMID] 34192052.
2021
Practical Considerations in Qualitative Health Research During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
International journal of qualitative methods.
20
[DOI] 10.1177/16094069211043755.
[PMID] 34602922.
2021
Sex Differences in Co-occurring Conditions Among Autistic Children and Youth in Florida: A Retrospective Cohort Study (2012-2019).
Journal of autism and developmental disorders.
51(10):3759-3765
[DOI] 10.1007/s10803-020-04841-5.
[PMID] 33394250.
2021
Sex Differences in Willingness to Participate in Research Based on Study Risk Level Among a Community Sample of African Americans in North Central Florida.
Journal of immigrant and minority health.
23(1):19-25
[DOI] 10.1007/s10903-020-01015-4.
[PMID] 32328873.
2020
Correlates related to follow-up in a community engagement program in North Central Florida.
Journal of community psychology.
48(8):2723-2739
[DOI] 10.1002/jcop.22450.
[PMID] 32949042.
2020
Improving community participation in clinical and translational research: CTSA Sentinel Network proof of concept study.
Journal of clinical and translational science.
4(4):323-330
[DOI] 10.1017/cts.2020.21.
[PMID] 33244413.
2020
Recruitment, experience, and retention among women with HIV and hazardous drinking participating in a clinical trial.
BMC public health.
20(1)
[DOI] 10.1186/s12889-020-09233-z.
[PMID] 32718308.
2019
Age at menarche and depression: results from the NHANES 2005-2016.
PeerJ.
7
[DOI] 10.7717/peerj.7150.
[PMID] 31223544.
2019
Response to letter.
Journal of psychiatric research.
116
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.12.011.
[PMID] 30558836.
2019
Willingness of individuals with eating disorders to participate in health research.
The International journal of eating disorders.
52(8):914-923
[DOI] 10.1002/eat.23090.
[PMID] 31063267.
2018
A systematic review of the effectiveness of mobile apps for monitoring and management of mental health symptoms or disorders.
Journal of psychiatric research.
107:73-78
[DOI] 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2018.10.006.
[PMID] 30347316.
2018
Conceptualizing trust in community-academic research partnerships using concept mapping approach: A multi-CTSA study.
Evaluation and program planning.
66:70-78
[DOI] 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2017.10.007.
[PMID] 29053983.
2018
Dietary Balance Index-07 and the Risk of Anemia in Middle Aged and Elderly People in Southwest China: A Cross Sectional Study.
Nutrients.
10(2)
[DOI] 10.3390/nu10020162.
[PMID] 29385057.
2018
Interactions between Alcohol Consumption and Adjuvant Hormone Therapy in Relation to Breast Cancer-Free Survival.
Journal of breast cancer.
21(2):158-164
[DOI] 10.4048/jbc.2018.21.2.158.
[PMID] 29963111.
2018
Patterns of smoking initiation during adolescence and young adulthood in South-West China: findings of the National Nutrition and Health Survey (2010-2012).
BMJ open.
8(5)
[DOI] 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019424.
[PMID] 29858407.
2017
Diet diversity and nutritional status among adults in southwest China.
PloS one.
12(2)
[DOI] 10.1371/journal.pone.0172406.
[PMID] 28231308.
2017
Stakeholder Perspectives on Creating and Maintaining Trust in Community-Academic Research Partnerships.
Health education & behavior : the official publication of the Society for Public Health Education.
44(1):182-191
[DOI] 10.1177/1090198116648291.
[PMID] 27230272.
2016
A Research Protocol to Test the Effectiveness of Text Messaging and Reminder Calls to Increase Service Use Referrals in a Community Engagement Program.
JMIR research protocols.
5(2)
[DOI] 10.2196/resprot.5854.
[PMID] 27353040.
2016
Dietary Patterns in Relation to General and Central Obesity among Adults in Southwest China.
International journal of environmental research and public health.
13(11)
[PMID] 27827895.
View on:
PubMed
2016
Gender-Based Violence in Rural Uttar Pradesh, India: Prevalence and Association With Reproductive Health Behaviors.
Journal of interpersonal violence.
31(19):3111-3128
[DOI] 10.1177/0886260515584341.
[PMID] 25948646.
2015
Sustainability: The Critical Piece in a Successful Intervention.
American journal of public health.
105(7)
[DOI] 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302702.
[PMID] 25973814.
2013
Ethical issues in obtaining collateral information on alcohol and drug use: experience from Asia and Africa.
Current opinion in psychiatry.
26(4):330-4
[DOI] 10.1097/YCO.0b013e328361ebd7.
[PMID] 23689550.
2010
Perceptions of HIV risk among monogamous wives of alcoholic men in South India: a qualitative study.
Journal of women's health (2002).
19(4):815-21
[DOI] 10.1089/jwh.2008.0884.
[PMID] 20201705.
2008
Assessment of the effects of social support on adolescents with parents with HIV/AIDS.
American journal of public health.
98(6)
[DOI] 10.2105/AJPH.2007.133140.
[PMID] 18445787.
Grants
Jul 2021
ACTIVE
Reducing Maternal Morbidity and Mortality in the Covid-19 Era and Beyond
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: FL DEPT OF HLTH
Aug 2020
ACTIVE
Training Promotoras/Community Health Workers using Culturally and Linguistically-Appropriate Research Best Practices
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: UNIV OF MICHIGAN ANN ARBOR
via NATL INST OF HLTH NCATS
May 2020
– Sep 2021
IPA VA Home Modifications for Rural Veterans with Disabilities
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: US DEPT OF VET AFF GAINESVILLE MED CTR
Nov 2019
– Apr 2021
Improving Lactation Success in Mothers of Critically Infants Using Personalized Real-Time Biomarker Based Text Messages
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: UF HEALTH SHANDS HOSPITAL
Sep 2019
ACTIVE
Florida Development in Early Childhood: Adversity and Drug Exposure (FL-DECADE) Study
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDA
Sep 2019
– Aug 2020
Autism Field-Initiated Innovative Research Studies Program
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: US HLTH RESOURCES AND SERV ADMN
Jul 2019
– Sep 2019
Dr. Varma IPA
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: US DEPT OF VET AFF GAINESVILLE MED CTR
May 2019
– Dec 2019
Heath Promotion and Wellness Coalition and UF HealthStreet Deterra Project
Role: Principal Investigator
Funding: HEALTH PROMOTION AND WELLNESS COALITION
Sep 2018
– Aug 2020
Identifying patterns of human polysubstance use to guidedevelopment of rodent models
Role: Co-Investigator
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDA
Apr 2018
ACTIVE
Southern HIV and Alcohol Research Consortium (SHARC) Administrative and Research Support Core
Role: Project Manager
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAAA
Aug 2017
ACTIVE
Health outcomes and cognitive effects of marijuana use among persons living with HIV/AIDS
Role: Project Manager
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDA
Sep 2016
ACTIVE
Effects of experimentally-induced reductions in alcohol consumption on brain cognitive, and clinical outcomes and motivation for changing drinking in older persons with HIV infection
Role: Project Manager
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIAAA
Aug 2015
– Jun 2021
CTSI Institutional Support
Role: Project Manager
Funding: UF DIV OF SPONSORED RES MATCHING FUNDS
Jul 2011
– May 2017
Transformative Approach To Reduce Research Disparities Towards Drug Abusers
Role: Project Manager
Funding: NATL INST OF HLTH NIDA
Jul 2007
– Aug 2016
Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Role: Project Manager
Funding: UF RESEARCH FOU
Education
Post-Doctoral Fellowship
2008
·
Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, Washington University in St. Louis
PhD (Psychiatric Social Work)
2006
·
NIMHANS Deemed University, Bangalore, India
MPhil (Psychiatric Social Work)
1999
·
NIMHANS Deemed University, Bangalore, India
MSW (Master in Social Work)
1994
·
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India
B.Sc (Bachelor of Science)
1992
·
Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala, India
Teaching Profile
Courses Taught
2017,2019-2021
PHC6937 Special Topics in Public Health
2020-2021
PHC7918 Independent Study
2014-2020
PHC6946 Public Health Internship
2014-2020
PHC6601 Seminar in Contemporary Public Health Issues
2014-2017
PHC4101 Public Health Concepts
2017
PHC7000 Epidemiology Seminar II: Critical Evaluation, Research Proposals, and Methods
2015
PHC7979 Advanced Research
2021
PHC6941 MPH Applied Practice Experience
2021
PHC6591 Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology
2021
HSC4913 Supervised Resrch Exp
Contact Details
Phones:
- Business:
- (352) 294-5941
Emails:
- Business:
- dvarma@ufl.edu