St. Jude People

Pragya Gautam Poudel, DrPH, MPH, MSc

Postdoctoral Research Associate

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Contact Information

Pragya Gautam Poudel, DrPH, MPH, MSc

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

262 Danny Thomas Place

Memphis,  TN 38105-3678

Affiliations

HPV Cancer Prevention Program

Education

BSc – Kathmandu University, Nepal (2011) MSc – Kathmandu University, Manipal College of Medical Sciences, Nepal (2014) MPH – University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (2017) DrPH – University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee (2020)

Short Biography

As a postdoctoral research associate in the department of HPV cancer prevention program, I will be working on identifying ways in which we can improve HPV vaccination for cancer prevention among two populations.

First, I will explore HPV vaccination among children who have experienced adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Children who have experienced a high number of ACEs are at higher risk for several health conditions. Therefore, HPV vaccination is important to ensure this is one thing to reduce their risk.

Second, I will be working to improve HPV vaccination among childhood cancer survivors, including St. Jude patients. This will include working with the HPV Cancer Prevention Program’s existing efforts and also adding new ones when there is such opportunity. Childhood cancer survivors have lower HPV vaccination coverage as compared to the general population of children. This is concerning because childhood cancer survivors have increased risk of developing HPV cancers as second cancers.

I am originally from Nepal, and I have lived in the United States for more than eight years. I enjoy travelling to new places, learning about different cultures, and spending time with my husband, Suresh, and one-year-old son, Omic. 

Research Interests

  • HPV vaccination in children experiencing adverse childhood events (ACEs)
  • HPV vaccination in childhood cancer survivors
  • Community-based participatory research related to cancer prevention
  • Dissemination and implementation science research related to cancer prevention