Natalie Chichetto, PhD

Dr. Chichetto is a formally trained social worker and epidemiologist in the area of Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine. She received her MSW degree and a Research Specialization from Washington University in St. Louis and a PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Florida. Her primary focus as an epidemiologist is investigating the health implications of common behavioral health syndemics, particularly concurrent unhealthy alcohol use, cigarette smoking, and depressive symptoms. Her primary career goal is to reduce cardiovascular disease and other chronic conditions associated with behavioral health conditions. She is specifically interested in bridging the gap between mechanistic research and implementation science by focusing on biologically-informed pathways (e.g. the gut microbiome) for interventions to reduce inflammation, and by extension end organ disease (e.g., CVD) in those with syndemic behavioral conditions.

Dr. Chichetto is the Principal Investigator of an NIH/NIAAA K01 Mentored Career Development Award (K01AA029042) to understand the implications of alcohol-associated syndemics on the gut microbiome, a unique mechanistic risk pathway for CVD, among persons living with HIV. Through this award she will be conducting a microbiome based intervention for individuals burdened by behavioral health syndemics to understand the potential of prebiotics and probiotics as adjunct therapy to reduce CVD risk.

Dr. Chichetto is a Co-Investigator of the microbiome-based clinical trial “Interventions to improve alcohol-related comorbidities along the gut-brain axis in persons with HIV infection” funded by NIAAA.