Namratha Kandula, MD, MPH

Namratha KandulaNamratha Kandula, MD, MPH is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Dr. Kandula is a general internist with advanced training in epidemiology, public health, and health services research.  Dr. Kandula received her B.A. at Bryn Mawr College (1993) and both her Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees from Tufts University School of Medicine (1998).  After completing her residency in Primary Care/Internal Medicine at New York University/Bellevue Hospital, she was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Chicago.

Dr. Kandula is an expert in Asian American health, cross-cultural communication, and health promotion for minority communities.  She currently directs an ongoing research program to develop, implement, and evaluate literacy and culturally appropriate behavioral interventions targeted at cardiovascular risk reduction in minority populations.  Dr. Kandula is a recipient of a Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and the Site-PI of the NHLBI-funded MASALA study, the first prospective cohort study examining the mediators of atherosclerosis in South Asian Americans. She is also leading a project examining the use of SMARTphone technology to monitor and motivate physical activity in South Asian immigrants. Her publications appear in numerous peer-reviewed journals including the American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Cancer, Patient Education and Counseling, and Social Science and Medicine.  

Dr. Kandula also serves as a National Advisory Committee Member for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Local Funding Partnerships program and is a graduate of the Community Leadership Program run by the Leadership Center for Asian Pacific Americans.

Highlighted Articles
 

Wen M, Lauderdale DS, Kandula NR, "Ethnic Neighborhoods in Multi-Ethnic America, 1990–2000: Resurgent Ethnicity in the Ethnoburbs." Social Forces 88.1 (2009): 425-460.

Kandula NR, Tirodkar MA, Lauderdale DS, Khurana NR, Makoul G, Baker DW. Knowledge gaps and misconceptions about coronary heart disease among U.S. South Asians. Am J Prev Med. 2010 Apr;38(4):439-42. PubMed PMID: 20307813; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2844724.

Tirodkar MA, Baker DW, Makoul GT, Khurana N, Paracha MW, Kandula NR. Explanatory Models of Health and Disease Among South Asian Immigrants in Chicago. J Immigr Minor Health. 2010 Feb 4. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 20131000.

Osypuk TL, Roux AV, Hadley C, Kandula NR. Are immigrant enclaves healthy places to live? The Multi-ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Soc Sci Med. 2009 Jul;69(1):110-20. Epub 2009 May 8. PubMed PMID: 19427731; PubMed Central PMCID:PMC2750873.

Kandula NR, Hasnain-Wynia R, Thompson JA, Brown ER, Baker DW. Association between prior experiences of discrimination and patients' attitudes towards health care providers collecting information about race and ethnicity. J Gen Intern Med. 2009 Jul;24(7):789-94. Epub 2009 May 5. PubMed PMID: 19415392; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2695532.

Kandula NR, Nsiah-Kumi PA, Makoul G, Sager J, Zei CP, Glass S, Stephens Q, Baker DW. The relationship between health literacy and knowledge improvement after a multimedia type 2 diabetes education program. Patient Educ Couns. 2009 Jun;75(3):321-7. Epub 2009 Apr 22. PubMed PMID: 19395223.

Kandula NR, Wen M, Jacobs EA, Lauderdale DS. Association between neighborhood context and smoking prevalence among Asian Americans. Am J Public Health. 2009 May;99(5):885-92. Epub 2009 Mar 19. PubMed PMID: 19299683.

Eamranond PP, Legedza AT, Diez-Roux AV, Kandula NR, Palmas W, Siscovick DS, Mukamal KJ. Association between language and risk factor levels among Hispanic adults with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or diabetes. Am Heart J. 2009 Jan;157(1):53-9. PubMed PMID: 19081396.

Kandula NR, Diez-Roux AV, Chan C, Daviglus ML, Jackson SA, Ni H, Schreiner PJ. Association of acculturation levels and prevalence of diabetes in the multi-ethnic study of atherosclerosis (MESA). Diabetes Care. 2008 Aug;31(8):1621-8. Epub 2008 May 5. PubMed PMID: 18458142; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2494621.

Baker DW, Hasnain-Wynia R, Kandula NR, Thompson JA, Brown ER. Attitudes toward health care providers, collecting information about patients' race, ethnicity, and language. Med Care. 2007 Nov;45(11):1034-42. PubMed PMID: 18049343.

Wen M, Kandula NR, Lauderdale DS. Walking for transportation or leisure: what difference does the neighborhood make? J Gen Intern Med. 2007 Dec;22(12):1674-80. Epub 2007 Oct 12. PubMed PMID: 17932724; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2219835.

Kandula NR, Lauderdale DS, Baker DW. Differences in self-reported health among Asians, Latinos, and non-Hispanic whites: the role of language and nativity. Ann Epidemiol. 2007 Mar;17(3):191-8. PubMed PMID: 17320786.

Lauderdale DS, Wen M, Jacobs EA, Kandula NR. Immigrant perceptions of discrimination in health care: the California Health Interview Survey 2003. Med Care. 2006 Oct;44(10):914-20. PubMed PMID: 17001262.

Kandula NR, Wen M, Jacobs EA, Lauderdale DS. Low rates of colorectal, cervical, and breast cancer screening in Asian Americans compared with non-Hispanic whites: Cultural influences or access to care? Cancer. 2006 Jul 1;107(1):184-92. PubMed PMID: 16721803.

Kandula NR, Lauderdale DS. Leisure time, non-leisure time, and occupational physical activity in Asian Americans. Ann Epidemiol. 2005 Apr;15(4):257-65. PubMed PMID: 15780772.

Kandula NR, Grogan CM, Rathouz PJ, Lauderdale DS. The unintended impact of welfare reform on the medicaid enrollment of eligible immigrants. Health Serv Res. 2004 Oct;39(5):1509-26. PubMed PMID: 15333120; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC1361081.

Kandula NR, Kersey M, Lurie N. Assuring the health of immigrants: what the leading health indicators tell us. Annu Rev Public Health. 2004;25:357-76. Review. PubMed PMID: 15015925.

Kandula NR, Dworkin MS, Carroll MR, Lauderdale DS. Tuberculosis prevention in Mexican immigrants: limitations of short-course therapy. Am J Prev Med. 2004 Feb;26(2):163-6. PubMed PMID: 14751331.