Hi, my name is Ashweeta Patnaik. I’m a social science researcher working in the arenas of education, public health and public policy. I have a Masters degree in Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, TX and an undergraduate degree in Life Sciences & Biochemistry from The University of Mumbai, India. I also hold the SAS Base Programmer certification.
In my current role as a researcher at the Public Policy Research Institute, I’m involved in program evaluation, epidemiological research, needs assessments for planning health services, health surveillance, survey design and SAS programming.
I’m a key member of the inter-disciplinary research team currently conducting a cross-program evaluation of Developmental Education Demonstration Projects for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. I’m primarily responsible for the maintenance of a multi-year database of surveillance data from the annual statewide Texas School Survey of Drug and Alcohol Use, as well as the annual statewide Texas Youth Tobacco Survey; I’ve written advanced SAS programs to prepare reports and conduct statistical analysis of this surveillance data. I’m also a key member of the interdisciplinary research team currently evaluating assessment instruments for long term care clients for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
In my previous position at the Southwest Center for Occupational Health, I was involved in the implementation and evaluation of the Sacred Vocation Program, a workplace change program. I also interned with the Environmental Epidemiology & Injury Surveillance Group at the Texas Department of State Health Services where I led a study on the epidemiology of drowning injuries in Texas.
I have expertise in a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis methods, including regression analysis, structural equation modeling, decision tree modeling, survey design, psychometrics, reliability analysis, and text analysis. I’m highly proficient and credentialed in SAS programming, and experienced in using STATA, AMOS, SUDAAN, SAS Enterprise Miner and SPSS Text Analysis software. I’m adept at mastering and applying new software and analytical methods.
If you are interested in collaborating on any research or offering me a professional opportunity, please contact me.
