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Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH

Associate Professor, Baruch S. Blumberg Institute
Senior Vice President, Hepatitis B Foundation
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
Master of Biomedical Sciences Program 
Doylestown Campus

LOCATION(S)
Pennsylvania Biotechnology Center of Bucks County
3805 Old Easton Road
Office 131
Doylestown, PA 18902
215-489-4930
Fax: 215-489-4920
ccohen@som.geisinger.edu

Adjunct Assistant Professor of Public Health

Biography

Chari Cohen, DrPH, MPH, is senior vice president of the Hepatitis B Foundation (HBF), in Doylestown, Pa. For the past 20 years, she has planned, implemented and evaluated community programs and research projects focusing on hepatitis B and liver cancer. Her research focuses on reducing hepatitis B related health disparities, including developing culturally competent models for improving healthcare access. In Pa., Dr. Cohen is co-chair of the Pennsylvania Viral Hepatitis Elimination Planning Committee and co-founder of Hep B United Philadelphia, a coalition and campaign to increase testing, vaccination and linkage to care in Asian and Pacific Islander communities.

Nationally, she is chair of the Coalition Against Hepatitis for People of African Origin (CHIPO). She is also co-chair of Hep B United, a national coalition in 19 states to address and eliminate hepatitis B. Dr. Cohen received her MPH from Temple University and her DrPH in community health and prevention from Drexel University Dornsife School of Public Health.

Student research opportunities

Data collection, management and analysis, community-based participatory research, needs assessment, literature review, program development and evaluation

Recent publications

  • Freeland C, Bodor S, Perera U, Cohen C. Barriers to Hepatitis B Screening and Prevention for African Immigrant Populations in the United States: A Qualitative Study. Viruses 2020:12(3), 305.
  • Alber JM, Cohen C, Racho R, Freeland C, Ghazvini S, Tolentino B, Almeida R, & Silliman M. (2020, in press). Exploring the impact of storytelling on storytellers in a hepatitis B health communication context. Patient Education & Counseling.
  • Alber JM, Cohen C, Bleakley A, Ghazvini S, Tolentino B, Almeida R, & Chance BL. (2019, online first). Comparing the effects of different story types and speakers in hepatitis B storytelling videos. Health Promotion Practice.
  • Alber JM, Cohen C, Nguyen G, Ghazani S, Tolentino B. (2018). Exploring communication strategies for promoting hepatitis B prevention among young Asian American adults. Journal of Health Communication; 16:1-7.
  • Freeland C, Cohen C, Collier M. (2018). Public health response to hepatitis B exposure: A case study on gaps and opportunities to improve postexposure care. Infectious Disease in Clinical Practice; 26(4):185-186.
  • Cohen, C., Alber, J.M., Bleakley, A., Grossman, S., Freeland, C., Alarcon, K., Merchant, R. (2018). Social media for hep B awareness: Young adult and community leader perspectives. Health Promotion Practice. Advanced online publication.
  • Alter H, Block T, Brown N, Brownstein A, Brosgart C, Chang K-M, Chen P-J, Chisari F, Cohen C, et al. (2018). A Research Agenda for Curing Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection. Hepatology; 67(3):1127-1131.
  • Block T, Alter H, Brown N, Brownstein A, Brosgart C, Chang K-M, Chen P-J, Cohen C, et al. (2017). Research priorities for the discovery of a cure for chronic hepatitis B: Report of a workshop. Antiviral Research; 150:93-100.
  • Ataiants J, Cohen C, Riley AH, Tellez Lieberman J, Reidy MC, Chilton M. (2017).  Unaccompanied Children at the United States Border, a Human Rights Crisis that can be Addressed with Policy Change. J Immigr Minor Health [Epub ahead of print].
  • Cohen C, Evans AA, Huang P, London WT, Block J, Chen G. (2016). Hepatitis B knowledge among key stakeholders in Haimen City, China: Implications for addressing chronic HBV infection. Hepatology, Medicine and Policy, 1(4):2-9.
  • Jorgensen C, Chen S, Carnes CA, Block J, Chen D, Caballero J, Moraras K, Cohen C. (2016). “Know Hepatitis B:” A Multilingual Communications campaign Promoting Testing for Hepatitis B Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Public Health Reports, 2016 Supplement 2, v131: 35-40.
  • McMahon B, Block J, Block T, Cohen C, Evans AA, Hosangadi A, London WT, Sherman M, et. al. (2015). Hepatitis-Associated Liver Cancer: Gaps and Opportunities to Improve Care. JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst, 108(4):1-6.
  • Gish RD, Cohen CA, Block JM, Brosgart CL, Block TM, Clary R, Le LT, Ninburg MH, Sandt L, Kowdley KV. (2015). Data supporting updating estimates of the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B and C in the United States. Hepatology, 62(5):1339-1341.
  • Evans AA, Cohen C, Huang P, Qian L, London WT, Block JM, Chen G. (2015). Prevention of perinatal hepatitis B transmission in Haimen City, China: Results of a community public health initiative. Vaccine; epub ahead of print, pii: S0264-410X(15)00111-5. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.01.054. 
  • Weerasinghe I, Bannister N, Huang V, Cohen C, Caballero J, Wang S. (2015). The role of the patient-centered medical home in addressing hepatitis B perinatal transmission. AAPI Nexus, 12(1,2): 140-160.
  • Chen G, Block JM, Evans AA, Huang P, Cohen C. (2014). Gateway to Care campaign: a public health initiative to reduce the burden of hepatitis B in Haimen City, China. BMC Public Health, 14:754-759.
  • Beckett GA, Block JM, Cohen C, McMahon BJ. (2014). The role of primary care physician assistants in managing chronic hepatitis B. Journal of the American Association of Physician Assistants, 27(3):51-54.
  • Nguyen GT, Cohen C, Evans A, Bautista R. (2014). Broadening the scope for national database sampling: a critical need. American Journal of Public Health, 104(2):e3.
  • Cohen C, Caballero J, Martin M, Weerasinghe I, Ninde M, Block J. (2013). Eradication of Hepatitis B: A Nationwide Community Coalition Approach to Improving Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care. Journal of Community Health, 38(5):799-804.
  • Evans AA, London WT, Gish RG, Cohen C, Block WT. (2013). Chronic HBV Infection Outside Treatment Guidelines: Is Treatment Needed? Antiviral Therapy, 18(2):229-235.
  • Apuzzio J, Block JM, Cullison S, Cohen C, Leong SL, London WT, McHugh JA, Neubauer RL, Perrillo R, Squires R, Tarrant D, McMahon BJ. (2012). Chronic Hepatitis B in Pregnancy: A Workshop Consensus Statement on Screening, Evaluation, and Management, Part 1. The Female Patient, 37(4):22-27.
  • Apuzzio J, Block JM, Cullison S, Cohen C, Leong SL, London WT, McHugh JA, Neubauer RL, Perrillo R, Squires R, Tarrant D, McMahon BJ. (2012). Chronic Hepatitis B in Pregnancy: A Workshop Consensus Statement on Screening, Evaluation, and Management, Part 2. TheFemalePatient, 37(5):30-34.
  • McHugh JA, Cullison S, Apuzzio J, Block JM, Cohen C, Leong SL, London WT, McNellis RJ, Neubauer RL, Perrillo R, Squires R, Tarrant D, McMahon BJ. (2011). Chronic hepatitis B infection: A workshop consensus statement and algorithm. Journal of Family Practice, Online Exclusive. 60(9):E1-E8.
  • Evans AA, Cohen C, London WT. (2011). Hepatitis B Virus in the United States. Annals of Internal Medicine, 155(3):205.
  • Cohen C, McMahon BJ, Block JM, Brosgart CL, Gish RG, London WT, Block TM. (2011). Is chronic hepatitis B being undertreated in the United States? Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 18:377-383.
  • Cohen C, Evans A, London WT, Block J, Conti M, Block T. (2008). Underestimation of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in the United States of America. Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 15(1):12–13.
  • Jessop A, Cohen C, Burke M, Conti M, Black M.  (2004). Hepatitis support groups: Meeting the information and support needs of hepatitis patients. Journal of Gastroenterology Nursing, 27(4):163-169.

Education

DrPH – Drexel University, 2015
MPH – Temple University, 2001
BS – Lafayette College, 1996