Augusta University is Georgia's health sciences university and a national center for cyber security education. Home to the state’s only public academic medical center, Augusta’s world-class clinicians are bringing the medicine of tomorrow to patient care today. The university is comprised of nine colleges, including one of the nation's oldest medical schools, the Medical College of Georgia; the Hull College of Business; and the state's only dental school, the Dental College of Georgia.

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Student Fellow of the Public Choice Society

E.D. (Jack) Dunn Fellowship, Georgia State University

Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta Fellowship

The Quantitative Economics Award, Georgia State University

Honor of Excellence, Notre Dame Abritti Dal (Recitation Club)

GRA Outstanding Award, Georgia State University

Award of Honor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka

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Long COVID and the higher risk of food insecurity among participants and non-participants of food assistance programs in the United States

Health disparity at the intersection of religion and caste: Evidence from India

Religious minority status and risk of hypertension in women: Evidence from Bangladesh

Psychosocial well-being and firearm storage practices: evidence from five US states

Prevalence of intellectual disability among adults born in the 1980s and 1990s in the United States

COVID-19 and health care related financial toxicity in the United States: Evidence from the 2022 National Health Interview Survey

Perceived Social Support and Cardiovascular Risk Among Nonelderly Adults in the United States

Early Marriage in Adolescence and Risk of High Blood Pressure and High Blood Glucose in Adulthood: Evidence from India

The risk of hypertension among child brides and adolescent mothers at age 20 s, 30 s, and 40 s: Evidence from India

Stolen childhood taking a toll at young adulthood: The higher risk of high blood pressure and high blood glucose comorbidity among child brides

Inequities in routine preventive care utilization among persons with overweight/obesity in the United States: An analysis of nativity, racial and ethnic identity, and socioeconomic status

The role of child marriage and marital disruptions on hypertension in women - A nationally representative study from India

Role of perceived social support in COVID-19 vaccine uptake among U.S. adults

Relationship between social support, life satisfaction, and smoking status among US adults with cardiovascular risks

Brennan Francois, chief diversity officer for Augusta University Health, explains what medical mistrust is and how it affects patient-provider relationships, especially for Black Americans. He mentions what AU Health does to build trust within the community and how his role in the health system supports employees and patients.
Also, Dr. Biplab Datta, assistant professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health and in the Department of Population Health Sciences, discusses the new edition of the Healthy Georgia Report, which highlights how Georgia compares to the Southeast and nation in over 20 diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, tobacco-smoking and more.

How healthy is Georgia? ? ?

Dr. Biplab Datta is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Management, Economics, and Policy within AU's School of Public Health. He also has a joint appointment in the Hull College of Business. Prior to joining Augusta University he served as a Prevention Effectiveness Fellow Economist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Dr. Datta’s research explores the niche areas in the junction of public health and economics. His works broadly cover the socioeconomic, demographic, and behavioral determinants and risk factors of non-communicable diseases (NCDs); the socioeconomic burden of NCD health conditions and associated treatment costs; access and affordability of NCD-related healthcare; and health system preparedness for managing NCDs.

He has a particular interest in investigating the impacts of certain disease conditions on individual/household’s economic decision-making. His research generates evidence on how NCD treatment costs are associated with household resource allocation, consumption displacements, poverty and impoverishment. His works also examine disparities in health risks such as tobacco use and the heterogeneous impact of health policies across socioeconomic groups. He has a special interest in investigating the role of psychosocial factors such as household environment and life course events such as adolescent childbearing in hypertension and other disease outcomes. The far-reaching goals of his research are to facilitate strategic interventions for NCD prevention and control, and strengthening the health systems for effective management of both infectious and non-infectious diseases.

Global Health

Health Economics

Non-Communicable Diseases

Healthcare Financing

Socioeconomic Determinants of Health

Health Disparity

Faculty Profile

Google Scholar Citations

ResearchGate Citations

A new report checks the health of Georgians and shows room for improvement

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In this weekly podcast, Raysean Ricks, an Augusta University alumnus, catches you up with university news, events and breaks down what life is really like for a college student. Join him as he discusses pop culture, interacts with the AU community and keeps you updated with everything happening ‘in the wild.’ New episodes drop every Tuesday.

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How healthy are Georgians are compared to citizens across the southeast and U.S.

Assistant Professor, Department of Health Management, Economics, and Policy

The fourth edition of the “Healthy Georgia: Our State of Public Health” report has been released by the Institute of Public and Preventive Health in Augusta University’s School of Public Health. Within the 64 pages of the report is a snapshot of how healthy Georgians are compared to citizens across the 12 states that make up the Southeastern Region (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia) and the entire United States. The 2025 edition addresses 31 health topics and has been expanded this year to include multimorbidity; long COVID-19; HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis infection rates; opioid and methamphetamine drug use; suicides; and vaping.

 Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in the Department of Health Management, Economics, and Policy in SPH, heads up the team of IPPH faculty and staff who create the report each year. Datta credits Jen Jaremski, research associate, and Kit Wooten, public health analyst, with handling much of the work of bringing the report to life. Together, Jaremski and Wooten collected and organized all of the needed assets and organized the 64-page document, preparing it for print and the web.

“Every year we strive to present data in a way that policymakers may find helpful in making policy choices,” Datta said. “There are several new topics that were added to this year’s report and some of those are concerning for the state of Georgia, particularly the communicable diseases like HIV, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. High prevalence rates of these conditions in Georgia, compared to the rest of the U.S. and the Southeastern Region, warrant attention of the public health community.”  Georgia has the second-highest rate of HIV infections in the U.S., fourth-highest rates of gonorrhea, sixth-highest for chlamydia and 13th for syphilis.

Something that is also new in this year’s report is a comparison of numbers from 2019, or before the COVID-19 pandemic began, compared to after the pandemic for certain conditions.

Also coming out of the pandemic, the report looks at how long COVID has affected Georgians, with the state ranking 24th in the nation for rates of long COVID. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long COVID is defined as a chronic condition that occurs after COVID-19 infection and is present for at least three months.

On top of looking at comparisons between Georgia and the Southeast and the nation, Datta noted a clearer picture is starting to emerge concerning the difference in urban and rural areas within the state.

“For several chronic conditions, like hypertension, diabetes and multimorbidity, we clearly see a striking difference between rural and urban residents of Georgia,” Datta said.  Hypertension affects 44.1% of adults in rural Georgia compared to 35% in urban areas, while diabetes affects 17.5% of adults in rural Georgia compared to 12.3% of those in urban areas. Hypertension and diabetes are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which affects 12.2% of adults in rural areas compared to 8.3% of adults in urban areas of Georgia.

“Hypertension and diabetes are the major risk factors for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide, so these are some concerning numbers to see,” Datta said.  Multimorbidity, which is when a person has multiple chronic conditions, including obesity, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, depression, kidney disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, cancer, skin cancer and arthritis, affects 57.4% of adults in rural Georgia compared to 49% of adults in urban areas of the state. These rates are significantly lower than the rest of the Southeast but on par with the rest of the country.

 When comparing Georgia to the U.S. national average, adults in Georgia have lower rates of cancer and methamphetamine use but higher rates of childhood asthma and adult obesity. At the same time, rates of adult asthma and adult obesity among Georgians were comparable to the averages seen in the Southeast. Interestingly, while adult health insurance coverage was significantly lower than the U.S. national and Southeast Regional averages, the child health insurance coverage in Georgia was comparable to both national and regional averages.

The Healthy Georgia Report is the only report of its kind in the state

Looking to know more or connect with Biplab Datta, PhD? Then let us help. Dr. Datta is available to speak with media regarding this important topic. Simply click on his icon now to arrange an interview today.


Annual Healthy Georgia Report looks at public health in the Peach State

study-shows-long-covid-is-associated-with-food-insecurity

Nearly five years after the onset of COVID-19, researchers are continuing to unravel the disease’s impact on the lives of those who suffered or continue to suffer symptoms lasting more than three months.

Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in the School of Public Health, recently completed a study on the effects of long COVID and the association with food insecurity among low-income families, defined as those with income of less than 200% of the federal poverty line.

“Those experiencing long COVID were more likely to have food security concerns. The interesting finding is we did not see an impact of COVID infection in general on food insecurity. The association was only observed for those who experienced long COVID conditions,” said Datta.

The study looked at two different groups of people – one that received public food assistance and one that did not. Datta said those who didn’t receive public assistance and suffered from long COVID were more likely to experience food insecurity, especially in terms of “anxiety over food sufficiency and shortage.”

When looking at protection, treatment or prevention of COVID and food insecurity, Datta said while COVID is a public health issue, food insecurity is a public finance issue. However, he added that considering the two issues in tandem could lessen the overall burden and help better manage any future pandemics.

“Knowing that long COVID may influence food insecurity creates opportunities for aiding patients with resources to improve their food access,” said Datta. “As such, targeted and tailored food assistance arrangements could be offered to low-income individuals diagnosed with long COVID.”

 

Study shows long COVID is associated with food insecurity

estimating-adults-living-with-intellectual-disabilities-in-america-our-experts-look-at-the-numbers

Professor & Director of Faculty Development, School of Public Health

A new study conducted by faculty researchers at the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University shows the prevalence of intellectual disability (ID) in adults.
 

 But looking at childhood survey data of those with ID, conclusions can be drawn on how many adults have intellectual disability. 

The study was conducted by Teal Benevides, PhD, assistant professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health at Augusta University, Biplab Datta, PhD, assistant professor in IPPH and the Department of Health Management, Economics and Policy, Jennifer Jaremski, research associate in IPPH, and Michael McKee, PhD, associate professor at the University of Michigan.  

The study estimates the number of adults living with ID is .95% or 9.5 per 1,000 adults between the ages of 21 and 41.  

“Intellectual disability is diagnosed in childhood,” said Benevides. “It needs to be diagnosed early. It’s not something that just happens in adulthood. So relying on the estimate that’s from childhood surveys is a good start. It’s just aging estimates up based off the current population of the U.S. So I do feel pretty confident that we can base future projections off in the absence of better epidemiological evaluations of prevalence.”  She added it’s important to realize a lot of people with ID are now out of high school and age out of educational services to support them at the age of 21. They may fall through the cracks during the transition to adulthood and may not be receiving the services they need.

“Many adults with ID are going to require services and support. They’re likely going to require housing support, employment support and many of them are food insecure,” Benevides said. “I think policymakers at both the state and federal level need to know about this because regardless of whether or not our policymakers support Medicaid expansion, many people with ID are also going to need adequate healthcare coverage because the vast majority of people with intellectual disability are not employed.”   Not just that, many of those with ID are more likely to experience disparities in housing, employment, education, poverty and more. 

Biplab Datta and Teal Benevides  In Georgia, Benevides said there is a waitlist of 7,000 people looking for Medicaid services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and there’s just not enough resources available to assist those with ID.

Another concern is that people with ID have the same life span and those who may prove care, such as parents or guardians, don’t know what will happen to their older children with ID when they aren’t around or are unable to assist them.

“What alarms me is we don’t have sufficient services and supports for adults. We just don’t have them,” she said. “When people ask for services, support and resources, there’s no place to point them to unless they are children.”   Biplab Datta, PhD,  is an assistant professor in Institute of Public and Preventive Health and in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Augusta University.

Teal Benevides, PhD, OTR/L is an associate professor and the  Director of Faculty Development, Institute of Public and Preventive Health

Both experts are available to speak about this important research - simply click on either expert's icon to arrange an interview and time to talk today.







Estimating Adults Living with Intellectual Disabilities in America - Our Experts Look at the Numbers

Brennan Francois, chief diversity officer for Augusta University Health, explains what medical mistrust is and how it affects patient-provider relationships, especially for Black Americans. He mentions what AU Health does to build trust within the community and how his role in the health system supports employees and patients.

Also, Dr. Biplab Datta, assistant professor in the Institute of Public and Preventive Health and in the Department of Population Health Sciences, discusses the new edition of the Healthy Georgia Report, which highlights how Georgia compares to the Southeast and nation in over 20 diseases such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, tobacco-smoking and more.

Stream more episodes of In the Wild on Apple, Spotify and Google Play.

Catch up with Raysean Ricks, an Augusta University alumnus, as he discusses "wild" topics across campus — everything from university news and events to candid, entertaining interviews with members of the AU community.
 
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How healthy is Georgia? | In the Wild

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