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H. Carolina Villanueva

H. Carolina Villanueva

Assistant Researcher, University of California, Irvine

Biography

H. Carolina Villanueva, Ph.D., is an Assistant Researcher in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the University of California, Irvine. She received her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of California, Irvine in 2020, where her dissertation examined geographic location and its contribution to disparities in ovarian cancer treatment and survival. Her research focuses on environmental epidemiology and health disparities, with particular emphasis on the impact of environmental exposures and geographic factors on cancer outcomes and the health effects of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) exposure.

Villanueva has published research on ovarian cancer disparities in California, examining how factors such as community disadvantage, air pollution, geographic location, and access to care influence treatment patterns and survival outcomes. Her work has appeared in journals including Gynecologic Oncology, Cancer Epidemiology, and the Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network. She has also contributed to research on palliative care access for underserved older adults and cardiovascular health outcomes related to neighborhood socioeconomic status.

As a lead researcher on the CDC/ATSDR-funded UCI PFAS Health Study, Villanueva oversees the implementation and coordination of longitudinal cohort studies examining PFAS exposure and health outcomes. She collaborates with scientists nationwide on manuscripts investigating associations between PFAS exposure and various health outcomes, including pregnancy complications, child development, heart disease, and obesity. Villanueva is fluent in both English and Spanish and has expertise in spatial data analysis and geographic information systems.

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Education

  • Ph.D. in Public Health, Population Health and Disease Prevention, University of California, Irvine, 2020
  • M.P.H. in Urban Public Health, Community Health Education, CUNY School of Public Health at Hunter College, 2012
  • B.S. in Kinesiology, Movement Science Option, The Pennsylvania State University, 2009
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Distinctions

  • Excellence in Research Award, Department of Public Health, 2020
  • Certificate of Academic Excellence Award, CUNY School of Public Health, 2012
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Areas of Expertise

  • Environmental Health Epidemiology
  • Ovarian Cancer Survival Disparities
  • Geographic Access to Healthcare
  • Neighborhood Socioeconomic Status
  • PFAS Exposure and Health
  • Spatial-Temporal Outcome Trends
  • Drinking Water Contamination

Recent Publications

  • DeVille NV, Villanueva C, Korrick SA, Vieira VM, “Spatial analysis of teen births near the New Bedford Harbor Superfund site”, Environ Res: Health, vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 015012, 2025.
  • Xia Y, Villanueva C, Vieira VM, “Association between residence at birth and addiction service utilization: a spatial analysis of the Massachusetts birth cohort”, Front Epidemiol, vol. 5, pp. 1567257, 2025.
  • Hari A, Chang J, Villanueva C, Ziogas A, Vieira V, Bristow RE, “Short-term survival analysis of a risk-adjusted model for ovarian cancer care”, Gynecol Oncol, vol. 184, pp. 123-131, 2024.
  • Villanueva C, Chang J, Ziogas A, Bristow RE, Vieira VM, “Spatial-temporal trends in ovarian cancer outcomes in California”, JNCI Cancer Spectr, vol. 6, no. 6, pp. pkac067, 2022.
  • Villanueva C, Chang J, Ziogas A, Bristow R, Vieira VM, “Ambient air pollution and ovarian cancer survival in California”, Gynecol Oncol, vol. 163, no. 1, pp. 155-161, 2021.
  • Bristow RE, Chang J, Villanueva C, Ziogas A, Vieira VM, “A risk-adjusted model for ovarian cancer care and disparities in access to high-performing hospitals”, Obstet Gynecol, vol. 135, no. 2, pp. 328-339, 2020.
  • Villanueva C, Chang J, Ziogas A, Bristow R, Vieira VM, “Ovarian cancer in California: Guideline adherence, survival, and the impact of geographic location, 1996–2014”, Cancer Epidemiol, vol. 69, pp. 101825, 2020.
  • Parikh NS, Gardner DS, Villanueva C, “Assessing the palliative care needs and service use of diverse older adults in an urban medically-underserved community”, Ann Palliat Med, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 769-774, 2019.
  • Villanueva C, Chang J, Bartell SM, Ziogas A, Bristow R, Vieira VM, “Contribution of geographic location to disparities in ovarian cancer treatment”, J Natl Compr Canc Netw, vol. 17, no. 11, pp. 1318-1329, 2019.
  • Gardner DS, Doherty M, Ghesquiere A, Villanueva C, Kenien C, Callahan J, Reid MC, “Palliative care for case managers: building capacity to extend community-based palliative care to underserved older adults”, Gerontol Geriatr Educ, pp. 1-16, 2018.
  • Vieira VM, Villanueva C, Chang J, Ziogas A, Bristow RE, “Impact of community disadvantage and air pollution burden on geographic disparities of ovarian cancer survival in California”, Environ Res, vol. 156, pp. 388-393, 2017.
  • Riffin C, Kenien C, Ghesquiere A, Dorime A, Villanueva C, Callahan J, Capezuti E, Reid MC, “Community-based participatory research: understanding a promising approach to addressing knowledge gaps in palliative care”, Ann Palliat Med, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 218-224, 2016.
  • Villanueva C, Aggarwal B, “The association between neighborhood socioeconomic status and clinical outcomes among patients 1 year after hospitalization for cardiovascular disease”, J Community Health, vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 690-697, 2013.
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Contact Information

Email: hcvillan@uci.edu

Phone: (914) 329-6591

Address: Susan & Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences

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This profile was created with the help of AI.

Last updated on 5/22/2026.