Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH, is an infectious disease epidemiologist and a Research Investigator at CIHR. Dr. Ku received her MPH in epidemiology and biostatistics, and PhD in epidemiology from Oregon Health & Science University. She completed her post-doctoral research fellowship at the Department of Research & Evaluation at Kaiser Permanente Southern California, before joining CIHR in 2024.
Dr. Ku’s long-term research goal is to conduct high-quality research to contribute to understanding of infectious diseases, and to have a direct impact on preventing and reducing disease burden. Her research interests are shaped by her experience spanning various research studies in infectious diseases, including clinical, epidemiologic, and pharmacoepidemiologic studies. She has used various data sources including multidimensional electronic health records, large healthcare administrative data including Medicare claims data, data from patient recruitment studies, and national disease registry. Much of her current work involves population-based research using electronic health records.
Dr. Ku’s current research interests include: (1) vaccine and infection screening/testing to reduce transmission and burden of infectious diseases; (2) epidemiology and risk factors of infectious diseases; and (3) treatment and management of acute and chronic infectious diseases. Her current work includes research on pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial infection with a focus on treatment patterns and outcomes, screening and treatment of tuberculosis, and vaccine research with a focus on safety, effectiveness, and uptake, as well as antibiotic resistance in common infections like urinary tract infection. Additionally, her work is increasingly including a focus on health disparities among racial/ethnic minorities and strategies to reduce these gaps.
Selected Publications:
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Ku J.H., Rayens E., Sy L.S., Qian L., Ackerson B.K., Luo Y., Tubert J.E., Lee G.S., Modha P. P., Park Y., Sun T., Anderson E.J., Tseng H.F. Comparative effectiveness of licensed influenza vaccines in preventing influenza-related medical encounters and hospitalizations in the 2022-2023 influenza season among adults ≥65 years of age. Clin Infect Dis. 2024 Nov 22;79(5):1283-1292. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciae375. PMID: 39166857; PMCID: PMC11581696.
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Ku J.H., Tartof S.Y., Contreras R., Ackerson B.K., Chen L.H., Reyes I.A.C., Pellegrini M., Schmidt J.E., Bruxvoort K.J. Antibiotic resistance of recurrent urinary tract infection in a large U.S. integrated health care system. J Infect Dis.2024 Dec 16;230(6):e1344-e1354. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiae233. PMID: 38743691; PMCID: PMC11646599.
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Ku J.H., Nanji A.A., Tubert J.E., Joe C., Srikumaran D., Winthrop K.L., Brunton A.E., Florea A., Fraunfelder F., Tseng T., Luo Y. Risk of corneal transplant rejection and vaccination: a study from a large, U.S. integrated health care system. Am J Ophthalmol.2024 Jul;263:133-140. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2024.02.015. Epub 2024 Feb 27. PMID: 38417569.
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Ku J.H., Fischer H., Qian L., Skarbinski J., Shaw S., Bruxvoort K.J., Lewin B.J., Spence B.C., Tartof S.Y. Latent tuberculosis infection testing practices in a large U.S. integrated healthcare system. Clin Infect Dis, Volume 78, Issue 5, 15 May 2024, Pages 1304–1312, https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciae015
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Ku J.H., Henkle E.M., Aksamit T., Barker A., Brunton A., Winthrop K.L. Tolerability outcomes of multi-drug antibiotic treatment for pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease due to Mycobacterium avium complex in U.S. Medicare beneficiaries with bronchiectasis. Chest. 2024 May;165(5):1058-1069. doi: 10.1016/j.chest.2023.12.006. Epub 2023 Dec 10. PMID: 38086472.
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Ku J.H., Sy L.S., Qian L., Ackerson B.K., Luo Y., Tubert J.E., Lee G.S., Florea A., Bruxvoort K.J., Xie F., Qiu S., Chavers S., Talarico C.A., Tseng H.F. Effectiveness of a fourth dose of mRNA-1273 against COVID-19 among older adults in the United States: Interim results from an observational cohort study. Vaccine. 2023 Jun 29;41(29):4212-4219. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.06.016. Epub 2023 Jun 5. PMID: 37301708; PMCID: PMC10239903.
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Ku J.H., Sy L.S., Qian L., Ackerson B.K., Luo Yi., Tubert J. E., Lee G.S., Florea A., Bruxvoort K.J., Talarico C.A., Qiun S., Tian Y., Tseng H.F. Vaccine effectiveness of the mRNA-1273 3-dose primary series against COVID-19 in an immunocompromised population: A prospective observational cohort study. Vaccine. 2023 May 3:S0264-410X(23)00498-X. doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.04.075. Epub 2023 May 3. PMID: 37173268; PMCID: PMC10154542.
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Ku J.H., Bruxvoort K.J., Salas S.B., Varley C.D., Casey J.A., Raphael E., Robinson S.C., Nachman K.E., Lewin B.J., Contreras R., Wei R.X., Pomichowski M.E., Takhar H.S., Tartof S.Y. Multi-drug resistance of Escherichia coli from outpatient uncomplicated urinary tract infections in a large US integrated health care organization. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2023 May 23;10(7):ofad287. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofad287. PMID: 37426945; PMCID: PMC10326677.
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Ku J.H., Henkle E., Carlson K.F., Marino M., Brode S.K., Marras T.K., Winthrop K.L. Evaluation of Mycobacterium avium complex pulmonary disease treatment completion and adherence to ATS/IDSA guidelines. Clin Infect Dis. 2023 Feb 8;76(3):e1408-e1415. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac394. PMID: 35607719.
Full List of Publications:
- EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF RECOMBINANT ZOSTER VACCINE (RZV) IN PATIENTS WITH PSORIASIS (PSO) OR PSORIATIC ARTHRITIS (PSA)
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The goal of this study is to assess vaccine effectiveness and safety among individuals with PsO or PsA who received RZV compared to those who did not receive RZV. The primary objectives are to estimate the vaccine effectiveness of 2 doses of RZV in preventing herpes zoster in adults aged 18 years and older with PsO or PsA.
EPI-ZOSTER-045
Sponser: GlaxoSmithKline
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH
- NON-INTERVENTIONAL STUDY TO ESTIMATE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF AREXVY VACCINE IN PREVENTING RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV)-ASSOCIATED ACUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION (ARI)/LOWER RESPIRATORY TRACT DISEASE (LRTD) HOSPITALIZATION IN ADULTS ≥60 YEARS: A TEST NEGATIVE DESIGN
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The goal of this study is to evaluate the vaccine effectiveness of Arexvy in preventing laboratory-confirmed RSV-ARI/RSV-LRTD-associated hospitalization in adults ≥60 years of age.
EPI-RSV-054 OA
Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH
- RETROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY ON HOSPITALIZATION BURDEN OF HUMAN METAPNEUMOVIRUS (HMPV) AND RESPIRATORY SYNCYTIAL VIRUS (RSV) IN KAISER PERMANENTE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, 2011-2024
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This study compares healthcare utilization and costs attributable to hospitalizations for human metapneumovirus and respiratory syncytial virus infections for adults aged ≥18 years between 2011 and 2024.
D8610R00001
Sponsor: AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH
- VACCINE SAFETY DATALINK (VSD) PROJECT
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VSD is a multi-site study of vaccine safety in a network of managed care organizations across the United States. The VSD project allows for planned immunization safety studies as well as timely investigations of hypotheses that arise from review of medical literature, reports submitted to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, changes in immunization schedules, or introduction of new vaccines.
75D30122D15429
Sponsor: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH
- REAL-WORLD STUDY OF THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTIVENESS OF LICENSED INFLUENZA VACCINES IN PREVENTING HOSPITALIZATIONS WITH INFLUENZA IN THE 2022-2023 INFLUENZA SEASON
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The goal of this study is to evaluate comparative vaccine effectiveness of the licensed seasonal influenza vaccines in preventing influenza-related medical encounters and hospitalizations among Kaiser Permanente Southern California population during the 2022-2023 season.
65837 (mRNA-1010-P905)
Sponsor: Moderna Inc.
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH
- EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF RECOMBINANT ZOSTER VACCINE (RZV) IN PATIENTS WITH RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS (RA) OR INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE (IBD)
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The goal of this study is to assess effectiveness and safety of RZV among individuals with RA or IBD who received RZV compared to those who did not receive RZV. The primary objectives are to estimate the vaccine effectiveness of 2 doses of RZV in preventing herpes zoster in adults aged ≥18 years with RA or IBD.
EPI-ZOSTER-044 VE US
Sponsor: GlaxoSmithKline
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH
- A NEW APPROACH TO AN OLD PROBLEM: REDESIGNING LATENT TUBERCULOSIS INFECTION (LTBI) SCREENING AND TREATMENT
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The goal of this study is to leverage expansive electronic health record data from two of the largest healthcare organizations in California to create and validate a new LTBI screening and treatment approach that can improve identification and successful treatment of LTBI.
1R01AI151072-01
NIH/NIAID
KPHI Co-Investigator: Jennifer Ku, PhD, MPH