Jennifer Lam, PhD, MPH, is a Research Scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research. Dr. Lam conducts research to better understand the health needs of older adults with HIV infection. Using electronic health records and HIV registries at Kaiser Permanente, she identifies factors that influence the development and progression of various health conditions in this population, with the overall goal of informing prevention and care strategies that promote health and wellbeing.
Dr. Lam’s current research primarily focuses on cognitive impairment, dementia, and geriatric syndromes such as frailty in people with HIV infection. She is particularly interested in examining the impact of HIV on cognitive function and the relationship between cognitive impairment and other aging-related conditions. She is the recipient of a K01 career development award from the NIH to develop a dementia prediction and risk stratification tool for use in HIV primary care. Additionally, Dr. Lam has ongoing collaborations with other investigators on studies of cardiovascular disease, liver disease, substance use, and chronic disease management for healthier aging.
Prior to joining Kaiser Permanente, Dr. Lam worked on HIV prevention clinical trials as well as infectious disease surveillance at local, state, and international public health agencies. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English. She went on to obtain a Master’s in Public Health with an emphasis in infectious diseases at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, and a PhD in Epidemiology and International Health, also at Johns Hopkins University.
