Research Assistant Professor, Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research

Biography
Dr. Kate Duchowny is a social epidemiologist and research assistant professor in the Social Environment and Health Program at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. Her overarching research goal seeks to bridge the social, environmental, and biological determinants of musculoskeletal health and physical functioning in older adults to inform interventions. Dr. Duchowny’s current research is organized around two lines of inquiry: 1) Identifying which aspects of the built and social environment matter most in helping older adults maintain independence and physical mobility, and 2) Examining life course sociobiologic mechanisms (e.g., viral infections, mitochondrial function) that drive disparate outcomes in physical disability especially related to neighborhoods.
Funded Research
- A National Neighborhood Data Resource to Understand Inequities in the Health and Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 in the United States
- Examining the relationship between blood-based mitochondrial bioenergetic capacity in frozen samples, socioeconomic position, and physical functioning
- Examining the role of the neighborhood environment on muscle function in older adults
Publications
- Kate Duchowny, Yuan Zhang, Philippa J Clarke, Allison E. Aiello, Grace Noppert. 2025. Examining the relationship between biomarkers of immune aging and prevalent physical disability in the health and retirement study. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 125:140-147.
- Kramer, Philip A, Coen, Paul M, Cawthon, Peggy M, Distefano, Giovanna, Cummings, Steven R, Goodpaster, Bret H, Hepple, Russell T, Kritchevsky, Stephen B, Shankland, Eric G, Marcinek, David J, Toledo, Frederico G S, Kate Duchowny, Ramos, Sofhia V, Harrison, Stephanie, Newman, Anne B, Molina, Anthony J A. 2024. Skeletal muscle energetics explain the sex disparity in mobility impairment in the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging (SOMMA). The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 79(4):glad283.
- Grace Noppert, Philippa J Clarke, Hoover, Andrew, Kubale, John, Robert A Melendez, Kate Duchowny, Hegde, Sonia T., Grace Noppert, Clarke, Philippa, Hoover, Andrew, Kubale, John, Melendez, Robert, Duchowny, Kate, Hegde, Sonia T.. 2024. State variation in neighborhood COVID-19 burden across the United States. Communications Medicine 4(1):1-12.
- Mau, Theresa, Blackwell, Terri L, Cawthon, Peggy M, Molina, Anthony J A, Coen, Paul M, Distefano, Giovanna, Kramer, Philip A, Ramos, Sofhia V, Forman, Daniel E, Goodpaster, Bret H, Toledo, Frederico G S, Kate Duchowny, Sparks, Lauren M, Newman, Anne B, Kritchevsky, Stephen B, Cummings, Steven R. 2024. Muscle Mitochondrial Bioenergetic Capacities Are Associated With Multimorbidity Burden in Older Adults: The Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 79(7):glae101.
- Grace Noppert, Philippa J Clarke, Stebbins, Rebecca C, Kate Duchowny, Robert A Melendez, Kimberly Rollings, Aiello, Allison E. 2024. The embodiment of the neighborhood socioeconomic environment in the architecture of the immune system. PNAS Nexus 3(7):pgae253.
- Khadka, Aayush, Hebert, Jillian L, Glymour, M Maria, Jiang, Fei, Irish, Amanda, Kate Duchowny, Vable, Anusha M. 2024. Quantile regressions as a tool to evaluate how an exposure shifts and reshapes the outcome distribution: A primer for epidemiologists. American Journal of Epidemiology
- Kate Duchowny, Alexander K. Smith, Irena Cenzer, Chelsea Brown, Grace Noppert, Kristine Yaffe, Amy L. Byers, Carla Perissinotto, Ashwin A. Kotwal. 2024. The prevalence of lifetime trauma and association with physical and psychosocial health among adults at the end of life. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
- Kate Duchowny, Diaz-Ramirez, L Grisell, Boscardin, W John, Perera, Rohini, Lin-Gomez, Scarlett, Cawthon, Peggy M, Grace Noppert, Philippa J Clarke. 2024. The Neighborhood Environment and Handgrip Strength: Longitudinal Findings from the Health and Retirement Study. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 79(11):glae242.
- Grace Noppert, Wragg, Kathleen, Li, Chihua, Kate Duchowny, Mody, Lona, Aiello, Allison E, Nyquist, Linda, O'Brien, Martin, Yung, Raymond, Goldstein, Daniel. 2024. Herpesvirus antibodies are correlated with greater expression of p16 in the T cells of humans. Open Forum Infectious Diseases 11(12):ofae693.
- Grace Noppert, Kate Duchowny, Rebecca Stebbins, Allison E. Aiello, Jennifer B. Dowd, Philippa J Clarke. 2023. Biological expressions of early life trauma in the immune system of older adults. PLOS ONE 18(6):e0286141.
- Sarah F. Ackley, Scott C. Zimmerman, Jason D. Flatt, Alicia R. Riley, Jae Sevelius, Kate Duchowny. 2023. Discordance in chromosomal and self-reported sex in the UK Biobank: Implications for transgender- and intersex-inclusive data collection. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 120(18):e2218700120.
- Mau, Theresa, ..., Kate Duchowny, et al. 2023. Mitochondrial Energetics in Skeletal Muscle Are Associated With Leg Power and Cardiorespiratory Fitness in the Study of Muscle, Mobility and Aging. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 78(8):1367-1375.
- Jacob Wallace, Anthony Lollo, Kate Duchowny, Matthew Lavallee, Chima D. Ndumele. 2022. Disparities in Health Care Spending and Utilization Among Black and White Medicaid Enrollees. JAMA Health Forum 3(6):e221398.
- Kate Duchowny, Sarah F. Ackley, Willa D. Brenowitz, Jingxuan Wang, Scott C. Zimmerman, Michelle R. Caunca, M. Maria Glymour. 2022. Associations Between Handgrip Strength and Dementia Risk, Cognition, and Neuroimaging Outcomes in the UK Biobank Cohort Study. JAMA Network Open 5(6):e2218314.
- Jesse Zanker, Terri Blackwell, Sheena Patel, Kate Duchowny, Sharon Brennan-Olsen, Steven R. Cummings, William J. Evans, Eric S. Orwoll, David Scott, Sara Vogrin, Gustavo Duque, Peggy M. Cawthon. 2022. Factor analysis to determine relative contributions of strength, physical performance, body composition and muscle mass to disability and mobility disability outcomes in older men. Experimental Gerontology 161:111714.
- Ellicott C. Matthay, Kate Duchowny, Alicia R. Riley, Marilyn D. Thomas, Yea-Hung Chen, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, M. Maria Glymour. 2022. Occupation and Educational Attainment Characteristics Associated With COVID-19 Mortality by Race and Ethnicity in California. JAMA Network Open 5(4):e228406.
- Marilyn D. Thomas, Ellicott C. Matthay, Kate Duchowny, Alicia R. Riley, Harmon Khel, Yea-Hung Chen, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, M. Maria Glymour. 2022. A descriptive analysis of 2020 California Occupational Safety and Health Administration covid-19-related complaints. SSM - Population Health 17:101016.
- Yea-Hung Chen, Ellicott C. Matthay, Ruijia Chen, Michelle A. DeVost, Kate Duchowny, Alicia R. Riley, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, M. Maria Glymour. 2022. Excess Mortality in California by Education During the COVID-19 Pandemic. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 63(5):827-836.
- Yea-Hung Chen, Alicia R Riley, Kate Duchowny, Hélène E Aschmann, Ruijia Chen, Mathew V Kiang, Alyssa C Mooney, Andrew C Stokes, M Maria Glymour, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. 2022. COVID-19 mortality and excess mortality among working-age residents in California, USA, by occupational sector: a longitudinal cohort analysis of mortality surveillance data. The Lancet Public Health 7(9):e744-e753.
- Grace Noppert, Kate Duchowny, Philippa J Clarke. 2022. Declining US life expectancy since covid-19 — structural inequities foreshadow future fallout. BMJ 378
- Yang, Yulin, Swinnerton, Kaitlin, Portacolone, Elena, Allen, Isabel Elaine, Torres, Jacqueline M., Kate Duchowny. 2022. Difficulties with Activities of Daily Living and Receipt of Care Among Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: Differences Between Those Living Alone and Those Living with Others. Journal of Alzheimer's Disease 89(1):31-37.
- Kate Duchowny, Grace Noppert. 2021. The Association Between Cytomegalovirus and Disability by Race/Ethnicity and Gender: Results from the Health and Retirement Study. American Journal of Epidemiology 190(11):2314-2322.
- Cawthon, Peggy M, Patel, Sheena M, Kritchevsky, Stephen B, Newman, Anne B, Santanasto, Adam, Kiel, Douglas P, Travison, Thomas G, Lane, Nancy, Cummings, Steven R, Orwoll, Eric S, Kate Duchowny, Kwok, Timothy, Hirani, Vasant, Schousboe, John, Karlsson, Magnus K, Dan Mellström, Ohlsson, Claes, Östen Ljunggren, Xue, Qian-Li, Shardell, Michelle, Jordan, Joanne M, Pencina, Karol M, Fielding, Roger A, Magaziner, Jay, Correa-de-Araujo, Rosaly, Bhasin, Shalender, Manini, Todd M. 2021. What Cut-Point in Gait Speed Best Discriminates Community-Dwelling Older Adults With Mobility Complaints From Those Without? A Pooled Analysis From the Sarcopenia Definitions and Outcomes Consortium. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 76(10):e321-e327.
- Elizabeth Wrigley-Field, Mathew V. Kiang, Alicia R. Riley, Magali Barbieri, Yea-Hung Chen, Kate Duchowny, Ellicott C. Matthay, David Van Riper, Kirrthana Jegathesan, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, Jonathon P. Leider. 2021. Geographically targeted COVID-19 vaccination is more equitable and averts more deaths than age-based thresholds alone. Science Advances 7(40)
- Yea-Hung Chen, Maria Glymour, Alicia Riley, John Balmes, Kate Duchowny, Robert Harrison, Ellicott Matthay, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo. 2021. Excess mortality associated with the COVID-19 pandemic among Californians 18-65 years of age, by occupational sector and occupation: March through November 2020. PLOS ONE 16(6):e0252454.
- Ellicott C. Matthay, Kate Duchowny, Alicia R. Riley, Sandro Galea. 2021. Projected All-Cause Deaths Attributable to COVID-19-Related Unemployment in the United States. American Journal of Public Health 111:696-699.
- Cawthon, Peggy M, Blackwell, Terri, Cummings, Steven R, Orwoll, Eric S, Kate Duchowny, Kado, Deborah M, Stone, Katie L, Ensrud, Kristine E, Cauley, Jane A, Evans, William J. 2021. Muscle Mass Assessed by the D3-Creatine Dilution Method and Incident Self-reported Disability and Mortality in a Prospective Observational Study of Community-Dwelling Older Men. The Journals of Gerontology: Series A 76(1):123-130.