Koichiro Shiba, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor
Boston University School of Public Health
Epidemiology

PhD, Harvard School of Public Health
MPH, University of Tokyo
BA, University of Tokyo



My research focuses on the application of epidemiologic and social science thinking and methods for rigorous causal inference in studying social determinants of health.

Specifically, I have worked on three themes of research. First, I study the effects of traumatic events (e.g., disasters, child adversity, pandemic, and global financial crisis) on population health, with a particular focus on older adult populations. Second, I study the roles of social relationships and social engagement in promoting health of older adults and building resiliency. I have also investigated how the internet-based social interactions can influence population health. Third, my research extends the traditional “risk factor” epidemiology examining a narrow set of health outcomes. I study the impacts of positive psychological factors (e.g., purpose in life, Ikigai) on health and determinants of multidimensional well-being (i.e., human flourishing).

Methodologic tools for causal inference I often use include: methods for the analysis of a time-varying treatment (e.g., marginal structural model, doubly-robust targeted maximum likelihood estimation combined with Super Learner ensemble of algorithms including ML-based ones), causal mediation analysis, assessment of effect heterogeneity using either a traditional interaction analysis or a novel ML-based technique, and longitudinal outcome-wide analytic framework.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility

Dr. Shiba's research directly concerns addressing inequalities. As a social epidemiologist, Dr. Shiba studies social determinants of health (SDH). Although examining the population average impact of SDH as an upstream determinant of health is valuable on its own for disease prevention at the population level and promoting public health, his SDH research has also considered a) the distributions of the SDHs within and across populations and b) how the effects of the SDHs can be heterogeneous. Dr. Shiba also leveraged his expertise in measuring health disparity and applied it to the science of well-being, where the focus of research has been primarily on assessing population averages.

Dr. Shiba values diversity and inclusion in research as keys to general academic excellence because investigators’ identities (e.g., nationality, gender, race/ethnicity) and educational backgrounds (e.g., clinicians, social scientists, statistician) influence many aspects of research such as research questions and hypotheses, methodology, and interpretation of data.

Publications listed below are automatically derived from MEDLINE/PubMed and other sources, which might result in incorrect or missing publications. Faculty can login to make corrections and additions.

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  1. Okuzono SS, Wilkinson R, Shiba K, Yazawa A, VanderWeele T, Slopen N. Residential instability during adolescence and health and wellbeing in adulthood: A longitudinal outcome-wide study. Health Place. 2023 Mar; 80:102991. PMID: 36857896
     
  2. Shiba K, Daoud A, Hikichi H, Yazawa A, Aida J, Kondo K, Kawachi I. Uncovering Heterogeneous Associations Between Disaster-Related Trauma and Subsequent Functional Limitations: A Machine-Learning Approach. Am J Epidemiol. 2023 Feb 01; 192(2):217-229. PMID: 36255224; DOI: 10.1093/aje/kwac187;
     
  3. Hirose N, Chen S, Shiba K, Patil CL, Rahman MM, Shimpuku Y. Universal health coverage of five essential health services in mothers before and after the Haiti 2010 earthquake: a retrospective cohort study using difference-in-difference. BMC Health Serv Res. 2022 Dec 10; 22(1):1505. PMID: 36496431; PMCID: PMC9737961; DOI: 10.1186/s12913-022-08896-1;
     
  4. Inoue K, Haseda M, Shiba K, Tsuji T, Kondo K, Kondo N. Social Isolation and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults: A Multiple Bias Analysis Using a Longitudinal Study in Japan. Ann Epidemiol. 2023 Jan; 77:110-118. PMID: 36417983; DOI: 10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.11.001;
     
  5. Shiba K, Kubzansky LD, Williams DR, VanderWeele TJ, Kim ES. Purpose in life and 8-year mortality by gender and race/ethnicity among older adults in the U.S. Prev Med. 2022 Nov; 164:107310. PMID: 36283485; DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2022.107310;
     
  6. Nagai M, Hikichi H, Shiba K, Kondo K, Kawachi I, Aida J. Long-Term Trend in the Association Between Disaster Damage and Happiness Before and After the Great East Japan Earthquake. Int J Public Health. 2022; 67:1604901. PMID: 36188751; PMCID: PMC9515324; DOI: 10.3389/ijph.2022.1604901;
     
  7. Shiba K, Hikichi H, Okuzono SS, VanderWeele TJ, Arcaya M, Daoud A, Cowden RG, Yazawa A, Zhu DT, Aida J, Kondo K, Kawachi I. Long-Term Associations between Disaster-Related Home Loss and Health and Well-Being of Older Survivors: Nine Years after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Environ Health Perspect. 2022 Jul; 130(7):77001. PMID: 35776697; PMCID: PMC9249145; DOI: 10.1289/EHP10903;
     
  8. Kawahara T, Shiba K, Tsuchiya A. Application of Causal Inference Methods in the Analysis of Observational Neurosurgical Data: G-Formula and Marginal Structural Model. World Neurosurg. 2022 May; 161:310-315. PMID: 35505549
     
  9. Guimond AJ, Shiba K, Kim ES, Kubzansky LD. Sense of purpose in life and inflammation in healthy older adults: A longitudinal study. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2022 07; 141:105746. PMID: 35364478; PMCID: PMC9149071; DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2022.105746;
     
  10. Shiba K, Cowden RG, Counted V, VanderWeele TJ, Fancourt D. Associations of home confinement during COVID-19 lockdown with subsequent health and well-being among UK adults. Curr Psychol. 2022 Mar 15; 1-10. PMID: 35309290; PMCID: PMC8922081; DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-03001-5;
     
Showing 10 of 41 results. Show More

This graph shows the total number of publications by year, by first, middle/unknown, or last author.

Bar chart showing 41 publications over 9 distinct years, with a maximum of 17 publications in 2022

YearPublications
20152
20161
20171
20181
20192
20208
20217
202217
20232


Recent (within 3 months)

New Research Links a Greater Sense of Purpose to a Lower Risk of Death

SciTech Daily 1/8/2023

Disaster-related trauma disproportionately affects individuals who are older and less educated—and higher income

Medical Xpress 1/4/2023
Older

A Purpose in Life Might Lengthen Your Life

US News & World Report 11/28/2022

Having a sense of purpose may help you live longer, research shows

Medical News Today 11/22/2022

Stronger sense of purpose in life might be associated with a lower risk of death: Study

Business Insider 11/16/2022

2019 Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health: Teaching Assistant Award
2015 Japan Epidemiological Association: Best Presentation
2015 University of Tokyo: Graduate Study Scholarship
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