Cynthia Lakon, PhD

Cynthia Lakon

Professor of Health, Society, & Behavior

 

clakon@uci.edu
UCI Profile

Biography

Dr. Cynthia Lakon is recognized as an expert in the area of social networks and health, with an emphasis on adolescent peer networks and substance use. Her major research interests include social networks, adolescent substance use, the health of elderly populations, ecological models of health behavior, and computational social science. Her work has been published in outlets including Social Science & Medicine; American Journal of Public Health; American Journal of Infection Control; Health and Place; Tobacco Control; and Prevention Science. Many of her works have appeared in various media outlets including AJPH Blogspot, Yahoo News, Time Magazine, and the Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology’s Prevention Strategist.

Dr. Lakon’s research has been funded by various grants from the National Istitutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Lakon was Founding and Interim Chair of the Department of Health, Society, & Behavior in the Program in Public Health at the University of California, Irvine

Research Interests

Dr. Lakon's research interests include social networks and health; social support; adolescent social networks and substance use; ecological models of health; systems science; health and aging; and computational social science.

Current Projects/Studies

  • Lakon Network Cascades Lab
  • UCI Student Context & Drug Use Study
  • US Nursing Homes & Covid Project

Education

  • Ph.D., Health Behavior/Health Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Public Health, 2004
  • MPH, Community Health Sciences, UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, 1995
  • BS, Psychology/Premed, University of California, Los Angeles, 1991

Fellowships

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship, University of Southern California, Institute for Prevention Research 2004 – 2006
  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention Division of Tuberculosis Elimination/Communications and Education Branch Association of Schools of Public Health Fellow, Atlanta, Georgia, 1995-1997

Honors and Awards

  • School of Health Science Honoree for Excellence in Undergraduate Education, Division of Undergraduate Education, UC Irvine, March 2013
  • Royster Society of Fellows, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2004- present
  • Delta Omega National Scholastic Honor Society in Public Health, Inducted June 1995

Publications

  • Lakon, C.M, Ennett, S.T., & Norton, E.C. (2006). Sex Partner, and Friendship Network Characteristics Relate to Risky Needle Use among High Risk Youth and Young Adults. Social Science & Medicine, 63(9), p. 2489-2499.
  • Lakon, C.M., Hipp, J.R., & Timberlake, D.S. (2010). The Social Context of Adolescent Smoking: A Systems Perspective. American Journal of Public Health, 100(7): 1218 – 1228.
  • Lakon, C.M. & Valente, T.W. (2012). Social Integration in Friendship Networks: The Synergy of Network Structure and Peer Influence in Relation to Cigarette Smoking among High Risk Adolescents. Social Science and Medicine, 74(9), 1407-1417.
  • Lakon, C.M., Wang, C., Butts, C.T., Jose, R., Timberlake, D.S. & Hipp, J.R. (2014). A Dynamic Model of Adolescent Friendship Networks, Parental Influences, and Smoking. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, published online September 20, 2014, DOI 10.1007/s10964-014-0187-7.
  • Lakon, C.M., Hipp, J.R., Wang, C., Butts, C.T., and Jose, R. (2015).  Simulating Dynamic Network Models and Adolescent Smoking: The Impact of Varying Peer Influence and Peer Selection. American Journal of Public Health, 105(12),2438-2448. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2015.302789.  Invited Video Abstract: http://ajphtalks.blogspot.com Published online at AJPH Blogspot, 12/8/15
  • Lakon, C.M., Pechmann, C., Wang, C., Pan, L., Delucchi, K., & Prochaska, J. J. (2016). Mapping Engagement in Twitter-based Social Support Networks for Smoking Cessation and Relapse Prevention among Adult Smokers. American Journal of Public Health, 106(8): 1374-1380.
  • Lakon, C.M. and Hipp, J. (2023). Socio-spatial health disparities in Covid-19 cases and deaths in United States skilled nursing facilities over 30 months. American Journal of Infection Control. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajic.2023.07.008.
  • Lakon CM, Zheng Y, Pechmann C (2024) Social network tie functions of social support and social influence and adult smoking abstinence. PLoS ONE 19(3): e0296458. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0296458