Bijou Hunt MA, BA

Bijou Hunt serves as the Director of the Sinai Infectious Disease Center (SIDC) under the leadership of SIDC’s Medical Director, Dr. Nancy Glick. Bijou came into this role in December 2017 after serving as the SIDC evaluator for just over a year. In her new role, Bijou is responsible for the research and evaluation of SIDC’s programming, as well as day-to-day oversight of this grant-funded entity.

In her tenure as a SUHI Epidemiologist, which began in 2008, BIjou has served in many roles. Bijou has served as an evaluator for Westside Healthy Start and SUHI’s Helping Her Live: Gaining Control of Breast Cancer project. She has overseen SUHI’s work with vital records data, which includes analyzing both birth and death files for the US, Chicago, and other large cities across the nation, focusing on documenting and understanding health disparities.

In 2015, Bijou received a research grant through the Avon Foundation. This three-year, $200,000 grant enabled Bijou to continue her work in breast cancer disparities in the US. The grant allowed Ms. Hunt too, (1) further investigate racial disparities in breast cancer mortality in the 50 biggest US cities by assessing the scope of breast health services and resources at the city level to see how this might impact the observed disparity, and (2) examine breast cancer prevalence and mortality rates among Hispanic sub-groups (including Cuban, Puerto Rican, Mexican, and Central and South American).