Cristina Ciupitu-Plath, MSc, DrPH

Dr. Cristina Ciupitu-Plath is a sociologist and public health professional with more than 8 years of experience in public health research and education. Her main research interests revolve around the health and well-being of pediatric populations and their families, quality of life in patients with chronic conditions, social and cultural diversity, as well as social inequity and stigmatisation.
Dr. Ciupitu-Plath holds a BA in Sociology from the West University in Timisoara (Romania), a MSc in Public Health from the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin and a DrPH from the Berlin Institute of Technology. Before joining our team at Bastyr, Dr. Ciupitu-Plath was working as a research associate at the Institute of Health and Nursing Science in Berlin, Germany.
Her teaching focuses on research methodology, epidemiology, statistics, and social justice. Using her experience in working with diverse students as well as her own cultural immersion experiences, her goal is to train and empower her students to become sensitive and critical public health professionals, who strive to support all members of their communities in attaining the best possible health. In order to do so, she makes it a priority to work closely with both students and fellow faculty members in creating an open, inclusive, and enriching learning atmosphere in which all students can thrive and achieve their highest potential.

Publications List

1. Ciupitu, C. C., & Babitsch, B. (2011). Why is it not working? Identifying barriers to the therapy of paediatric obesity in an intercultural setting. J Child Health Care, 15(2), 140-150. doi:10.1177/1367493511403662
2. Ciupitu-Plath, C., Gohl, D., Kofahl, C., & Babitsch, B. (2014). Migration and Health Care Utilization in the European Context. In C. Janssen, E. Swart, & T. von Lengerke (Eds.), Health Care Utilization in Germany. Theory, Methodology, and Results (pp. 145-169). New York: Springer Science+Business Media.
3. Babitsch, B., Bormann, C., Gohl, D., & Ciupitu-Plath, C. (2014). Gender and Utilization of Health Care Health Care Utilization in Germany. Theory, Methodology, and Results (pp. 101-116). New York: Springer Science+Business Media.
4. Ciupitu-Plath, C., Wiegand, S., & Babitsch, B. (2018). The Weight Bias Internalization Scale for Youth: Validation of a Specific Tool for Assessing Internalized Weight Bias Among Treatment-Seeking German Adolescents With Overweight. J Pediatr Psychol, 43(1), 40-51. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsx079
5. Tanneberger, A., & Ciupitu-Plath, C. (2018). Nurses' Weight Bias in Caring for Obese Patients: Do Weight Controllability Beliefs Influence the Provision of Care to Obese Patients? Clin Nurs Res, 27(4), 414-432. doi:10.1177/1054773816687443
6. Kanehl, D., Tannen, A., & Ciupitu-Plath, C. (2019). Nutrition-related prevention of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence Strategies, goals, and implementation. Ernährungs Umschau, 66(1), 10-16. doi:10.4455/eu.2019.003
7. Babitsch, B., & Ciupitu-Plath, C. (2019). Obesity in Children and Adolescents – Prevalence, Significance, and Implications for Prevention and Health Promotion [Adipositas bei Kindern und Jugendlichen – Prävalenz, Bedeutung und Implikationen für die Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung]. In M. Tiemann & M. Mohokum (Eds.), Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

American Public Health Association

Current projects/papers

• Standardised tools for the assessment of parental needs in the NICU - a literature review
• Associations between child and parent health literacy and obesity-related behaviors - a literature review
• Weight teasing sources and their impact on weight bias internalisation among German treatment-seeking adolescents with overweight