Assistant Professor
Department of Epidemiology
Graduate School of Public Health
University of Pittsburgh
130 DeSoto Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Voice: (412) 624-5710
E-mail: mertzk@edc.pitt.edu

Research Interests

• Injury Prevention

Education

• Harvard University. A.B., 1982 (Applied Mathematics)
• Yale University School of Medicine. M.D., 1987
• Columbia University School of Public Health. M.P.H., 1991

Selected Publications

Mertz KJ, Koehler SA, Weiss HB, Williams KE. Autopsy report diagnoses for motor vehicle crash deaths: how much more do they add to death certificate information? Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot 2011 (Epub ahead of print).

Vitale MA, Mertz K, Gaines B, Zuckerbraun NS. Morbidity associated with golf-related injuries among children: findings from a pediatric trauma center. Ped Emerg Care 2011;27:11-12.

Mertz KJ, Lee DC, Sui X, Powell KE, Blair SN. Falls among adults: the association of cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity with walking-related falls. Am J Prev Med 2010; 39:15-24.

Longenberger A, Lim JY, Orchard T, Brooks, MM, Brach J, Mertz K, Kingley LA. Self-reported low physical function is associated with diabetes mellitus and insulin resistance in HIV-positive and HIV-negative men. Future HIV Therapy 2008;2:539-49.

Mertz KJ, Weiss HB. Changes in motorcycle-related head injury deaths, hospitalizations, and hospital charges following repeal of Pennsylvania's mandatory motorcycle helmet law. Am J Public Health 2008;98:1464-7.

Abe K, Mertz KJ, Powell KE, Hanzlick RL. Characteristics of black and white suicide decedents in Fulton County, Georgia, 1988-2002. Am J Public Health 2006;96:1794-8.

Blackwell AD, Mellinger-Birdsong AK, Wu M, Mertz KJ, Powell KE. Asthma management practices among children in Georgia. J Public Health Management Practice 2006;12:395-401.

Sena AC, Mertz KJ, Thomas D, Wells D, Costa S, Levine WC. A survey of sexually transmitted diseases/HIV co-infection testing and reporting practices among health care providers in New Jersey. Sex Transm Dis 2005;32:406-12.

Powell KE, Diseker RA, Presley RJ, Tolsma D, Harris S, Mertz KJ, Viel K, Conn DL, McClellan W. Administrative data as a tool for arthritis surveillance: estimating prevalence and utilization of services. J Public Health Management Practice 2003;9(4):291-8.

Mertz KJ, Voigt RA, Hutchins K, Levine WC, and the Jail STD Prevalence Monitoring Group. Findings from STD screening of adolescents and adults entering corrections facilities: implications for STD control strategies. Sex Transm Dis 2002;29:834-9.

Mertz KJ, Schwebke JR, Gaydos CA, Beidinger HA, Tulloch SD, Levine WC. Screening women in jails for chlamydial and gonococcal infection using urine tests: feasibility, acceptability, prevalence, and treatment rates. Sex Transm Dis 2002;29:271-6.

Mertz KJ, Ransom RL, St. Louis ME, Groseclose SL, Hadgu A, Levine WC, Hayman C. Prevalence of genital chlamydial infection in young women entering a national job training program, 1990-1997. Am J Public Health 2001;91:1287-90.

Reitmeijer CA, Oh MK, Bull SS, Brown PR, Wang SA, Mertz KJ. Monitoring STD prevalence and reproductive health care among high-risk adolescent women. J Pediatr Adolesc Gynecol 2000;13(2):90-1.

Mertz KJ, Finelli L, Levine WC, et al. Gonorrhea in male adolescents and young adults in Newark, New Jersey: implications of risk factors and patient preferences for prevention strategies. Sex Transm Dis 2000;27:201-7.

Southwick KL, Guidry HM, Weldon MM, Mertz KJ, Berman SM, Levine WC. An epidemic of congenital syphilis in Jefferson County, TX, 1994-1995: inadequate prenatal syphilis testing after an outbreak in adults. Am J Public Health 1999;89:557-60.

Garnett GP, Mertz KJ, Finelli L, Levine WC, St. Louis ME. The transmission dynamics of gonorrhoea: modelling the reported behaviour of infected patients from Newark, New Jersey. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 1999;354:787-97.

Haydock, AK, Martin DH, Morse SA, Cammarata C, Mertz KJ, Totten PA. Molecular characterization of Haemophilus ducreyi strains from Jackson, MS, and New Orleans, LA. J Infect Dis 1999;179:1423-32.

Mertz KJ, Trees D, Levine WC, et al. Etiology of genital ulcers and prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus coinfection in 10 US cities. J Infect Dis 1998;178:1795-8.

Williamson DM, Mertz KJ, Toomey KE. Chlamydial infections among family planning clinic patients in Georgia: who should be screened? Journal of the Medical Association of Georgia 1998;87:152-4.

Mertz KJ, Weiss JB, Webb RM, et al. An investigation of genital ulcers in Jackson, Mississippi, with use of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction: high prevalence of chancroid and human immunodeficiency virus infection. J Infect Dis 1998;178:1060-6.

Mertz KJ, McQuillan GM, Levine WC, et al. A pilot study of the prevalence of chlamydial infection in a national household survey. Sex Transm Dis 1998;25:225-8.

Mertz KJ, Levine WC, Mosure DJ, Berman SM, Dorian KJ, Hagdu A. Screening women for gonorrhea: demographic screening criteria for general clinical use. Am J Public Health 1997;87:1535-8.

Chen CY, Mertz KJ, Spinola SM, Morse SA. Comparison of enzyme immunoassays for antibodies to Haemophilus ducreyi in a community outbreak of chancroid in the United States. J Infect Dis 1997;175:1390-5.

Mertz KJ, Levine WC, Mosure DJ, Berman SM, Dorian KJ. Trends in the prevalence of chlamydial infections: the impact of community-wide testing. Sex Transm Dis 1997;24:169-75.

Finelli L, Swerdlow D, Mertz K, Ragazzoni H, Spitalny K. Outbreak of cholera associated with crab brought from an area with epidemic disease. J Infect Dis 1992;166:1433-5.

Mertz KJ, Parker AL, Halpin GJ. Pregnancy-related mortality in New Jersey, 1975-1989. Am J Public Health 1992;82:1085-88.

Mertz K, Meinert LA, Lewis HC. Malignant melanoma of the skin. NJ Med 1990;87:401-7.