About

Nayan Shah is a historian specializing in U.S. and Canadian history, with a focus on Asian American Studies, gender, LGBT and queer studies, legal and medical history, and social justice. His research examines historical struggles over bodies, space, and the exercise of state power from the mid-19th to the 21st century. Shah is the author of two award-winning books: 'Stranger Intimacy: Contesting Race, Sexuality and the Law in the North American West,' which explores migrant social navigation and interethnic social worlds, and 'Contagious Divides: Epidemics and Race in San Francisco’s Chinatown,' analyzing public health, citizenship, and racial governance. His forthcoming book, 'Refusal to Eat: A Century of Prison Hunger Strikes,' is a global history of hunger strikes as a tactic in prisons and social movements worldwide, highlighting their political, moral, and practical significance. Shah is engaged in long-term projects on transnational spiritual migrations and migration and art-making among Asian, Indigenous, and Latin American diasporic artists. He has held academic appointments at the University of Southern California, University of California San Diego, and State University of New York Binghamton, and has been a visiting fellow at Wesleyan University and the University of California Irvine.

Research topics

• Psychology
• Urology
• Internal medicine
• Surgery
• Medicine

Selected publications

• Dance and romance across racial boundaries: partnering with Filipino migrants in Seattle and Alaska in the early 20th century

  Rethinking History · 2025-04-16

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Establishing and Sustaining the Kidney Stone Engagement Core: A Model for Patient Engagement in Benign Urologic Disease

  The Journal of Urology · 2024-01-05 · 2 citations

  editorial1st authorCorresponding

  No AccessJournal of UrologyJU Forum1 Apr 2024Establishing and Sustaining the Kidney Stone Engagement Core: A Model for Patient Engagement in Benign Urologic Disease Nayan Shah, Gregory E. Tasian, and Jonathan S. Ellison Nayan ShahNayan Shah , Gregory E. TasianGregory E. Tasian , and Jonathan S. EllisonJonathan S. Ellison Corresponding Author: Jonathan S. Ellison, MD, 999 N 92nd St, MilwaukeeWI 53217 ([email protected]) https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6344-2429 on behalf of the Kidney Stone Engagement Core View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003842AboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail REFERENCES 1. . Centering transgender and nonbinary voices in genital gender-affirming surgery research prioritization. JAMA Surg. 2022; 157(7):628-629. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar 2. . Patient-centered prioritization of bladder cancer research. Cancer. 2018; 124(15):3136-3144. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar 3. . A patient-centered approach to research prioritization in prostate cancer. J Urol. 2022; 208(2):277-283. Link, Google Scholar 4. . Comparative effectiveness of paediatric kidney stone surgery (the PKIDS trial): study protocol for a patient-centred pragmatic clinical trial. BMJ Open. 2022; 12(4):e056789. Crossref, Medline, Google Scholar Kidney Stone Engagement Core: Jonathan S. Ellison, Hunter Beck, Bryan Clinstman, Casey Dauw, Kim Hollander, Dirk Lange, Kristi Ouimet, Carswell Ouimet, Kristina Penniston, Charles D. Scales Jr, Katherine Sheridan, Samantha Siodlarz, Ryan Spiardi, Kristin Whitmore, Mike Witt, Greg E. Tasian. Funding/Support: This study was funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Network Eugene Washington Engagement Awards Program (EACB-23076). Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Tasian is a Consultant to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and NovoNordisk and also funded by the NIDDK, though none of these entities supported this work. Ethics Statement: This study received Institutional Review Board approval (IRB No. PRO00041696). © 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 211Issue 4April 2024Page: 614-616 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2024 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.Metrics Author Information Nayan Shah More articles by this author Gregory E. Tasian More articles by this author Jonathan S. Ellison Corresponding Author: Jonathan S. Ellison, MD, 999 N 92nd St, MilwaukeeWI 53217 ([email protected]) More articles by this author Expand All Kidney Stone Engagement Core: Jonathan S. Ellison, Hunter Beck, Bryan Clinstman, Casey Dauw, Kim Hollander, Dirk Lange, Kristi Ouimet, Carswell Ouimet, Kristina Penniston, Charles D. Scales Jr, Katherine Sheridan, Samantha Siodlarz, Ryan Spiardi, Kristin Whitmore, Mike Witt, Greg E. Tasian. Funding/Support: This study was funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Network Eugene Washington Engagement Awards Program (EACB-23076). Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Tasian is a Consultant to Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and NovoNordisk and also funded by the NIDDK, though none of these entities supported this work. Ethics Statement: This study received Institutional Review Board approval (IRB No. PRO00041696). Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

  PublisherDOI

• PD34-01 DEVELOPMENT OF A PATIENT-CENTERED RESEARCH AGENDA FOR KIDNEY STONE DISEASE: ELICITATION AND REFINEMENT OF RESEARCH THEMES

  The Journal of Urology · 2023-03-23

  article

  You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023PD34-01 DEVELOPMENT OF A PATIENT-CENTERED RESEARCH AGENDA FOR KIDNEY STONE DISEASE: ELICITATION AND REFINEMENT OF RESEARCH THEMES Jonathan Ellison, Hunter Beck, Bryan Clintsman, Casey Dauw, Kathryn Flynn, Kim Hollander, Dirk Lange, Kristi Ouimet, Carswell Ouimet, Kristina Penniston, Charles Scales, Nayan Shah, Katherine Sheridan, Samantha Siodlarz, Ryan Spiardi, Kristen Whitmore, Mike Witt, and Greg Tasian Jonathan EllisonJonathan Ellison More articles by this author , Hunter BeckHunter Beck More articles by this author , Bryan ClintsmanBryan Clintsman More articles by this author , Casey DauwCasey Dauw More articles by this author , Kathryn FlynnKathryn Flynn More articles by this author , Kim HollanderKim Hollander More articles by this author , Dirk LangeDirk Lange More articles by this author , Kristi OuimetKristi Ouimet More articles by this author , Carswell OuimetCarswell Ouimet More articles by this author , Kristina PennistonKristina Penniston More articles by this author , Charles ScalesCharles Scales More articles by this author , Nayan ShahNayan Shah More articles by this author , Katherine SheridanKatherine Sheridan More articles by this author , Samantha SiodlarzSamantha Siodlarz More articles by this author , Ryan SpiardiRyan Spiardi More articles by this author , Kristen WhitmoreKristen Whitmore More articles by this author , Mike WittMike Witt More articles by this author , and Greg TasianGreg Tasian More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003327.01AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Conducting high-quality comparative effectiveness research for kidney stone disease is resource intensive. Therefore, priority should be given to initiatives with greatest potential to impact patients and their caregivers. Setting research agendas with patient and caregiver engagement can ensure future trials address questions that reflect patient priorities. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods stakeholder engagement program using web-based surveys and focus groups. We recruited English and Spanish speaking stakeholders aged 12 years and older from Urology clinics and through social media. Self-identified stakeholder groups for kidney stone disease included patients, caregivers, researchers, and clinicians. Survey materials and interview guides were co-created with a core group of patient, caregiver, advocate, clinician, and researcher stakeholders. Focus groups were conducted until thematic saturation was reached. Results from surveys and transcripts of focus groups were reviewed by three reviewers to extract themes for future trials. RESULTS: Survey group participants (n=70) were 80% patients and caregivers; focus group participants (n=20) were 79% patients and caregivers. Participants in both were 64% female. Patient and caregiver stakeholder experiences included: 32 (35%) with stone passage, 29 (32%) with surgery, and 21(23%) with stents. Researchers and clinicians included adult urologists (6), adult nephrologists (2), pediatric urologists (7), and other specialty areas (4). Prevention (28), surgical outcomes (18), and customizing care to key subgroups (10) were the three most common thematic elements from survey responses. A saturation grid from focus group sessions indicating a priori (7) and survey- or focus group-generated themes (6) is shown in the Figure. Thematic saturation was reached after 7 focus groups. CONCLUSIONS: By creating a patient-focused kidney stone research agenda, we identified 6 de novo themes. Stakeholder elucidated themes included patient-centered concepts such as vulnerable or underrepresented populations, shared decision-making, and disease burden. Future work will translate identified research themes into research topics for stakeholder-based prioritization. Source of Funding: Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e920 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Jonathan Ellison More articles by this author Hunter Beck More articles by this author Bryan Clintsman More articles by this author Casey Dauw More articles by this author Kathryn Flynn More articles by this author Kim Hollander More articles by this author Dirk Lange More articles by this author Kristi Ouimet More articles by this author Carswell Ouimet More articles by this author Kristina Penniston More articles by this author Charles Scales More articles by this author Nayan Shah More articles by this author Katherine Sheridan More articles by this author Samantha Siodlarz More articles by this author Ryan Spiardi More articles by this author Kristen Whitmore More articles by this author Mike Witt More articles by this author Greg Tasian More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

  PublisherDOI

• PD29-10 FACILITY LEVEL VARIATION IN PATHOLOGIC UPSTAGING OF BLADDER CANCER AFTER RADICAL CYSTECTOMY

  The Journal of Urology · 2023 · 2 citations

  • Medicine
  • Urology
  • Surgery

  You have accessJournal of UrologyCME1 Apr 2023PD29-10 FACILITY LEVEL VARIATION IN PATHOLOGIC UPSTAGING OF BLADDER CANCER AFTER RADICAL CYSTECTOMY Madelyn Flitcroft, Anai Kothari, Nayan Shah, Kayleen Knoll, and Scott Johnson Madelyn FlitcroftMadelyn Flitcroft , Anai KothariAnai Kothari , Nayan ShahNayan Shah , Kayleen KnollKayleen Knoll , and Scott JohnsonScott Johnson View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000003315.10AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The rate of bladder cancer pathologic upstaging at the time of radical cystectomy (RC) is estimated to be as high as 40% and has been associated with worse survival. Prior studies have examined patient and disease specific factors. The aim of this study is to determine the impact of treatment facility and facility level factors on upstaging of bladder cancer at the time of RC. METHODS: Data from the National Cancer Database was used to conduct this retrospective analysis. We identified patients between 2004 and 2019 with urothelial cancer who underwent RC. The primary outcome was pathologic upstaging defined as an increase in pathologic T or N stage when compared to the clinical T or N stage. Variation across facilities and facility-specific factors associated with high pathologic upstaging were measured using descriptive analyses. Shared frailty modeling, which includes neoadjuvant treatment as a covariate, was used to describe the relationship between pathologic upstaging and survival. RESULTS: 64,675 patients were treated at 774 facilities and were included in this analysis. Of these, 17,961 (27.8%) received care at more than one Commission on Cancer-accredited facility. A total of 32,142 patients (49.7%) were upstaged following RC with 41.2% (26,657) upstaged T stage and 17.6% (11,395) upstaged N stage. Rate of upstaging varied by treating facility, from 0.8%-89.5% (median 50.2% [IQR 42.4-57.0%]). Hospitals were divided into quintiles based on rate of upstaging: very low (0.8-40.4%, N=155), low (40.5-47.6%, N=155), medium (47.6-52.9%, N=158), high (53.0-59.1%, N=153), very high (59.3-89.5%, N=153). Low volume (OR 2.6, 1.5-4.5, p<.001) and non-academic facilities (OR 2.2, 1.4-3.6, p=.001) were associated with very high rates of upstaging. Following adjustment for initial clinical stage, patient characteristics, and clinical factors, upstaging was associated with decreased survival (HR 2.10 [2.05-2.16], p<.001). CONCLUSIONS: The rate of bladder cancer upstaging after RC varies considerably across treatment facilities and is associated with decreased survival. Ensuring that patients have access to care at facilities with high case volume and other factors associated with decreased rates of upstaging are potential means to improving survival. Source of Funding: None © 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 209Issue Supplement 4April 2023Page: e828 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2023 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Madelyn Flitcroft More articles by this author Anai Kothari More articles by this author Nayan Shah More articles by this author Kayleen Knoll More articles by this author Scott Johnson More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

  PublisherDOI

• Refusal to Eat

  University of California Press eBooks · 2022 · 4 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Psychology
  PublisherDOI

• 9. Australian Refugee Detention, Trauma, and Mental Health Crisis

  2022-01-04

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• 4. Gandhi’s Fasts, Prisoner Hunger Strikes, and Indian Independence

  2022-01-04

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• John Fabian Witt. <i>American Contagions: Epidemics and the Law from Smallpox to COVID-19</i>.

  The American Historical Review · 2022-11-19

  article1st authorCorresponding

  COVID-19 has racked up over six million deaths and 622 million recovered people in three years. Its toll is unevenly distributed, with the highest case numbers and death toll in the United States, United Kingdom, Brazil, India, and South Africa, while also sweeping across Europe and Latin America. An expert in American legal history, John Fabian Witt has written a brisk and concise volume to explain the history of court decisions, laws, and governance frameworks that shaped the US government response to COVID, putting the present calamity in historical context. Written quickly during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, American Contagions aims to be a “citizen’s guide to American law” and the judicial reasoning that shaped the contours of the US government’s policies for combatting infectious disease. Covering three centuries of state response to the onslaught of infectious disease, Witt rightly asserts that infection is a persistent, everyday phenomena rather reproducing how infectious diseases were represented in 2020, namely as exceptional and a throwback to an earlier era. In reckoning with the US response, Witt expeditiously focuses the reader’s attention on who has jurisdiction over public health policy and what values and ideology govern its implementation. He highlights that by constitutional design, the exercise of police powers over public health has been tightly held by local and state governments. The federal government gradually asserted its power over health as a domain related to interstate and international commerce, immigration regulation, and federal spending.

  PublisherDOI

• Refusal to Eat

  2021 · 2 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Psychology
  PublisherDOI

• Lifeways of Intimacy under Duress

  Amerasia Journal · 2020-05-03

  article1st authorCorresponding

  The essay reflects on transient migrant life and the yearning for companionship and care that permeates Tsai Ming-liang’s film, I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone (2006). Facing social abandonment, migrants and drifters claim space and reshape it as both shelter and social exchange. This process reveals the breadth of flexible solicitude and care in cross-racial and cross-class encounters and relationships that are forms of stranger intimacy.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Jean Wu

  2 shared

• Hiram Pérez

  1 shared

• Michi Weglyn

  1 shared

• Sara Dorow

  University of Alberta

  1 shared

• Kim Hollander

  1 shared

• Kathryn E. Flynn

  Medical College of Wisconsin

  1 shared

• Carswell Ouimet

  Medical College of Wisconsin

  1 shared

• Satish Goswami

  1 shared

Awards & honors

• Fellowship from Rockefeller Foundation
• Fellowship from NEH
• Fellowship from Mellon Foundation
• Fellowship from van Humboldt Foundation
• Fellowship from Freeman Foundation