Postdocs

 

 

Education

Ph.D., University of Arizona, 2021
M.A., The New School for Social Research, 2010
B.A., Northern Arizona University, 2007

Research

Dr. Bunkley is a medical anthropologist interested in women’s health, global health, noncommunicable diseases, and embodiment. Her research focuses on Senegalese women’s experiences with metabolic diseases to better understand changing social networks and kinship relationships. Blending a background in political science with sociocultural anthropological studies, Dr. Bunkley examines top-down structures, such as national level statistic making and global health systems, alongside daily experiences of women in and out of biomedical and traditional health establishments. Thinking critically about the “epidemiological transition,” her work problematizes the idea that sub-Saharan Africa is moving away from infectious and towards noncommunicable disease, but rather will always experience a co-existence of these two categories. Her research also seeks to challenge the conflation of “women’s health” with reproductive and maternal health by highlighting the often-overlooked gendered aspects of chronic illness in both clinical settings and in public health. Dr. Bunkley’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (2015-2020), United States Fulbright IIE (2018-2019), and the University of Arizona Social and Behavioral Science Research Institute (2018) and the School of Anthropology (2014-2021). At Washington University, Dr. Bunkley is working on Dr. Jean Hunleth’s research Caring for Caregivers at a pediatric hospital in Zambia.

EDUCATION
PhD, Indiana University School of Public Health - Bloomington, 2017

RESEARCH
Dr. Cho's research areas include lifestyle factors related to cancer and other chronic diseases and can be categorized into tobacco control and obesity. One of his major research interests is examining influencing factors of and sociodemographic disparities in tobacco use (e.g., cigarette smoking, electronic vapor product use, and dual/poly tobacco use) as such information helps develop efficacious tobacco use prevention strategies. He conducts quantitative research using advanced statistical and epidemiologic methods. He is building on his expertise with tobacco use and obesity among people with disabilities and cancer survivors. His current projects at the Division of Public Health Sciences focus on examining disparities in cancer treatments among breast cancer patients.

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019

RESEARCH
Dr. Cohen’s research focuses on improving quality of life for cancer survivors. Specifically, he works with breast and prostate cancer survivors. Dr. Cohen’s previous research explored behavioral interventions incorporating physical activity with complementary methods such as relaxation techniques and heat therapy. He is focused on integrating clinical components into behavioral interventions with the goal of enriching targeted outcomes. His current projects focus on designing clinic-based studies to help researchers understand the specific preferences of cancer survivors for improving adherence to personalized behavioral interventions both during and following treatment cycles. Dr. Cohen is also interested in designing disseminable aerobic exercise programs for underserved cancer survivors.

EDUCATION
MD, University of Missouri School of Medicine, 2017
MS, Georgetown University, 2012
BA, Saint Louis University, 2011

RESEARCH
During her time at KU, Dr. Dhar participated in a quality improvement initiative for the Breast Oncology division. Her current research in colon cancer outcomes hopes to shed light on racial differences in order to shape the dialogue between colorectal surgeons and their patients. Dr. Dhar joins Public Health Sciences as a postdoctoral research scholar on the T32 Surgical Oncology Research Program. She has also enrolled in the MPHS program and will be working on research with Dr. Toriola and his team.

Education
PhD in Health Policy and Health Services Research, Temple University, 2021
MPH, University of South Florida, 2014
Residency in Prosthodontics, Yerevan State Medical University (Armenia), 2012
Doctor of Stomatology (Dental Medicine), Yerevan State Medical University (Armenia), 2009

Research
Dr. Gasoyan’s research focuses on health insurance design, value-based payment models, and health outcomes for individuals with obesity and chronic diseases. His dissertation project analyzed clinical and claims data from hospitals and outpatient centers in Southeastern Pennsylvania to examine the impact of insurance plan design on access to bariatric surgery and short-term inpatient healthcare utilization after bariatric surgery. Hamlet joins the Division of Public Health Sciences as a postdoctoral research associate to expand his research in those areas using quantitative and econometric analyses.

Google Scholar Profile

Education

PhD, Health Psychology, University of Texas - El Paso, 2021
MA, Experimental Psychology, University of Texas - El Paso, 2019

EDUCATION

MPHS, Washington University School of Medicine, 2022
MD, China Medical University – China, 2016

RESEARCH
Dr. Han is an internal medical graduate who completed residency training in general surgery and worked in the Division of Breast Surgery at the First Hospital of China Medical University. Her research focuses on breast cancer risks and clinical outcomes. Her current research goals in breast cancer prevention aim to characterize determinants of mammography breast density and reduce disparities in breast cancer patients. Dr. Han is currently working with Drs. Graham Colditz and Ashley Housten on developing an academic and community practice collaborative care model for metastatic breast cancer care (Project ADAPT).

PUBLICATIONS
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1lk4hJhj6FD9cb/bibliography/public/

Education:

PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2021
MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2019
MBBS, Kunming Medical University, 2016

Research Interests:

During her time at UIUC, Dr. Ji’s research interests focused on environmental determinants and health policies that impact weight-related behaviors and outcomes throughout the life course with an emphasis on vulnerable populations. As a postdoctoral research associate, Dr. Ji will work on treads and survival outcomes in the pancreas and kidney transplantation with Dr. Alhamad and Dr. Chang. She is also interested in the health and economic consequences of surgical treatments of obesity. Dr. Ji would develop research skills in health economics, including cost-effectiveness analysis and comparative study during her Postdoctoral program.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mengmeng-Ji-2

Education:

PhD, University of Iowa 2022
MPH, Washington University in St. Louis 2017
MS and BS, Sorbonne University 2014

Research Interests:

Dr. Lan’s areas of interest are diet and environmental exposure throughout the life course, and how they influence health and disease. Some examples of her work include how adolescent diet relates to later prostate cancer; how polychlorinated biphenyls exposure relates to diabetes. Dr. Lan’s research will focus on exploring the association between diet and chronic health conditions among childhood cancer survivors.

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2020
MS, Texas A&M - Texarkana, 2007
BS, Tulane University, 2006

RESEARCH
During her work at UIUC, Dr. Lee studied how rural context shapes women’s health in the rural mountainous Mogielica region of Poland, focusing on physical activity, reproductive history, and bone health. She also does research on workplace climate and culture, centering the experiences of people who are underrepresented in STEM workplaces. As a postdoctoral research scholar on the T32 training program in cancer prevention and control, Dr. Lee's research will focus on rural cancer disparities and building a community-based research program with rural U.S. women.

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018
MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2018

EXPERIENCE
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Iowa State University, 2018-2020

RESEARCH
Dr. McLoughlin's research interests pertain to implementation science in chronic disease prevention, with specific applications to school and community programming. Current projects at the ISC3 center encompass a variety of topics pertaining to health disparities in cancer prevention, school health policy implementation, and school and community approaches to obesity prevention.

ResearchGate Profile

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Missouri, 2017
MSN, Vanderbilt University, 2009
BSN, Lipscomb University, 2007

RESEARCH
Dr. Mohrmann’s research focuses on improving outcomes for survivors of childhood cancer. Her previous research has focused on late complications of childhood cancer therapy including chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy, neurocognitive outcomes, and infertility. She plans to continue her research with childhood cancer survivors to improve risk stratification and screening for chronic conditions in this population, and to provide personalized recommendations for health maintenance after cancer therapy based on genomic and epigenetic factors.

EDUCATION
PhD, Washington University in St. Louis, 2018
MPH, Washington University in St. Louis, 2011
MPT, St. Louis University, 2006
BS, Truman State University, 2002

RESEARCH
Dr. Pollack’s research focuses on the intersection of health disparities and women’s health. She studies disparities in screening, treatment, and underlying conditions among women receiving treatments for their conditions and the associated clinical outcomes. She uses large data sets and quantitative methods to study disparities in women’s health.

EDUCATION
MPHS, Washington University in St. Louis, 2018
MD, Universidad Francisco Marroquin - Guatemala, 2014
BS, Universidad Francisco Marroquin - Guatemala, 2009

RESEARCH
Dr. Salazar’s research focuses on understanding cancer risk and developing effective strategies to improve cancer prevention. She is particularly interested in disseminating and implementing successful interventions to reduce cancer health disparities, especially among vulnerable and under-represented populations.

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Auckland, 2018
MA, University of Auckland, 2012
BA Hons, University of Auckland, 2011
BFA Hons, University of Auckland, 2009
BA, University of Auckland, 2009

RESEARCH
Dr. Spray’s research interests involve child health and health policy, health inequities, and interdisciplinarity, with particular focus on rheumatic fever and asthma. As a medical anthropologist, she is interested in translating knowledge generated in social sciences into public health, policy, and clinical fields. Her previous research has investigated children’s negotiations with health and illness in school contexts.

https://juliespray.com

EDUCATION
PhD, The Ohio State University, 2020

EXPERIENCE
MD Anderson Cancer Prevention Training Program

RESEARCH
Dr. Thomas's research is focused broadly on health information seeking behaviors and family communication. She is primarily interested in caregivers' information seeking behaviors on behalf of their patients, and the role of family communication patterns in the seeking and sharing of family health history. To answer these research questions, she uses a mixed methods approach to communication research, focusing on semi-structured interviews and quantitative survey data.

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Texas, 2019
MPH, University of Michigan, 2013
BA, Washington University in St. Louis, 2010

RESEARCH
Dr. Tsai’s research involves applying network analysis and systems science methods in the area of dissemination and implementation of evidence-based interventions for cancer prevention and control and reducing health disparities. His previous research investigated the relationship of social networks and social capital to health services access and utilization in vulnerable populations, while current projects focus on exploring predictors of mis-implementation for cancer programs in health departments, and studying their collaboration networks.

EDUCATION
PhD, University of Michigan, 2020
MPH, University of Michigan, 2015

RESEARCH

Dr. Ward’s research interests include community-based participatory research approaches to studying and addressing health inequities, the implementation and evaluation of interventions to address disparities in chronic disease, and systems thinking approaches to health disparities research. Her research to date has involved quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches to investigate health equity promotion within community-based participatory research partnerships. She has also conducted research on neighborhood social and environmental factors and their relation to health outcomes for communities facing inequities, including race-based residential segregation, socioeconomic factors, and environmental pollutants.

EDUCATION
PhD, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, 2020
MPH, Southern Illinois University - Carbondale, 2020
MA, University of South Dakota, 2014
BS, University of South Dakota, 2012

RESEARCH
Dr. Wiedenman most recently worked for the SIU School of Medicine Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development managing a HRSA Delta States Grant focused on improving physical and mental health outcomes among school-aged youth in southern Illinois. Growing up in Huron, South Dakota, Eric is a lifelong resident of rural America; he is dedicated to improving the health of rural individuals through skill acquisition, community and social support, education, and policy development. Dr. Wiedenman has joined the division of Public Health Sciences on the T32 training program in cancer prevention and research.

Education

Ph.D., University of Minnesota School of Public Health
M.P.H., University of Minnesota School of Public Health
B.A., St. Olaf College

Research

Dr. Serena Xiong is a cancer disparities, implementation science scholar. Her research interests are in dissemination and implementation science, cancer disparities, immigrant and minority health, health disparities/health equity, evaluation, e-health/mhealth, and health policies. She is a community researcher with the Somali, Latino, and Hmong Partnership for Health and Wellness (SoLaHmo), a community-based research group based in Minnesota. In this unique role, she has been consistently implementing culturally-responsive initiatives to address health inequities in Minnesota. Some of her contributions include developing culturally-appropriate Hmong lifestyle guidelines for health practitioners, optimizing communication strategies for reaching at-risk Somali, Latinx, and Hmong elders with timely COVID-19 information, and leading the design of a website to educate Hmong parents and teens about the HPV vaccine. She is a strong proponent of community-based participatory research and is passionate about advancing the literature and practices in how to democratize the research process between universities and marginalized communities.

Publications:  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/serena.xiong.1/bibliography/public/