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Affiliated faculty
NAU Center for Health Equity Research
CHER has many affiliated faculty members that are dedicated to providing top-notch education for NAU students.
Julie S. Armin, PhD
Director, Health Disparities Curriculum, University of Arizona College of Medicine–Tucson
Research interests: Intersectionality and health, cancer disparities, access to cancer care for historically marginalized populations, community-based research, participatory action research, implementation research
Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth, OTD, OTR/L
Associate Clinical Professor, NAU Department of Occupational Therapy
Chair, NAU Department of Occupational Therapy
Research interests: Clinical pediatrics, neonatal intensive care, home health and school-based practice, neurodevelopmental disabilities, infant motor and sensory development
Steven Barger, PhD
Professor, NAU Department of Psychological Sciences
Research interests: Social relationships and health, health disparities, social connections.
Mark Bauer, PhD
Diné College
Research interests: Resilience research, education, application to reduce health disparities
Melanie Bell, PhD
University of Arizona
Research interests: Methods for handling missing data in intervention and cluster randomized trials, patient reported outcomes, and on research methods evaluation. She is currently engaged in collaborative research in the fields of cancer, tobacco cessation, psycho-oncology, cardiovascular disease prevention, and health inequities
Hendrik de Heer, PhD
Professor, NAU Department of Health Sciences
Email: Dirk.deHeer@nau.edu
Research interests: Community-based physical activity and health promotion programs; pediatric obesity; Tribal health policy
Eck Doerry, PhD
Professor, NAU School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems
Research interests: Research informatics, mobile and cloud computing, groupware systems, data-driven portals, international engineering education, interdisciplinary design
Emery Eaves, PhD
Assistant Professor, NAU Department of Anthropology
Research interests: Chronic pain and drug use, health of people who are incarcerated, maternal drug use, medication-assisted treatment
Kristan Elwell, PhD, MPH
Assistant Clinical Professor, NAU Department of Health Sciences
Research interests: Health equity, maternal and child health, gender inequities and HIV/AIDS, social determinants of health and barriers to care
Kelly Evenson, PhD
Professor, Epidemiology
Gillings School of Global Public Health
University of North Carolina
Research interests: ePhysical activity and sedentary behavior with specific interests in measurement, surveillance, intervention, and associations with outcomes.
Shane Haberstroh, PhD
Professor, NAU Department of Educational Psychology
Research interests:
Jani Ingram, PhD
Regents’ Professor, NAU Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Lead PI, Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NAU)
Program PI, Bridges to Baccalaureate Program
Research interests: Environmental contaminants and health; chronic uranium exposure and cancer risk to the Navajo.
Chesleigh Keene, PhD
Assistant Professor, NAU Department of Educational Psychology
Research interests: Health care disparities in patients with multimorbidities, with particular emphasis on patient status, socioeconomic status, and provider level factors on patients’ health outcomes
Amit Kumar, PhD
Associate Professor, Health Services University of Utah
Research interests: Health care disparities in patients with multimorbidities, with particular emphasis on patient status, socioeconomic status, and provider level factors on patients’ health outcomes
Assistant Professor, NAU Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Associate Professor, NAU Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training
Associate Professor, NAU Department of Social Work
Ramona Mellott, PhD
NAU College of Education
Research interests:
Assistant Professor, School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems
George Pro, PhD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Lynda Ransdell, PhD
Professor and Chair Department of Kinesiology Boise State University
Research interests: Enhancing sports performance in female athletes, physical activity and public health, faculty development
Oaklee Rogers, PhD
Assistant Dean, Phoenix Bioscience Core
Research interests: Promoting occupational justice for vulnerable populations, advocating for occupational therapy in emerging practice areas, and interprofessional education and practice to meet the Quadruple Aim
Juliette Roddy, PhD, MBA
The NARBHA Institute James Wurgler MD Chair of Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Research interests: Incarceration, re-entry, substance use and recovery
Sara Shuman, PhD
Heather Thomas, RDH, MEd
Assistant Clinical Professor, NAU Department of Dental Hygiene
Research interests: Interdisciplinary Health/Education/Collaboration, General and Oral Health Equity, Creative Interventions to Address inequity, Community-based research/intervention design, Systemic Health Disparities, Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health
Casey Totenhagen, PhD
The University of Alabama
Research interests: Interdisciplinary Health/Education/Collaboration, General and Oral Health Equity, Creative Interventions to Address inequity, Community-based research/intervention design, Systemic Health Disparities, Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health
Robert T. Trotter, II, PhD
Regents’ Professor, Emeritus
Email: Robert.Trotter@nau.edu
Research interests: Medical anthropology, alcohol and drug addiction, corporate anthropology
Melissa Walls, PhD
Associate Professor, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University
Email: mwalls3@jhu.edu
Research interests: Community-based participatory research, health equity, Indigenous health, community interventions, diabetes prevention, mental health, substance use
Emily Ai-hua Wang, MD, MAS
Yale University
Research interests: Internal medicine, health and incarceration, advancing equity, population health data programs, incarceration and chronic health conditions, cancer, cardiovascular disease, opioid use disorder
Nancy Whitesell, PhD
Professor, Associate Professor
Centers for American Indian & Alaska Native Health Department of Community & Behavioral Health Indian Center (SOM)
Colorado School of Public Health
Research interests: Adolescent development within AI/AN cultural contexts, culturally appropriate measurement of child and adolescent outcomes, cultural and contextual influences on child and adolescent development, promotion of successful early development, prevention of early substance use, implementation of evidence-based programs within AI/AN communities
Robert Wickham, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences
Email: Robert.Wickham@nau.edu