Research at a glance
Research Topics
Research Summary
Dr. Kapp researches adverse childhood experiences, kombucha and the microbiome, and population health systems.
Dr. Kapp is an epidemiologist whose research focuses on systems-science and strategies to achieve
population-level impact. She is a Fellow in the American College of Epidemiology for her significant and sustained contributions to the field.
She completed a nationally competitive fellowship through the Baldrige Executive Fellows program, a distinction bestowed by the U.S. Department of Commerce Undersecretary for Standards & Technology. The program prepares senior leaders to advance performance excellence and organizational sustainability. Read about her experience here.
Dr. Kapp’s research has been featured in The New York Times, Psychology Today, USA Today, and Yahoo! Health, among other national outlets. She has been funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Science Foundation (NSF), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK),
and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), among others.
Her scholarship has received numerous distinctions, including first place in the World Standards Day paper competition, and she was the lead author on the most downloaded paper in Annals of Epidemiology.
Dr. Kapp has been recognized with a shared governance award by the University of Missouri and multiple Professor of the Year honors from graduate students.
In her role as Chair of MU’s Department of Public Health, she serves as chief executive and academic officer, providing strategic, operational, and academic leadership for a rapidly developing department and two affiliated research centers (the Missouri Cancer Registry and Research Center and the Center for Health Policy). The Department includes 17 faculty and staff FTE, and approximately 200 Bachelor’s in Public Health and Master of Public Health students.
Education
- Bachelor of Arts (BA): Psychology, University of Missouri-Columbia
- Bachelor of Arts (BA): Sociology: University of Missouri-Columbia
- Master of Public Health (MPH): St. Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD): Public Health/Epidemiology: St. Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice
Areas of expertise
- Epidemiology
- Application of systems-science to design effective interventions for population health improvement at the macro-level, including complex state-wide program evaluation
- Adverse childhood experiences
Recent funding
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) & Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS): Overdose Data to Action in States (OD2A-S). Role: Principal Investigator. 10/1/2024-8/31/2027. $789,714.
- Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) Value-Based Medical Student Education Program. PI: LeFevre. Role: Key Personnel. 09/30/23-09/29/27. $16 million.
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): Adversity to Action: Mitigating Adverse Childhood Experiences in Rural Missouri. Role: Principal Investigator. 09/01/23-08/31/27. $349,950.
- Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA): An Innovative Model to Increase Primary Care Physicians for Rural and Underserved Missouri. PI: Quinn. Role: Co-Investigator. 07/01/23-06/30/24. $5.6 million.
- National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): Show-Me ACEs Prevention: Empowering Individuals and Families in Minority Rural Communities through Trauma-Informed Health Education and Capacity Building. Role: co-Principal Investigator with Chanay and Monk. 09/01/22-08/31/24. $350,000.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) & Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS): Overdose Data to Action (OD2A). Role: Principal Investigator. 01/01/21-08/31/23. $531,785.
