Sept. 11, 2020

This is part of a New Faculty Spotlight series in which we introduce all new faculty members for the 2020-2021 academic year. See the full list of new faculty. 

What is your title with Health Professions?

Assistant Professor of Health Sciences

What classes are you teaching this semester?

Hlth_Sci 3400 Global Public Health and Healthcare Systems

What do you love about teaching?

I enjoy getting to know my students and learning from their diverse perspectives. I view the classroom as a platform to share their expertise, forward thinking and unique perspectives while learning about the most challenging global health issues! Some of the greatest public health and global health innovations have been from cross-cutting interdisciplinary efforts, such as collaborations with engineering, computer science, art, communications, biological sciences, social science, and the list goes on. No matter the student’s background or academic major, interactions with students help me to think about the world differently.

Tell us a bit about yourself! What’s your background?

I grew up on a farm in rural, southeast Nebraska. In fact, I lived 5 minutes from the Missouri border before I moved to Columbia! I have 10 years of research experience in Public Health and Global Health. My academic journey started out in Parasitology, then I received my MPH in Epidemiology, and PhD in Health Services Research, Administration, & Policy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I have conducted research at the cellular-level with lab-based research (Biology/Biochemistry), population-level (Epidemiology), and system-level (Health Services Research, Administration, & Policy) which helps me to think holistically about complex public health problems.

What do you like to do outside of work?

In the most general sense, anything active and experiencing new things. You only live once! To name a few, I enjoy being outdoors, volunteering, hiking, traveling, cooking, and riding horses.

What brought you to Mizzou?

The vast opportunities the UM system has to offer, and a growing Health Sciences program.

Tell us about your research interests/area of focus. What made you interested in this area within your field?

My research interests lie at the intersection of Public Health, Health Policy, and Health Informatics to develop novel, data-driven approaches to rural health issues. Rural populations around the world often face similar challenges, but at different magnitudes. My research focuses on the utilization of Health Information Technologies (HITs) to improve access, efficiency, safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare in the United States and internationally. Effectively incorporating HITs at the system-level and improving data ecosystem in healthcare will enable better utilization of big data to inform health policy and evidence-based decision making.

What are you most excited about in regards to the upcoming semester/working at Mizzou/your research?

There are so many exciting initiatives happening at Mizzou! I look forward to making meaningful collaborations across campus and getting to know Mizzou’s traditions.

Anything else you’d like to tell us?

Go Tigers! I am happy to be here!