Emma Bunkley, MA, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences
- Email: bunkley@wustl.edu
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.
Beomyoung Cho, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences
- Email: cho.b@wustl.edu
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.
Jason Cohen, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences
- Phone: 314-747-3964
- Email: j.d.cohen@wustl.edu
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.
Sakshi Dhar, MD, MS
- Email: dhar@wustl.edu
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.
Hamlet Gasoyan, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences
- Email: g.hamlet@wustl.edu
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.
Katharine Lee, PhD, MS
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Division of Public Health Sciences
- Email: katharine.m.lee@wustl.edu
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.
Gabriella M McLoughlin, PhD, MS
P50 Postdoctoral Fellow, Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control
- Email: gmcloughlin@wustl.edu
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.
Caroline Mohrmann, PhD, RN, CPNP-AC
Former Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences; Nurse Practitioner, Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
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.
Lisa M Pollack, PhD
Former Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences
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.
Ana Salazar Zetina, MD, MPHS
Former Postdoctoral Research Associate, Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Surgery
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.
Marquita Lewis, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through September 2019, then accepted faculty position at Northwestern University
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2016
MPH, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2011
MS, Southern Illinois University-Springfield Campus, 2007
BS, University of North Carolina at Wilmington
RESEARCH
Dr. Lewis’ research interests primarily focuses on social determinants of health and community based participatory research. Her previous research has investigated the association of social determinants of health, namely socioeconomic status, access to care and social support, and congenital heart disease (CHD) incidence. She has also investigated novel methods to evaluate training and protocol adherence of community lay workers who deliver a diabetes management curriculum to community members.
Lindsay Fuzzell, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2019, then accepted the position of Applied Research Scientist at Moffitt Cancer Center
EDUCATION
PhD, Purdue University, 2017
MA, University of North Florida, 2010
BS, University of North Florida, 2008
RESEARCH
Dr. Fuzzell is interested in health communication, shared medical decision making, adolescent sexual health, and chronic illness management. Her previous research has focused on how adolescents communicate with healthcare providers and family members about sex and contraceptives, and the association with contraceptive use and sexual well-being outcomes.
Justin Moore, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2019, then accepted a faculty position at Augusta University
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2017
MPH, University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2014
BA, Hampshire College, 2011
RESEARCH
Dr. Justin Xavier Moore is an epidemiologist with two specific research interests, which include: 1) examining racial, socioeconomic and geographic disparities in cancer survival and mortality; and 2) examining the association between cancer survivorship and risk of infection and sepsis. He is interested in conducting future research in the prevention of excess cancer deaths and infection-related deaths caused by race, place or social class. Dr. Moore uses a variety of novel epidemiologic methods to examine how community and personal level factors are associated with cancer mortality and sepsis infection. Dr. Moore is skilled in epidemiologic study design and methodology, survival analysis, mediation analysis, complex survey design and methods, geospatial information systems (GIS) analysis, GEE models, and much more. PubMed for Dr. Moore.
Abigail S. Zamorano, MD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2019
Fellow/Clinical Trainee, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
EDUCATION
Gynecologic Oncology Fellowship, Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes Jewish Hospital, present
Obstetrics and Gynecology Residency, Washington University in St. Louis/Barnes Jewish Hospital, 2018
MD, University of Texas Southwestern, 2014
BA, Princeton University, 2009
RESEARCH
Dr. Zamorano’s research focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of gynecologic cancers in underserved populations, including in the United States and in developing countries. She is especially interested in treatment access and outcomes of cervical cancer patients in Guatemala, where she has conducted on-the-ground research.
Saira Khan, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2019, then took a tenure-track faculty position at the University of Delaware
EDUCATION
PhD, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill, 2016
MPH, Drexel University, 2008
BS, Southeast Missouri State University, 2004
RESEARCH
Dr. Khan’s primary research as a cancer epidemiologist has been focused on prostate cancer aggressiveness and progression in a cohort study. Future research goals in underserved and under-represented populations that aim to slow cancer progression, improve survival and outcomes, and reduce disparities in cancer patients is planned during her postdoctoral research program.
Marvin Langston, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through July 2019, then selected into the urology K12 Program at Kaiser-Permanente/UCSF in 2019 and is a staff scientist at Kaiser Permanente of Northern California
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Arizona, 2016
MPH, Saint Louis University, 2012
BS, University of Notre Dame, 2010
RESEARCH
Dr. Langston’s primary research agenda is broadly three-fold: trace elements and cancer risk, measurement of spatially derived cancer risk factors, and infectious agents and prostatic inflammation.
Karyn Stewart, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2017, then began a tenure-track position at DePaul University
EDUCATION
PhD, Syracuse University, 2013
RESEARCH
Dr. Stewart’s research and teaching interests primarily focus on health in the black community, giving attention to both racial and nativity disparities. Dr. Stewart has taught Introduction to Sociology as well as Sociology of Black Americans and Health in the Black Community. In her research, she examines the relationships of race, nativity, and pre-pregnancy body mass index on birth outcomes among black women. Of note, her work has identified key health factors that eliminate the significance of the foreign-born advantage in risk of low birth weight among black women in the Central New York region from 2004-2010. Her work also adds complexity to the discourse on health and body mass index by identifying being underweight as a particular risk factor for low birth weight among U.S.-born black women in this same region and during this same time period. She is interested in examining maternal child health in the black community and maternal influences on cancer risk for their children as well as themselves. She is particularly interested in the influence of BMI, nutrition, and pregnancy weight gain.
Elizabeth Odom, MD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2017
Resident/Clinical Trainee, Department of Surgery
EDUCATION
Residency, Washington University School of Medicine/Barnes Jewish Hospital Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 2011-Present
MD, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 2011
BS, University of Arizona, 2006
RESEARCH
Dr. Odom is a plastic surgery resident with particular interest in breast cancer and reconstruction after breast cancer surgery. She is dedicating a year to exploring patient outcomes and satisfaction after reconstruction. She will also evaluate socioeconomic, insurance status and accessibility to this realm of care.
Rajiv Parikh, MD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2017
Research Fellow, Department of Surgery
EDUCATION
MD, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, 2012
BS, Emory University
RESEARCH
Dr. Parikh’s research focuses on the outcomes of autologous fat grafting in reconstructive breast surgery and outcomes following tissue expander/implant breast reconstruction.
Jung Ae Lee, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through July 2016
Current Position: Assistant Professor, University of Arkansas
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Georgia, 2013
MS, University of Georgia, 2009
MA, Ewha Womans University, South Korea, 2004
RESEARCH
Dr. Lee’s research interests lie in the statistical learning in heath science and policy data. Dr. Lee’s expertise is high-dimensional data analysis. Specifically, Dr. Lee’s doctoral work focuses on sample integrity issues in situations where the dimension is larger than the sample size. Dr. Lee’s previous work on this topic includes “Covariance adjustment for batch effect in gene expression data.” Another current work is “Outlier detection in high dimension, low sample size data.”
Faustine Williams, PhD, MPH, MS
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2016
Current Position: Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Missouri, 2012
MPH, University of Missouri, 2011
MS, University of Missouri, 2007
RESEARCH
Dr. Williams is a rural sociologist with a public health focus on community health. Her research interests are cancer disparities, access to health care services, survivorship, and community-based participatory research. Her doctoral research draws on combined methods like geographic information system (GIS) and quantitative and qualitative methods to understand rural-urban differences in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Currently, she is exploring the influence of social determinants on cancer to develop appropriate models to understand stages of breast cancer in the community, as well as interventions needed.
Christine Ekenga, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2016
Current Position: Assistant Professor, Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis
EDUCATION
PhD, New York University, 2011
RESEARCH
Dr. Ekenga’s research interests lie in exposure assessment methods for epidemiologic studies, and lifestyle and environmental risk factors for chronic diseases. Dr. Ekenga has studied the relationship between environmental and occupational factors and human health outcomes in a variety of populations. Current work includes (1) examining how biological, behavioral, and environmental factors interact to influence health, and 2) identifying practices that promote individual and community health and well-being.
Man Yee (Mallory) Leung, PhD, MSc
Postdoctoral Research Associate through June 2016
Current Position:
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Minnesota, 2011
MSc, London School of Economics, 2004
BA, University of Hong Kong, 2003
RESEARCH
Dr. Leung’s research interests lie in health economics, fertility choices and reproductive health technologies. She uses quantitative and econometric methods to evaluate health policy. Her current work includes (1) the estimation of a structural sex-selective model to analyze the impact of ultrasound technology and the one-child policy on the sex ratio imbalance in China, and (2) the estimation of demand for IVF to evaluate the policy impact of governmental subsidies to IVF cycles on fertility.
Lin Yang, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through December 2015
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Cambridge, UK, 2012
MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008
BS, Beijing Sport University, China, 2003
RESEARCH
Dr. Yang’s research interests include understanding the role of physical activity in cancer development and survival, the influence of environmental and socioeconomic status on health outcomes, and physical activity intervention dissemination and implementation. Her previous work included examining the sociodemographics characteristics and environmental determinants of active commuting, exploring the potential of increasing physical activity through active commuting promotion in relation to the infrastructure modification in a natural experiment.
Jean Hunleth, PhD, MPH
Postdoctoral Research Associate through September 2015
Current Position: Research Scientist, Division of Public Health Sciences, Washington University School of Medicine
EDUCATION
PhD, Northwestern University, 2011
MPH, Northwestern University, 2011
RESEARCH
Dr. Hunleth is interested in addressing health inequalities in the St. Louis region and globally through community-engaged and contextually rich research. Her current work draws on community-based participatory research techniques to understand the experience of cancer screening and treatment among low-income residents of St. Louis. Her approach is informed by more than ten years of work on health-related interventions and anthropological research projects in Zambia. Dr. Hunleth’s research in Zambia includes an 18-month ethnographic and participatory research project with children, in which she examined children’s roles in caring for adults who suffered from TB and HIV. As both a practitioner and researcher, Dr. Hunleth has been dedicated to translating local knowledge into programmatic and policy changes to reduce barriers to diagnosis and care.
Ashley J. Housten, OTD, MSCI, MPA
Postdoctoral Research Associate through July 2015
Current Position: Postdoctoral Research Associate, MD Anderson Cancer Center
EDUCATION
OTD, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, 2014
MSCI, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, 2014
MPA, George Mason University, 2007
BA, University of Washington, 2005
RESEARCH
Dr. Housten’s interests include examining health education and decision-making in traditionally under-served communities. She is also interested in intervention delivery methods and assessment. Her doctoral work focused on sexual health and genetic inheritance education for youth with sickle cell disease. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, Dr. Housten developed and piloted a program to address the genetic and sexual health educational needs for these youth. Dr. Housten is also involved in community-based sickle cell trait testing and genetic education. Her work continues to explore health education and assessment methods to address health disparities.
Lin Yang, PhD
Postdoctoral Research Associate through December 2015
Current Position: Assistant Professor of Epidemiology, Medical University of Vienna, Austria
EDUCATION
PhD, University of Cambridge, UK, 2012
MS, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2008
BS, Beijing Sport University, China, 2003
RESEARCH
Dr. Yang’s research interests include understanding the role of physical activity in cancer development and survival, the influence of environmental and socioeconomic status on health outcomes, and physical activity intervention dissemination and implementation. Her previous work included examining the sociodemographics characteristics and environmental determinants of active commuting, exploring the potential of increasing physical activity through active commuting promotion in relation to the infrastructure modification in a natural experiment.