New to the school
We welcome four new secondary faculty and one new staff member this week.
Social epidemiologist Kia Davis, MPH, ScD, an assistant professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences at WashU Medicine, joins the School of Public Health secondary faculty as an assistant professor. Her research explores how structural racism affects chronic disease risk factors and identifies place-based and organization-level solutions to mitigate the adverse health impacts.
Jonathan Hanahan, MFA, an associate professor at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts, joins the School of Public Health secondary faculty as an associate professor. Hanahan’s research is centered on alternative and ambient interfaces with technology and explores the physical, cultural and social ramifications of digital experiences in shaping our everyday realities.
Kimberly Parker, MS, PhD, an associate professor at McKelvey School of Engineering, joins the School of Public Health secondary faculty as an associate professor. Parker studies the fate of chemical and biological pollutants in soil, air and water with a goal of optimizing strategies to minimize the risk posed by these contaminants to human and ecosystem health.
Nhial Tutlam, PhD, an assistant professor at the Brown School, joins the School of Public Health secondary faculty as an assistant professor. His research focuses on how intergenerational war trauma affects the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), suicide, substance use and HIV infection among youth and their caregivers, both in refugee camps and after resettlement, with a goal of developing culturally appropriate, community-based interventions.
And the new staff member is:
Kinkini Bhaduri, MBA, MPH, serves as the research manager for innovation and partnerships strategy at the Healthier Futures Lab, working with Salma Abdalla, MBBS, MPH, DrPH, an assistant professor at the School of Public Health. In this role, Bhaduri supports the lab’s research initiatives through literature synthesis, data analysis and strategic insight. She also contributes to shaping and expanding the lab’s institutional presence by cultivating cross-disciplinary partnerships and driving operational growth.
Public Health news
Gun violence remains top St. Louis public health concern, iHeard study shows
For the third year in a row, St. Louisans identified gun violence as the region’s leading health concern, but mental health and addiction are increasingly on the minds of area residents, according to a July survey of 188 adults from St. Louis city and county. The survey was conducted by iHeard St. Louis, a program of SPH’s Health Communication Research Laboratory led by Matthew Kreuter, MPH, PhD, the Kahn Family Professor of Public Health. Read more about local health priorities on the Source.
Implementation science comes into its own
A news article in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences highlights the successes of the young field of implementation science and its potential to improve health. The story notes the contribution of the Brown School’s Byron Powell, PhD, a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health and a co-director of SPH’s Dissemination and Implementation Science Innovation Research Network (DISIRN). Read more about the promise of implementation science.
A paper of note
Juliet Iwelunmor, PhD, a professor of medicine at WashU Medicine and a secondary faculty member at the School of Public Health, co-authored “Digital strategies to promote crowdsourcing open calls for co-creating HIV interventions: a youth community-based participatory approach”, published in Frontiers in Digital Health.
Looking ahead
Faculty, staff invited to new student welcome reception
The School of Public Health Student Orientation will be Thursday, August 21, and Friday, August 22. SPH faculty and staff are invited to a reception at 4 p.m. Thursday, August 21, to welcome new students. The reception will be in Hillman Hall’s Caleres Lounge. Please RSVP by Wednesday, August 13.
RSVP for SPH student resource fair
The school will host an SPH and WashU resource fair for students on Friday, August 22, from 1:15 – 2:30 p.m. in Hillman Hall’s Clark-Fox Forum. If you would like to have a table at this event to showcase your center or opportunities for students to engage with your work, please RSVP by Thursday, August 7. If you are not able to attend but would like to send handouts or other resources, please contact Katharine Pei, kpei@wustl.edu.
Let us know
If you have SPH news, events or research to share, please send details to Elizabethe Holland Durando, SPH director of communications and change management.