Author: PRCSTL

The PRC has a big presence at the annual Public Health at WashU Conference, held October 22, 2024

Loni Parrish, PhD Poster Title: Adaptation of a digital health intervention for rural adults: an equity-focused approach using the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced (FRAME) Amanda Gilbert, MPH Poster Title: Conducting community health worker training to implement a digital health tool (the PREVENT tool) in rural southeast Missouri clinics Angeline Gacad, MPH Poster Title: […]

Maryse Rios-Hernandez receives Brown School Outstanding Staff award

Maryse Rios-Hernandez recently joined the PRC as the Research Manager of the People, Health, and Place Unit. Prior to this position, she worked in the Brown School Dean’s office. In Dean Dorian’s October video newsletter, she highlighted Maryse’s award and thanked her for all she does to encourage and support the Brown School. Maryse holds […]

New Faces at the PRC

Welcome to the newest members of the PRC. Yi Wang, Maryse Rios-Hernandez and Alexandre Silva are working with Rodrigo Reis as part of the People, Health and Place Unit. Dennis Tsagli is working with Amy Eyler. Shai Patel is working with Cheryl Valko and the CAD Core on PRC Communications. Nicola Creagh is a visiting doctoral student and will be splitting time between the PRC and Graham Colditz’s team. 

Welcome Nicola Creagh, visiting doctoral student, to the PRC

Nicola Creagh, MPH, is a PhD Candidate and Research Assistant at the Centre for Health Policy, University of Melbourne. Nicola’s research applies qualitative and quantitative methods in evaluation and implementation science disciplines to evaluate the implementation of policy and program changes, particularly within Australia’s National Cervical Screening Programs, focusing on self-collection of HPV-based cervical screening […]

Staff Spotlight: Shelly Kannuthurai

Shelly Kannuthurai loves cooking and she loves science, so a career that began with training as a registered dietician (RD) wasn’t too surprising. “It felt like a pretty good fit, it was a nice mix between the two,” she recalled. After completing her MPH and dietetic internship at the University of Washington, she became an […]

Faculty Spotlight: Sarah Moreland-Russell

Celebrating her 15th year at the Brown School, Sarah Moreland-Russell is at her upbeat and energetic best as she enjoys the most recent leg of a career expedition that has taken her to Kansas City, California, and St. Louis with a single professional goal: Making policy changes to improve public health. An associate professor of […]

Celebrating Tim Poor’s Retirement

Tim Poor is retiring after working at WashU for the last 15 years. Tim has been a fantastic part of the communications team at the PRC and has written stories on our center faculty and staff, as well as many of our projects. We want to extend a heartfelt thank you to Tim for all […]

Baby Boom: Our PRC team has grown!

Charlie Nickname: Sometimes we call him Chuck PRC Affiliation: Amanda Gilbert (mom) Birthdate: August 29, 2023 Age: 11 months Favorite thing to do right now: Story time, dance to music, eat banana, sleep Anything else you want to share: He just got his first tooth! Ethan PRC Affiliation: Amanda Gilbert (mom) Birthdate: August 29, 2023 […]

Ross Brownson, PRC Director, Honored with Outstanding Faculty Award (Links to an external site)

For Ross Brownson, one of the joys of working at Washington University is teaching and mentoring graduate students.

On April 10, Brownson, the Steven H. and Susan U. Lipstein Distinguished Professor at the Brown School, was honored with an Outstanding Faculty Award at the 25th Annual Outstanding Faculty and Staff Awards ceremony, hosted by the Graduate Student Senate (GSS). He was one of eight faculty members commended for their remarkable contributions to the PhD student community.

Brownson expressed gratitude for the recognition. “Our students are the best and the brightest who constantly remind me that our future is in good hands,” he remarked.

New PRC Members

Welcome to our new PRC members: Madisen Brewer and Oreoluwa Oginni! Madisen is a full-time Research Assistant on the AHD Partnership Study with Principal Investigator, Stephanie Mazzucca-Ragan, and Project Manager, Jess Gannon. Oreoluwa is an MPH student specializing in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. He will be working in collaboration with Diana Perez on a project that aims to explore the linkages between implementation strategy mechanisms and evidence-based physical activity and nutrition programs for cancer prevention in Latin America.

Renee Parks has been named the WashU 2024 Emerging Leader Recipient!

This award recognizes an employee who positively influences and leads others at the university, in their community and their profession. This award acknowledges someone who listens to the feedback, concerns of employees, displays a growth mindset, and empowers their colleagues to develop and utilize their leadership skills and capabilities to better the university and St. […]

Southeast Missouri is Still “Moving” After PRC Intervention Ends

Written by Tim Poor Heartland Moves, an intervention to promote physical activity in Southeast Missouri, has ended, but the project’s local manager, Dixie Duncan, is still “Moving.”  She’s working with communities to expand and develop walking trails, and she’s continuing to promote groups of walkers in conjunction with the wellness council in Poplar Bluff and […]

Staff Spotlight: Ronni Byrth

When her daughter Kyrah was a toddler, Ronni Byrth discovered Parents as Teachers (PAT), a home visitation program that provides parents with child development knowledge, parenting support, and social support for families with children from birth until age 5. She liked the program so much she went to work for PAT for 14 years. Now, […]

Student Spotlight: Masoomeh Faghankhani

Hometown: Tehran, IranUndergraduate school and major/minor: Tehran University of Medical Sciences/MedicineProgram at Brown: MPHAnticipated graduation date: May 2024Three things you have with you at all times: My smartphone, black tea bag, and antiseptic hygienic stuff What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working?Trail jogging, Watching a wide array of films including […]

Welcome to our new PRC members

Drew Crenshaw (he/him) is a doctoral student working as a Research Assistant with Peg Allen on the Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) Accreditation Success Stories project. He grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Health from the […]

The D4DS Planner has Officially Launched

The PRC’s Maura Kepper, Allison L’Hotta, Thembie Shato, and Ross Brownson, along with other collaborators, officially launched the new D4DS Planner at the 16th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health, held in Arlington Virginia December 10-13, 2023. The planner was a collaboration between researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, […]

PRC Faculty, Peg Allen and Maura Kepper receive new grants

Peg Allen recently received a new grant funded through the Public Health Accreditation Board, titled “Small Health Department Accreditation Success Stories.” The purpose of this short-term project (October 2023 through May 2024) is to develop public health department success stories for the Public Health Accreditation Board that describe facilitators of successful preparations for national accreditation […]

Staff Spotlight: Dixie Duncan

Dixie Duncan grew up in the town of Van Buren, MO, population 800, a dot on the map adjacent to the scenic Current River in Southeast Missouri.  Now, she’s promoting public health coalitions in the rural region, where the PRC has been working to eliminate health disparities there and other rural regions.. “I’ve found the […]

More Work Needed to Improve Equity Focus in Public Health Departments

A new study by researchers at the Prevention Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (NACDD) surveyed public health departments in the U.S. to understand current health equity-related work practices and identify ways to bolster equity-focused work in chronic disease prevention and control efforts. Recently published […]

Staff Spotlight: Sarah Pritchard

Sarah Pritchard’s training is in system dynamics, but her passion is equity and systems change. So her position on the PRC’s leadership team on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a perfect fit.  “My focus is on using Community Based System Dynamics to help people on the committee understand how the system of structural racism operates […]

Student Spotlight: Angie Hoffman

Hometown: Weston, MissouriUndergraduate school and major/minor: Bachelor of Fine Arts-Painting, Minor in Philosophy and ReligionProgram at Brown: MPHAnticipated graduation date: May 2023Three things you have with you at all times: Chapstick, water bottle, nice pens What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working?Gardening (fruits, veggies, and flowers), quilting, hanging out with […]

Renee Parks and Peg Allen’s work on the AIM-LH study was featured on JPHMP Direct (Links to an external site)

With health departments scrutinized now more than ever, now is the time to fully integrate evidence-based decision making (EBDM) into public health practices. EBDM applies the best available research and evaluation evidence to select, adapt, implement, and evaluate policies and programs that work. While training helps individuals build skills, our earlier work found skill attainment is necessary but not enough to move EBDM forward and sustain EBDM use. Organizational supports within health departments are important as well.

How Health Departments Can Offer More Programs That Work

As public health departments across the U.S. face increased scrutiny, the Brown School’s Prevention Research Center has partnered with the Brookings Institution in a groundbreaking investigation to identify ways to improve decision making and more effectively use health department resources. The study’s latest findings, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, used information from […]

Visiting Scholar Spotlight: Ana Luiza Favarão Leão

Ana Luiza Favarão Leão hasn’t been in St. Louis long, but she’ll well remember the city when she returns to Brazil later in the year, thanks to the PRC. A research student at the PRC under a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Award, she’s in the U.S. for the first time. “It’s been a great cultural […]

New Health Equity Training Grant Funded Through NCI

The PRC and the Washington University Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control (WU-ISC3) are excited to announce the official start of a new grant funded by the National Cancer Institute titled, “Advancing Health Equity through the Development of a Scholars Program in Implementation Science.” WU-ISC3 is collaborating with researchers at Harvard University, University of Colorado- […]

Vianca Cuevas-Soulette named ISC3 Center Manager

We are excited to welcome Vianca Cuevas Soulette as the new Implementation Science in Cancer Control (ISC3) Center Manager. Vianca Cuevas Soulette is passionate about reducing health disparities and improving disadvantaged communities’ general well-being. She has a Master of Public Health from WashU with a concentration on Epidemiology and Biostatistics. She is also a part-time […]

Staff Spotlight: Jess Gannon

Jess Gannon was in Tanzania when she realized that public health research might be her calling. Gannon, MSW ’18, was on a 4-5- month practicum as part of her concentration on international social and economic development, charged with working for an organization doing hands-on educational water sanitation and hygiene programs in rural Tanzania. Her work […]

Student Spotlight: Tinuola Adebukola

Hometown: Lagos, Nigeria and grew up in Chicago, Illinois Undergraduate school and major/minor: Anthropology (Global Health & the Environment) Major and Psychology & Urban Studies Double Minor Program at Brown: 3-2 MPH Anticipated graduation date: Undergrad in May 2023; Graduate in May 2024 What are three things you have with you at all times: Waterbottle, Lip gloss, Phone What […]

PRC members participate in The Lancet Global Health series on urban design, transport and health

One of the top medical journals in the world, The Lancet Global Health, recently launched a new initiative focused on urban design, transport and health. Several PRC members have taken on a lead role. Deborah Salvo presented during the launch of the 2022 Lancet Global Health Series on Urban Design, Transport and Health and was […]

PRC faculty awarded new grants

Congratulations to our PRC Faculty, Maura Kepper and Steph Mazzucca, for receiving new grant awards. Details about the grant awards are below. Maura Kepper  Funder: Wash U Center for Dissemination & Implementation and Implementation Science Center for Cancer Control  Title: Adapting and Implementing a Novel Digital Health Tool to Promote Behavior Change and Improve Cancer Risk […]

Staff presented at the International System Dynamics Conference during plenary session

Sarah Pritchard and Karina Marin presented during the conference plenary session in Frankfurt, Germany Thurs. afternoon, July 21. “Presenting at the conference was a fun experience and great opportunity to continue growing as a modeler and newly graduated student. The overwhelming positive feedback I received from more experienced system dynamists on our project was amazing […]

Faculty Spotlight: Diana Parra

It wasn’t the toasted ravioli that drew Diana Parra Perez to St. Louis. Parra Perez began her journey in public health and to the PRC in Bogota, Colombia, where her interest in physical activity led to becoming a physical therapist who aimed to work with athletes. As she was introduced to the endeavors of public […]

Findings in new study highlight the importance of better disseminating evidence about anorexia/bulimia and can inform dissemination efforts about mental health parity laws to state legislators. (Links to an external site)

Abstract Mental health parity legislation can improve mental health outcomes. U.S. state legislators determine whether state parity laws are adopted, making it critical to assess factors affecting policy support. This study examines the prevalence and demographic correlates of legislators’ support for state parity laws for four mental illnesses- major depression disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), […]

Advancing Racial Equity in the PRC by Building the Capacity of the Individuals Who Comprise It

In fall 2020, the PRC established the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee focused on developing a plan to advance racial equity in our center and its work. The Committee formed as our PRC members were grappling with the numerous injustices and violence inflicted on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, on top of the […]

Recent Study by PRC Researchers Provides Approaches for Ending Ineffective Programs in Public Health Agencies (Links to an external site)

Public health agencies are increasingly concerned with ensuring they are maximizing limited resources by delivering effective evidence-based programs to enhance population-level chronic disease outcomes. Despite the focus on use of effective interventions, ineffective programs too often continue at public health agencies.  This analysis provides insight into how experienced state health department practitioners recommend ending ineffective […]

Associations of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviors with Child Mental Well-being During the COVID-19 Pandemic (Links to an external site)

Abstract Background: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in public health and policy measures to reduce in-person contact and the transmission of the virus. These measures impacted daily life and mental well-being (MWB). The aims of this study were to explore the MWB impacts of COVID-19 on children and assess the associations among perceived changes in physical activity […]

PRC Researchers, Rodrigo Reis and Deborah Salvo, Examine in Recent Publication What the Physical Activity Community Can Do for Climate Action and Planetary Health (Links to an external site)

This study found that physical activity promotion strategies need to be aligned with climate action commitments, incorporating the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scenarios in physical activity action plans. The promotion strategies must consider equity a core value and promote physical activity to the most vulnerable populations so that they are protected from the ill-health […]

PRC Faculty, Diana C Parra, Recently Published a Paper on School Feeding Programs in Latin America and the Caribbean during the COVID-19 Pandemic (Links to an external site)

School feeding programs (SFPs) can play a crucial role in the emergency food and nutrition response, but there is a dearth of information on how SFPs operate during emergencies. The Results of this study showed that during the pandemic, all SFPs continued (although continuation plans varied from a few days in Chile to > 1 […]

Student Spotlight: Karina Marin

Hometown: Skokie, IL Undergraduate school and major/minor: Double major in Anthropology and Spanish Program at Brown: MSW Anticipated Graduation Date: May 2022 Three things you have with you at all times: Snacks, headphones, a book What are your hobbies or activities when you aren’t studying or working? I love reading books for fun! I’ve been […]