News

Student Spotlight: Kate Hoppe

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Meet Kate Hoppe, a PhD student in Public Health Sciences, whose journey from rural Kansas to founding her own consulting firm reflects a deep commitment to environmental and human health. With a background in sociology and a passion for sustainable food systems, Kate has worked across sectors—from marketing to state policy—and now consults on climate and health initiatives. Whether she’s remodeling her home or planning her next writing project, Kate brings creativity and purpose to all she does.

Newest Faces at the PRC

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Ashley Gomel (she/her), MPH CPH, serves as the Lab Manager and Associate Director of Operations of the Health Design and Impact Lab. She works closely with the Lab co-directors to plan for and implement the primary goals and outcomes of HDIL, while assisting with project management and coordination of the HDIL team. Prior to her […]

Evaluation highlights keys to success for national public health accreditation from small local and Tribal health departments

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Image of hands on top of one another from people, representing teamwork.

Peg Allen and Matt Fifolt led the WashU-UAB team that interviewed leadership and public health officials from small health departments to learn how they navigated PHAB accreditation. A collection of materials showcasing insights and guidance for other health departments is now available on PHAB’s website.

Introducing the Health Design & Impact Lab

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Built on a mission to engage communities in advanced design to develop interventions and improve systems for lasting health impact, the HDIL is dedicated to designing health interventions and systems that can be implemented, sustained, and scaled to maximize impact.

Ross Brownson speaks with Dean Galea as part of the Public Health Ideas platform (Links to an external site)

WashU School of Public Health •

As part of the Public Health Ideas initiative, Dean Galea is talking with faculty throughout the university about their public health scholarship. He recently spoke with Ross Brownson about his paper “Understanding misimplementation in U.S. state health departments: An Agent-Based Model.” 

Building capacity in dissemination and implementation research: the presence and impact of advice networks

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As Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) science grows, building strong research networks is essential. A new study maps how D&I researchers in the U.S. and Canada seek and share advice, revealing key connections and areas for improvement. Surveying 482 researchers, this study found that experts provided the most advice, while early-career researchers and minoritized groups had […]

Understanding the Relationships Between Physical Activity and Climate Change: An Umbrella Review

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Physical activity is essential for maintaining good health and preventing chronic diseases, but have you ever considered how climate change affects our ability to stay active—and how our movement impacts the planet? This recent umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses highlights this complex relationship, offering insights into both the risks and potential solutions. PRC’s […]

Sarah Moreland-Russell and Pew’s Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance

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Antibiotic resistance is one of the most pressing public health threats of our time, and over the past decade, the Pew Charitable Trusts has been at the forefront of efforts to address it. A recent independent evaluation of Pew’s antibiotic resistance project—led by experts including Sarah Moreland-Russell, an associate professor at Washington University in St. […]

Student Spotlight: Milena Franco Silva

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A Ph.D. student in Public Health Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, Milena Franco Silva is on a mission to address spatial and health disparities through transdisciplinary research. Her path to public health began in her hometown of Curitiba, Brazil, where she grew up navigating the stark contrasts between the rural landscape of Balsa […]

PRC faculty, Sarah Moreland-Russell awarded two new grants

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R01 – Examining system-wide implementation of new flexibilities to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. This 4 year, 2.65 million dollar grant is funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute (NIH-NHLBI). In 2018, a significant policy change to the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs issued flexibilities, relaxing nutrition standards […]

Dixie Duncan, PRC staff and community partner, wrote the $1 million COSSUP grant recently awarded to Carter County, MO

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This Project Grant award from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Other Substance Use Program (COSSUP) provides $999,729.00 to the Carter County Courthouse to implement a comprehensive initiative to address the opioid, stimulant, and substance use disorder (SUD) crisis in Carter County, Missouri. The key […]

Thinking about sharing your data? You should be!

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Written by the PRC Data and Methods Core Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that there is increasing emphasis on data transparency and collaboration in the academic and scientific community. More funders and journals require data sharing. Sharing data can mean having a DOI for data and other products to refer […]

PRC Staff, Rebekah Jacob, part of a team advancing and strengthening the study of social networks in community-level dissemination and implementation research (Links to an external site)

By expanding the study of social networks in community-level D&I research, researchers and practitioners can better leverage their potential to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities at the community level. Social networks are both tools for connection as well as a pathway to health equity. Read more here.

PRC Postdoc Yi Wang’s Study on Eviction Featured in Portland State University News: Subsidized Housing Tenants Face Higher Eviction Rates Than Private Market Renters (Links to an external site)

Portland State University News •

PRC Postdoc Yi Wang authored a groundbreaking report on evictions in Oregon’s subsidized housing, revealing higher eviction judgment rates (39%) compared to private rentals (32%). Despite tenant protections, subsidized tenants face disadvantages due to stricter management policies and limited legal representation. Wang recommends eviction prevention plans and tenant-focused reforms. Read more in the report by […]

PRC Faculty, Sarah Moreland Russell, part of CDTR team to evaluate a Medically Tailored Meals intervention (Links to an external site)

Center for Diabetes Translation Research •

Sarah Moreland Russell, PRC faculty, is part of a WU-CDTR (WashU Center for Diabetes Translation Research) team working on analyzing a comprehensive Medically Tailored Meals intervention for adults with type 2 diabetes. The aim is to address policy and effectiveness surrounding the intervention and similar community-based nutrition programs.

PRC Faculty Beth Dodson is one of 16 members on the Report Card Research Advisory Committee: US earns D- on latest youth physical activity report card — again (Links to an external site)

The Source •

Beth Dodson, PRC faculty, emphasizes the urgent need to improve physical activity among children. As a member of the 2024 Report Card Research Advisory Committee, she advocates for evidence-based policies, such as safe biking routes and increased physical education, to combat declining activity levels nationwide.

Potential of mindfulness to enhance cognitive health in Latinx older adults (Links to an external site)

The Source •

Washington University in St. Louis researchers are exploring mindfulness to enhance cognitive health in Latinx older adults at risk for Alzheimer’s. Backed by an NIH grant, the project adapts mindfulness to cultural contexts, fostering community and addressing stress. This study aims to evaluate mindfulness as a potential protective factor against dementia.

NSF grant boosts faculty equity and mindfulness initiatives (Links to an external site)

The Source •

Washington University in St. Louis has received a $3 million NSF ADVANCE grant to promote equity among STEM faculty. The AIM for Equity initiative leverages civic mindfulness to address systemic barriers, focusing on intersectional gender and racial equity. Programs will support inclusive policies, leadership training, and faculty well-being institution-wide.

REACH project selected for the 2024 APHA TV Thought Leadership Film Series

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PRC Faculty, Diana Parra’s REACH project and its precursor, BRIC, was selected as one of the few National projects to be featured during the 2024 APHA TV Thought Leadership Film Series, which is being showcased and premiered at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo in Minneapolis. The film will be broadcast on […]

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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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 […]

Local Collaboration Key to Effective Evidence-Based Training, Study Finds

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Collaborating with public health departments and other agencies to deliver training in evidence-based public health can offset the effects of high staff turnover, strengthen academic-practice relationships, and promote population-wide health and health equity, found a new study led by Stephanie Mazzucca-Ragan, assistant professor at the Brown School. Training in evidence-based public health (EBPH) has been […]

PRC Spotlight on Washington University in St. Louis and the University of South Carolina (Links to an external site)

The Prevention Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis (PRC at WashU): Adoption & Implementation of Evidence to Mobilize Local Health (AIM-Local Health) Project In public health, evidence-based decision-making (EBDM) stands as a cornerstone for effective strategies in addressing chronic diseases. Recognizing the pivotal role of local health departments (LHDs) in this area, the Prevention Research […]

Faculty Spotlight: Sarah Moreland-Russell

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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

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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!

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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 […]

Supporting Teams with Designing for Dissemination and Sustainability: the Design, Development, and Usability of a Digital Interactive Platform (Links to an external site)

Abstract Background: The use of Designing for Dissemination and Sustainability (D4DS) principles and methods can support the development of research products (interventions, tools, findings) to match well with the needs and context of the intended audience and setting. D4DS principles and methods are not well-known or used during clinical and public health research; research teams would […]

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

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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!

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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. […]