Meet Our Team

Faculty 

Janvier Gasana, MD, PhD, MPH

Position: Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW; Professor & Chair-Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Kuwait University Health Sciences Center Faculty of Public Health
Education: Medical doctorate degree, Rwandan Medical School; MPH and PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health
MPH Course: 18200 Environmental Health
Research Interests: role of environmental & occupational exposures to soil-, water / sanitation / hygiene-, air-, & food-borne contaminants; infections; allergens; injury; stress; gene-environment; & immune system on ill-health and prevention of these for holistic health

 

 

Eric Gass, PhD, MS

Positions: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW; Associate Dean, School of Health Sciences, Milwaukee Area Technical College, Milwaukee, WI
Education: PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; MS, Purdue University
MPH Course: 18265 Public Health Research
Research Interests: community collaboration, population health measurement, program effectiveness, future workforce development

 

 

Kim Gearin, PhD, MS

Position: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW; Senior Research Scientist, Center for Health Equity and Community Health, Minnesota Department of Health
Education: MS, Community Health Education, University of North Texas, TX; PhD, Health Education, Texas Woman's University, TX
MPH Course: 18230 Community Health Program Planning
Research Interests: public health systems; evidence-based public health practice; intersection of public health and primary care

 

 

David McClure, PhD, MS

Positions: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW; Senior Epidemiologist - Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Population Health, Marshfield Clinic Research Institute
Education: PhD, University of Colorado, Analytical Health Science (Epidemiology, Biostatistics); MS, University of Colorado, Medical Physics.
MPH Course: 18280 MPH Field Placement Faculty Advisor; 18297 MPH Capstone Project Faculty Advisor
Research Interests: pharmacoepidemiology

 

 

John Meurer, MD, MBA

Positions: Professor and Director, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW
Education: MD, University of Wisconsin Medical School; MBA, Northwestern University
MPH Course: 18223 Public Health Policy; 18232 Introduction to Population Health Management
Research Interests: early child development systems improvement, state Medicaid expansion and diabetes

 

 

David Nelson, PhD, MA

Position: Professor, Department and Family and Community Medicine, MCW
Education: PhD, University of Tennessee-Knoxville; MA, University of Northern Colorado
MPH Course: 18203 Public Health Administration; 18212 Behavioral Science and Public Health
Research Interests: increasing physical activity, food access, social support, process of community engagement

 

 

 

Jennifer Peterson, PhD, MS

Positions: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW; Assistant Professor, Mount Mary University
Education: PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; MA, Purdue University
MPH Course: 18241 Health Communications
Research Interests: public health communication, social support, HIV prevention communication, uncertainty management and health, interpersonal communication

 

 

Julie Willems Van Dijk, PhD, RN

Position: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity, MCW; Senior Scientist and Director, County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, UW School of Medicine and Public Health
Education: PhD, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; MSN, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
MPH Courses: 18260 Community Health Program Evaluation
Research Interests: effectiveness of community health improvement, prenatal care coordination, public health financing, population health trends

 

 

Kaija Zusevics, PhD, MPH

Positions: Assistant Adjunct Professor, Institute for Health & Equity; Associate Researcher, Center for Urban Population Health
Education: PhD, Medical College of Wisconsin; MPH, University of Wisconsin - La Crosse
MPH Course: 18218 Racial and Ethnic Inequalities in Health; 18201 Principles of Epidemiology
Research Interests: education as a social determinant of health, positive youth development, genomics and ethics in the context of racism, community based participatory research