Education:
I started college with aspirations of becoming
a high school Spanish teacher. Along the way,
I realized I could use my Spanish skills in
other ways, such as delivering health education
to diverse populations. A B.A. in Spanish and
a B.A. in Health Education from UNI proved to
be a great combination. I returned to UNI for
a Master's in Community Health Education, which
I completed in 1998. My Ph.D. journey began
in the Epidemiology program at the University
of Iowa. After two years at UI, I transferred
to the Public Health Department at Oregon State
University to complete my coursework. I will
graduate in the Summer of 2004.
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Areas of Expertise:
I am interested in health behaviors,
specifically explaining why people choose to
engage in harmful behaviors and how to systematically
change those behaviors.
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Research Interests:
Currently, I am working on two research
projects. One is looking at what is happening
in schools with the prevention, counseling,
and referrals of students who self-injure. The
other project is helping pregnant women quit
smoking using a contingency management (rewards)
program.
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Courses Taught:
- Introduction to Epidemiology.
- Community and Public Health School Health
Education Methods
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Recent Publications:
- Incentives in smoking cessation: Status
of the field and implications for research
and practice with pregnant smokers ("Nicotine
and Tobacco Research", 2004)
- Cutting through the pain ("Access to
Health", 2004)
- Barriers to delivery of a 5 A's Best Practice
Intervention for low income pregnant smokers:
Provider perspectives and implications for
practice (American Public Health Association
Conference, 2003)
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Professional
Affiliations:
- American Public Health Association.
- American School Health Association.
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PROSPECTIVE
STUDENTS
