Administration Directory - OHSU-PSU School of Public Health (2024)

Brad Wipfli’s research concentrates on health promotion and health behavior, particularly on identifying strategies to increase physical activity and improve physical and mental health. He also investigates the ways in which changes in health behaviors impact physiological processes and clinical indicators of illness and disease.

Wipfli won the 2009 Dissertation of the Year award from the National Association of Sport and Physical Education for his work discovering that post-exercise improvements in depressive symptoms are mediated by reductions in serum serotonin. He has also been a part of several pioneering Total Worker Health interventions, including the groundbreaking Safety and Health Involvement for Truckers study, which is the largest health and safety intervention with truck drivers in U.S. history. He is currently leading an intervention aimed at improving health, safety, and well-being of workers in sedentary occupations (see here).

Education, Degrees

B.A., Carthage College, 2002
Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2008

Awards and Honors

• 2009, First Place, Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition (Olson, R., Anger, K., Elliot, D.L., Wipfli, B., Schmidt, S., & Gray, M.) APA/NIOSH Work, Stress and Health Conference
• 2009, Dissertation of the Year, National Association for Sport and Physical Education
• 2007, Douglas L. Conley Memorial Scholarship Award, Arizona State University Department of Kinesiology

• NIOSH Center of Excellence (Anger, Center PI) Oregon Healthy Workforce Center of Excellence Research Project: Multilevel Intervention to Improve Safety and Health in Sedentary Occupations Description: This project is a research project within the overall Center application. The study is designed to substantially improve health, safety, and well-being in sedentary workers, including physiological outcomes that contribute to chronic diseases. The project tests whether a multilevel intervention is more effective than single level interventions for increasing the utilization of existing health and safety resources. Role: PI of Research Project
• USAMRAA W81XWH-13-2-0020 (Leslie Hammer, PI) 2/08/13 – 2/07/18 Development and Evaluation of Veteran Supportive Supervisor Training (VSST): Improving Reintegration of the Oregon National Guard and Reserves into the Workplace Description: The major goal of this project is to develop and evaluate a veteran supportive supervisor training program for the civilian workforce to impact veteran and family health and well-being. Role: Co-Investigator
• TREC – NITC (Liu-Qin Yang, PI) 4/01/16 to 10/01/17 How Do Stressed Workers Make Travel Choices that are Good for their Health, Safety, and Productivity? Description: This study will analyze two existing datasets to determine the psychological factors that impact commute choices, and examine how commute choices impact psychological and physiological stress responses to daily stressors. Role: Co-Investigator
• NHLBI R01 HL105495 (Ryan Olson, PI) 4/01/11 to 3/31/16 Social Support During a Randomized Trial of a Trucker Weight Loss Intervention Description: Cluster randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of a competition-based weight loss intervention for truck drivers that is supported with computer-based training and motivational interviewing. The study will also evaluate how social support factors in both home and work environments moderate intervention effectiveness. Role: Co-Investigator
• NIOSH U19 OH010154 (Kent Anger, PI) 9/01/11 to 8/31/16 Oregon Healthy Workforce Center of Excellence Description: Development and evaluation of a scripted peer-led curriculum to organize home care workers into neighborhood-based Workforce teams that provide education and social support for improving lifestyle (e.g., diet, exercise) and safety behaviors. Role: Collaborator
• NIOSH 2U01 HD059773-05 (Leslie Hammer, PI) 9/01/08 to 7/31/14 Portland Center: Work Family and Health Network Phase II Description: Randomized multi-worksite evaluation of a multi-component intervention (including behavioral self-monitoring) to increase family-supportive supervisory behaviors and employee temporal control over job tasks. Role: Investigator
• NICHD U01 HD059773-05S1 (Leslie Hammer, PI) 9/30/09 to 9/29/11 Administrative Supplement, Work-Life Network Phase II Description: Administrative supplement award to enhance intervention effectiveness through the development of employee self-monitoring activities that are designed to increase co-worker supportive behaviors and employee temporal control over job tasks. Role: Investigator

Dr. BryantCarlson Bryant Carlson became the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and faculty member in the School of Public Health, teaching primarily in the MPH program in areas related to the social determinants of health, health promotion, and community health.

His research interests include the use of ecological systems theory and other interdisciplinary multilevel frameworks to understand the impacts of social inequality on individual and community wellbeing, and the use of prevention science and participatory research and evaluation approaches to increase social connectedness and sense of community for vulnerable groups. Dr. Carlson has worked as an evaluation consultant with a range of community partners and institutions, and his research has been funded by the Kresge Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and the Oregon Youth Development Council. Dr. Carlson completed a PhD in sociology, an MS in clinical psychology, and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC-I) in Oregon.

Education & Degrees

Ph.D., Sociology, Portland State University, 2018

Dawn Richardson is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, where she teaches Foundations of Public Health, Urban and Community Health, and Global Health. Richardson also serves as the Faculty lead for the Practice Experience.

Richardson is a social epidemiologist trained in Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR). Her research advances health equity by integrating and building on new knowledge, combining social determinants of health with the science of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), with the aim of developing policies and programs in response. Specifically, her research questions elucidate the pathways by which the unequal distributions of income, power and wealth (based on gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, e.g.) affect health outcomes, social mobility, and access to opportunity. Working in partnership with community, she incorporate these findings into concrete programs and policies to promote population health. Her current research projects include: (1) understanding the intersection of place and health, specifically how neighborhood characteristics (e.g., race-based segregation, geographies of opportunity) shape health inequities; (2) examining the impact of racism, discrimination, and immigration status on access to reproductive health services and birth outcomes; and (3) evaluating work-place policies that impact maternal child health disparities (e.g., paid parental leave, breastfeeding support).

Education, Degrees

B.S., University of Tennessee Chattanooga, 1999
M.P.H., Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 2002
Dr.P.H., University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, 2010
Kellogg Health Scholar, University of Michigan, 2012

Awards and Honors

• 2019: Selected Participant, Latino Network’s UNID@S Oregon Leadership Program, Cohort VIII
• 2018: Recipient, PSU President’s Diversity Award for Distinguished Faculty
• 2017: PSU Faculty Fellow for Equity & Social Justice in Community-Based Learning
• 2016: PSU Faculty Fellow for Sustainability, Institute for Sustainability Studies
• 2013: PSU Faculty-in-Residence for Engagement, Center for Academic Excellence
• 2012: PSU Faculty Fellow for Community Partnership, Center for Academic Excellence
• 2011: Selected Mentee, American Academy of Health Behavior/Kellogg Health Scholars Program

• 1R21HD087734-01 NIH (Messer) 05/06/16-04/30/17 Role: Co-Investigator Social Factors Influencing Pregnancy Outcome Disparities This study aims to identify how nativity and documentation status shape adverse PO (inappropriate maternal weight gain, pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)/eclampsia, PTB, term BW, small for gestational age (SGA)) and how the residential food context exacerbates risk for adverse outcomes.
• 1UL1MD009596 / 1RL5MD009591 / 1TL4MD009634 NIH (Crespo) 09/26/14-06/30/19 Role: Co-Investigator Enhancing Cross-Disciplinary Training at Oregon (EXITO) The major goal of this project is to recruit, train, and support diverse undergraduate students seeking research careers in the biomedical and social sciences. This is part of a broad national strategy to develop and evaluate innovative strategies for engaging undergraduate researchers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences, and preparing them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce.

Lydia believes in the power of high-quality educational experiences and advocates for assessment and evaluation as a critical catalyst for improving student learning and institutional effectiveness. She is thrilled to join the SPH team to contribute the betterment of public health education.

Lydia holds a BA in Global Studies from Colorado Christian University and an MPS in Organizational Leadership from the University of Denver. She started her career in higher education as a quality assurance specialist in online education and has since gone on to serve in assessment roles such at multiple institutions, and, most recently, as the Assistant Provost of Institutional Effectiveness at Multnomah University.

A Colorado native by birth and Oregonian transplant, Lydia loves to be in the outdoors and explore the PNW with her husband, three children, and two pups. She also adores getting lost in a good book, enjoys tea and dark chocolate, and is a budding plant enthusiast.

Education, Degrees

BA Global Studies
MPS Organizational Leadership

As an alum of our MPH in Health Promotion, Jamie has work experience as an undergraduate public health instructor, academic advisor, an OHSU Research Associate, and the Director of Operations at Disability Rights Oregon. Jamie supports MPH students with their Practice Experience and Integrative Projects. Jamie also supports current and prospective preceptors hosting MPH interns.

Jamie grew up in Florida, lived in Alaska, and moved to Portland in 2006. She loves the Portland Thorns (#ptfc), has many houseplants, and is known to hike on rare occasions.

Education, Degrees

B.A., Health Studies: Community Health Education, PSU, 2009
M.P.H., Health Promotion: Advocacy & Social Change, PSU, 2011

Brad Wipfli’s research concentrates on health promotion and health behavior, particularly on identifying strategies to increase physical activity and improve physical and mental health. He also investigates the ways in which changes in health behaviors impact physiological processes and clinical indicators of illness and disease.

Wipfli won the 2009 Dissertation of the Year award from the National Association of Sport and Physical Education for his work discovering that post-exercise improvements in depressive symptoms are mediated by reductions in serum serotonin. He has also been a part of several pioneering Total Worker Health interventions, including the groundbreaking Safety and Health Involvement for Truckers study, which is the largest health and safety intervention with truck drivers in U.S. history. He is currently leading an intervention aimed at improving health, safety, and well-being of workers in sedentary occupations (see here).

Education, Degrees

B.A., Carthage College, 2002
Ph.D., Arizona State University, 2008

Awards and Honors

• 2009, First Place, Best Practices Intervention Evaluation Competition (Olson, R., Anger, K., Elliot, D.L., Wipfli, B., Schmidt, S., & Gray, M.) APA/NIOSH Work, Stress and Health Conference
• 2009, Dissertation of the Year, National Association for Sport and Physical Education
• 2007, Douglas L. Conley Memorial Scholarship Award, Arizona State University Department of Kinesiology

• NIOSH Center of Excellence (Anger, Center PI) Oregon Healthy Workforce Center of Excellence Research Project: Multilevel Intervention to Improve Safety and Health in Sedentary Occupations Description: This project is a research project within the overall Center application. The study is designed to substantially improve health, safety, and well-being in sedentary workers, including physiological outcomes that contribute to chronic diseases. The project tests whether a multilevel intervention is more effective than single level interventions for increasing the utilization of existing health and safety resources. Role: PI of Research Project
• USAMRAA W81XWH-13-2-0020 (Leslie Hammer, PI) 2/08/13 – 2/07/18 Development and Evaluation of Veteran Supportive Supervisor Training (VSST): Improving Reintegration of the Oregon National Guard and Reserves into the Workplace Description: The major goal of this project is to develop and evaluate a veteran supportive supervisor training program for the civilian workforce to impact veteran and family health and well-being. Role: Co-Investigator
• TREC – NITC (Liu-Qin Yang, PI) 4/01/16 to 10/01/17 How Do Stressed Workers Make Travel Choices that are Good for their Health, Safety, and Productivity? Description: This study will analyze two existing datasets to determine the psychological factors that impact commute choices, and examine how commute choices impact psychological and physiological stress responses to daily stressors. Role: Co-Investigator
• NHLBI R01 HL105495 (Ryan Olson, PI) 4/01/11 to 3/31/16 Social Support During a Randomized Trial of a Trucker Weight Loss Intervention Description: Cluster randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of a competition-based weight loss intervention for truck drivers that is supported with computer-based training and motivational interviewing. The study will also evaluate how social support factors in both home and work environments moderate intervention effectiveness. Role: Co-Investigator
• NIOSH U19 OH010154 (Kent Anger, PI) 9/01/11 to 8/31/16 Oregon Healthy Workforce Center of Excellence Description: Development and evaluation of a scripted peer-led curriculum to organize home care workers into neighborhood-based Workforce teams that provide education and social support for improving lifestyle (e.g., diet, exercise) and safety behaviors. Role: Collaborator
• NIOSH 2U01 HD059773-05 (Leslie Hammer, PI) 9/01/08 to 7/31/14 Portland Center: Work Family and Health Network Phase II Description: Randomized multi-worksite evaluation of a multi-component intervention (including behavioral self-monitoring) to increase family-supportive supervisory behaviors and employee temporal control over job tasks. Role: Investigator
• NICHD U01 HD059773-05S1 (Leslie Hammer, PI) 9/30/09 to 9/29/11 Administrative Supplement, Work-Life Network Phase II Description: Administrative supplement award to enhance intervention effectiveness through the development of employee self-monitoring activities that are designed to increase co-worker supportive behaviors and employee temporal control over job tasks. Role: Investigator

Dr. BryantCarlson Bryant Carlson became the Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Affairs and faculty member in the School of Public Health, teaching primarily in the MPH program in areas related to the social determinants of health, health promotion, and community health.

His research interests include the use of ecological systems theory and other interdisciplinary multilevel frameworks to understand the impacts of social inequality on individual and community wellbeing, and the use of prevention science and participatory research and evaluation approaches to increase social connectedness and sense of community for vulnerable groups. Dr. Carlson has worked as an evaluation consultant with a range of community partners and institutions, and his research has been funded by the Kresge Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, and the Oregon Youth Development Council. Dr. Carlson completed a PhD in sociology, an MS in clinical psychology, and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC-I) in Oregon.

Education & Degrees

Ph.D., Sociology, Portland State University, 2018

Dawn Richardson is an Associate Professor and Associate Dean in the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health, where she teaches Foundations of Public Health, Urban and Community Health, and Global Health. Richardson also serves as the Faculty lead for the Practice Experience.

Richardson is a social epidemiologist trained in Community-based Participatory Research (CBPR). Her research advances health equity by integrating and building on new knowledge, combining social determinants of health with the science of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD), with the aim of developing policies and programs in response. Specifically, her research questions elucidate the pathways by which the unequal distributions of income, power and wealth (based on gender, race, ethnicity, immigration status, e.g.) affect health outcomes, social mobility, and access to opportunity. Working in partnership with community, she incorporate these findings into concrete programs and policies to promote population health. Her current research projects include: (1) understanding the intersection of place and health, specifically how neighborhood characteristics (e.g., race-based segregation, geographies of opportunity) shape health inequities; (2) examining the impact of racism, discrimination, and immigration status on access to reproductive health services and birth outcomes; and (3) evaluating work-place policies that impact maternal child health disparities (e.g., paid parental leave, breastfeeding support).

Education, Degrees

B.S., University of Tennessee Chattanooga, 1999
M.P.H., Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, 2002
Dr.P.H., University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, 2010
Kellogg Health Scholar, University of Michigan, 2012

Awards and Honors

• 2019: Selected Participant, Latino Network’s UNID@S Oregon Leadership Program, Cohort VIII
• 2018: Recipient, PSU President’s Diversity Award for Distinguished Faculty
• 2017: PSU Faculty Fellow for Equity & Social Justice in Community-Based Learning
• 2016: PSU Faculty Fellow for Sustainability, Institute for Sustainability Studies
• 2013: PSU Faculty-in-Residence for Engagement, Center for Academic Excellence
• 2012: PSU Faculty Fellow for Community Partnership, Center for Academic Excellence
• 2011: Selected Mentee, American Academy of Health Behavior/Kellogg Health Scholars Program

• 1R21HD087734-01 NIH (Messer) 05/06/16-04/30/17 Role: Co-Investigator Social Factors Influencing Pregnancy Outcome Disparities This study aims to identify how nativity and documentation status shape adverse PO (inappropriate maternal weight gain, pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH)/eclampsia, PTB, term BW, small for gestational age (SGA)) and how the residential food context exacerbates risk for adverse outcomes.
• 1UL1MD009596 / 1RL5MD009591 / 1TL4MD009634 NIH (Crespo) 09/26/14-06/30/19 Role: Co-Investigator Enhancing Cross-Disciplinary Training at Oregon (EXITO) The major goal of this project is to recruit, train, and support diverse undergraduate students seeking research careers in the biomedical and social sciences. This is part of a broad national strategy to develop and evaluate innovative strategies for engaging undergraduate researchers, including those from backgrounds underrepresented in biomedical sciences, and preparing them to thrive in the NIH-funded workforce.

Dr. Lightfoot received her master’s and doctorate in Counseling Psychology from UCLA. Her research focuses on improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults, as well as the development of culturally competent, efficacious interventions to reduce acquisition and transmission of HIV among populations disproportionately burdened by the epidemic. She has obtained NIH funding to design and implement HIV preventive interventions, including culturally-tailored interventions for adolescents in the juvenile justice system, runaway/homeless youth, youth living with HIV, young MSM, and adults living with HIV. Her research has developed interventions and bridged the gap from development to implementation. She has been the Principal Investigator on numerous R01 and other R-level grants, as well as center grants and foundation grants, including from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, and others. She has had a distinguished career in community-engaged research, receiving awards for her community partnership efforts.

Dr. Lightfoot currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research. Prior to starting this position in September 2021, she was Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Chief for the Division of Prevention Science, Director of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Director of the UCSF Prevention Research Center and she held the Walter Gray Endowed Chair. She came to the SPH with extensive experience training and mentoring students, fellows, trainees, and early-career faculty across a number of disciplines. She also currently serves on the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC), which advises the Director, National Institute of Mental Health, on all policies and activities related to the conduct and support of mental health research, research training, and other programs of the Institute. She was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) Committee on Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral (MEB) Development Among Children and Youth.She serves on the editorial boards ofAmerican PsychologistandCultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, and was recently associate editor for theJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Education, Degrees

1985 – 1990 University of California, Los Angeles B.A. Psychology
1990 – 1992 University of California, Los Angeles M.A. Counseling Psychology
1992 – 1997 University of California, Los Angeles Ph.D. Counseling Psychology
1997 – 1999 University of California, Los Angeles Postdoc Psychiatry

Betty Izumi is a registered dietitian and Interim Associate Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs in the School of Public Health. Her research focuses on issues at the intersection of nutrition, sustainability and health equity. She uses a community-based participatory research approach to explore the question: Can diet quality and health be improved among underserved individuals in such a way that promotes vibrant and resilient local food systems?

She is the principal investigator for Harvest for Healthy Kids, a nutrition intervention developed in partnership with Mt. Hood Community College Head Start and Early Head Start. Harvest for Healthy Kids connects children in early care and education settings to local agriculture through classroom education, food service modification and family engagement. In 2016, Harvest for Healthy Kids was awarded the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Nutrition Education Program Impact Award.

Education, Degrees

B.S., University of British Columbia, 1998
M.P.H., University of California, Berkeley, 2000
R.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2001
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2008

Awards and Honors

• 2017, Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award (Japan)
• 2016, Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Mid-Career Professional Achievement Award
• 2016, Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Nutrition Education Program Impact Award for Harvest for Healthy Kids
• 2013, Portland State University College of Urban and Public Affairs Craig Wollner Memorial Award for Outstanding Junior Faculty
• 2012, Portland State University Civic Engagement Award for Excellence in Community-based Research

Dr. Richard Johnson is the Interium Dean for Academic Affairs at the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health (SPH) in Portland Oregon.

He received his BS degree in Chemistry from the University of Washington and his MS and PhD degrees from the Oregon Graduate Institute (now part of OHSU). Dr. Johnson has been a faculty member at OHSU since 1985. He teaches in the areas of public health relating to climate change, drinking water availability, chemical and transport and fate in the environment and restoration of sites contaminated by industrial and other sources. His research interests involve forecasting of water quality in rivers to protect drinking water sources, development of diagnostic tool for groundwater restoration, and vulnerability of groundwater sources of drinking water.

Education, Degrees

B.S., University of Washington, 1973
M.S., Oregon Graduate Institute, 1981
Ph.D., Oregon Graduate Institute, 1985

Education, Degrees

B.S., Political Science, Santa Clara University, 2004

Education, Degrees

BS Accounting, Portland State University, 2014

Crystal is passionate about the power of philanthropy and leads fundraising efforts in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and the School of Public Health at Portland State University.

Before joining the PSU Foundation, she led the Major Gifts team at the Portland Community College Foundation, and before that, Crystal worked at the PSU Foundation for a decade. She has focused her career on mobilizing support and engagement in youth development, social services, education, housing, and community development.

Crystal serves on the Board of the Peoples Nonprofit Accelerator and teaches development professionals in the Nonprofit Fundraising Certificate program. She is a proud first-generation graduate of PSU, and completed her undergraduate and graduate degrees as a working single mom. Crystal holds a Bachelor of Science in Social Science and a Master of Public Administration from Portland State.

Education, Degrees

Portland State University, Hatfield School of Government, MPA
Portland State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; BS

Dr. Lightfoot received her master’s and doctorate in Counseling Psychology from UCLA. Her research focuses on improving the health and well-being of adolescents and young adults, as well as the development of culturally competent, efficacious interventions to reduce acquisition and transmission of HIV among populations disproportionately burdened by the epidemic. She has obtained NIH funding to design and implement HIV preventive interventions, including culturally-tailored interventions for adolescents in the juvenile justice system, runaway/homeless youth, youth living with HIV, young MSM, and adults living with HIV. Her research has developed interventions and bridged the gap from development to implementation. She has been the Principal Investigator on numerous R01 and other R-level grants, as well as center grants and foundation grants, including from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, William T. Grant Foundation, and others. She has had a distinguished career in community-engaged research, receiving awards for her community partnership efforts.

Dr. Lightfoot currently serves as the Associate Dean for Research. Prior to starting this position in September 2021, she was Professor of Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Chief for the Division of Prevention Science, Director of the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies (CAPS), Director of the UCSF Prevention Research Center and she held the Walter Gray Endowed Chair. She came to the SPH with extensive experience training and mentoring students, fellows, trainees, and early-career faculty across a number of disciplines. She also currently serves on the National Advisory Mental Health Council (NAMHC), which advises the Director, National Institute of Mental Health, on all policies and activities related to the conduct and support of mental health research, research training, and other programs of the Institute. She was a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (National Academies) Committee on Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral (MEB) Development Among Children and Youth.She serves on the editorial boards ofAmerican PsychologistandCultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, and was recently associate editor for theJournal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

Education, Degrees

1985 – 1990 University of California, Los Angeles B.A. Psychology
1990 – 1992 University of California, Los Angeles M.A. Counseling Psychology
1992 – 1997 University of California, Los Angeles Ph.D. Counseling Psychology
1997 – 1999 University of California, Los Angeles Postdoc Psychiatry

I have more than 16 years of experience working in the early psychosis intervention field in various roles, including direct clinical care as a bilingual mental health consultant with the Multnomah County Health Department and as a trainer, researcher, and leader for Oregon EASA teams and national partners with the EASA Center for Excellence.

I have dedicated my social work career of over 24 years to advocating for and implementing direct care improvements and system change with organizations serving communities affected by the public health crisis of structural racism. I have extensive experience working directly with culturally specific populations to implement and sustain cultural adaptations in mental health interventions for youth and young adults, their family members and supports. As a queer, cis-identifying white female with lived experience with mental health I am very passionate about my role as a social worker in addressing systemic racism and inequities on policy and practice levels. I have been in a leadership role in the development and implementation of Equity and Anti-Racism and Healing-Centered Tribal Engagement Initiatives with the EASA Center for Excellence. I completed my Doctor of Social Work in 2020 with a focus on policy and practice recommendations in addressing the health and mental health needs of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth experiencing early signs of psychosis. As part of my doctoral capstone project, in conjunction with my role with EASA, I authored a position statement and policy recommendations addressing the health and mental health needs of AI/AN youth experiencing early signs of psychosis.

Education, Degrees

Doctor of Social Work December 2020
University of Southern California, Dworak-Peck School of Social Work
Capstone Project: “Honoring Tribal Ways: Implementing Early Psychosis
Intervention in Tribal Communities”

Master of Social Work, University of Denver, School of Social Work May 2000
Indirect Social Work Practice

Bachelor of Arts, Lewis and Clark College May 1997
Major in Sociology/Anthropology
Minor in Latin American Studies

Social Justice Antiracism Program Manager

Adri is an alumna of OHSU-PSU School of Public Health and the Program Manager for Social Justice with Dr. Dawn Richardson. She is passionate about advocating for racial health equity, public policy, community building, and cultural humility practices. She is also invested in efforts toward improving population health outcomes and exploring the impact of intergenerational trauma on health. Currently, Adri is working to support efforts to engage the SPH community in collective action toward building an antiracist SPH. She has a background in supporting community-based initiatives centered around improving health equity and addressing the social determinants of health through culturally relevant resources.

Graduate Administrative Assistant for Social Justice

Tomás Zurita (He/Him/El) is a 2nd year Master’s in Public Health Student with a Health Promotion concentration. He is passionate about mitigating health disparities, advocating for health equity, and empowering marginalized communities. He is also interested in empowering students of color and the decolonization of academia. He has a background in community-based participatory research, community engagement, and health advocacy. Currently, Tomas is working to support efforts to create space for student voices and promote social justice. In his free time he spends time with friends and family, volunteers, cooks foods his mothers taught him, and powerlfts.

Education, Degrees

B.S. Public Health Science – University of California, Irvine

Betty Izumi is a registered dietitian and Interim Associate Dean of Student and Alumni Affairs in the School of Public Health. Her research focuses on issues at the intersection of nutrition, sustainability and health equity. She uses a community-based participatory research approach to explore the question: Can diet quality and health be improved among underserved individuals in such a way that promotes vibrant and resilient local food systems?

She is the principal investigator for Harvest for Healthy Kids, a nutrition intervention developed in partnership with Mt. Hood Community College Head Start and Early Head Start. Harvest for Healthy Kids connects children in early care and education settings to local agriculture through classroom education, food service modification and family engagement. In 2016, Harvest for Healthy Kids was awarded the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Nutrition Education Program Impact Award.

Education, Degrees

B.S., University of British Columbia, 1998
M.P.H., University of California, Berkeley, 2000
R.D., University of California, Berkeley, 2001
Ph.D., Michigan State University, 2008

Awards and Honors

• 2017, Core Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program Award (Japan)
• 2016, Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Mid-Career Professional Achievement Award
• 2016, Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior Nutrition Education Program Impact Award for Harvest for Healthy Kids
• 2013, Portland State University College of Urban and Public Affairs Craig Wollner Memorial Award for Outstanding Junior Faculty
• 2012, Portland State University Civic Engagement Award for Excellence in Community-based Research

Josh Hodsden has been a student advocate in higher education for over 10 years, coaching both undergraduate and graduate students before and during their programs.

Education, Degrees

B.S., Business Management, University of Phoenix, 2002
M.B.A., University of Phoenix, 2010

Her prior work experience includes working as the Front Desk Receptionist for the Portland office of Milliman, a worldwide actuarial firm, and before that, Ann was with 211info for 4 years as a Community Information Specialist connecting people throughout Oregon and SW Washington with public, community and social services.

Ann is also an artist specializing in book and box construction, printmaking, utility design & patterns. Community is very important to Ann. She loves playing Dungeons and Dragons and inviting her friends to join her in her art studio.

Education, Degrees

Ann has Bachelors’ Degrees from Gonzaga University and, more recently, from the Oregon College of Art and Craft.

Noni serves as the Student Success Coach for the School of Public Health. As a student advocate, they have experience in case management, data assessment, academic advising, and coaching at the community college, four-year, and graduate school level.

Her work focuses on supporting holistic professional and personal development for students.

Degrees, Education

M.A. in Student Affairs Administration, Lewis & Clark College
B.A. in Sociology, California State Polytechnic University

Andrea serves as the Student Success Manager for the School of Public Health. She has spent 18 years working with diverse student populations at universities in both Oregon and Washington.

Education, Degrees

M.Ed., Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, University of Washington
– Emphasis: Higher Education and Student Affairs
B.S., Sociology, University of Oregon
– Emphasis: Race, Ethnicity, and Social Change
– Minor: Communications

Andrew is an administrator in the School of Public Health.

Education, Degrees

B.S., Health Studies, Portland State University