IRL Team

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Zinzi Bailey is a social epidemiologist focused on cancer health disparities, as well as the health impacts of and policy solutions for structural and institutional discrimination, especially at the intersection of public health and criminal justice. She is also interested in the use of data and indicators in equitable policy and management. She is currently an Associate Professor in the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.  Zinzi was previously an Assistant Professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and, from 2015–2017, the Director of Research and Evaluation at the Center for Health Equity in the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. She was a postdoctoral fellow at McGill’s Institute for Health and Social Policy from 2014-2015, and a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management 2011-2014. She received her Doctor of Science degree in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, and her Master of Science in Public Health degree with a concentration in Global Epidemiology from Emory University. Zinzi serves as the Director, a member of the IRL Research Team, and co-chair of IRL Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Taskforce.

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Ifrah Biyoow is the Research & Analytics Specialist for the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL) program. Ifrah is a research professional interested in research methodology, social epidemiology, and leadership development. She has worked in the public health arena since 2009 in various capacities – researcher, data analyst, evaluator, and project coordinator. Ifrah is dedicated to promoting health and health equity through cross-disciplinary, collaborative approaches that incorporate scientific rigor, meet community needs, and focus on solutions and impact. In addition to her IRL role, she is working towards completing a doctorate degree in Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF BIOSTATISTICS, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Ann Brearley is a biostatistician who divides her time between teaching and collaborative research. She has developed and taught introductory biostatistics courses in-person, remotely and online for 13 years, including Biostatistical Literacy (which she developed), Biostatistics II, Clinical Trials, and Biostatistical Consulting. She collaborates with physicians and scientists to design, carry out, analyze and publish clinical trials and other research studies in a variety of areas; she is particularly interested in research to improve health in low- and middle-income countries. She is interested in building research capacity in underserved areas domestically and internationally: she directs the Biostats4You website which provides freely available, vetted biostatistics training materials for non-statisticians, and serves on the board of the TSHS Resources Portal which contains freely available, peer-reviewed health-related datasets for instructors to use in teaching. She received a BA in chemistry from St. Olaf College, a PhD in analytical chemistry from the University of Minnesota, and an MS in biostatistics from the University of Minnesota.

PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Kathleen Call is a Professor in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and an investigator with the State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC) funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She co-chairs the Health Equity Work Group in the School of Public Health and plays a role in the community engagement core of the Clinical Translational Science Institute. Her research focuses on the complexities of measuring health insurance coverage, including the discrepancy between survey and administrative data counts of insurance coverage, and how well health insurance translates into equitable access to health care. She is also interested in developing community-driven solutions to health insurance and health care barriers.

PARTNER, ACADEMYHEALTH

Co-Founder and Chief of Heart, A Greater Good Foundation

Cody K Cotton is the Co-founder of A Greater Good Foundation and Vice President of Communications. He acquired a Bachelors of Arts in Criminology, with a minor in communications from Valparaiso University. While attending “Valpo,” he was heavily impactful on campus as he co-founded two organizations and remained active in other university involvement. His perseverance in character was fostered by 4 years of Division-1 football, as he adopted a role for leadership and also an ambitious drive to become more.

Following graduation in May, that same month Cody was blessed to start working on the foundation immediately along with his business partners/brothers. As V.P. of Communications, he handles community involvement, oversees relationships, and help structure ways for mentees and volunteers to become a part of AGGF.

Since then, he has spoken with schools, organizations, and excelled his passion of speaking with a recent TEDx Talk. He has continued to travel, speak, and educate throughout the Chicagoland area and have progressive plans to impact more. Cody is a current grad student at Maharishi International University. He is accompanied by his beautiful wife and his two sons.

SENIOR ADVISOR, WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY

PARTNER, ACADEMYHEALTH

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Meghan Ford (she/her) is the Senior Program Manager at Interdisciplinary Research Leaders. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with her Masters of Public Health in Public Health Administration and Policy in 2023. Prior to joining the IRL team as a Graduate Assistant during her MPH studies, she worked as the Admissions Director for an international education organization called Amigos de las Americas and held positions ranging from working to close the achievement gap in bilingual classrooms in Wisconsin to women’s health promotion in North Carolina. She is excited to continue with IRL full time as the program aligns with Meghan’s passion for furthering work that addresses health disparities by centering patient and community experience as a tool for quality and systems improvement.

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Libby Fortner is administrative lead for Interdisciplinary Research Leaders (IRL). Her work involves assisting with meetings and events; coordinating contracts, invoices, and other financial activities; and participating in a variety of special projects. Libby has more than five years of experience in providing high-level support to faculty in the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. She enjoys learning about how the IRL research projects are working to make our world a better place.

ASSOCIATE DEAN FOR RESEARCH, COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING; AND PROFESSOR, COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Joseph Konstan is Distinguished McKnight Professor and Distinguished University Teaching Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Minnesota, where he also serves as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Science and Engineering.  His research addresses a variety of human-computer interaction issues, including personalization (particularly through recommender systems), eliciting online participation, designing computer systems to improve public health, and ethical issues in research online. He is probably best known for his work in collaborative filtering recommenders (the GroupLens project, which was awarded the ACM Software Systems Award and the Seoul Test of Time Award). Joe received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 1993.  He looks forward to interacting with IRL Fellows around issues of innovative social computing and collaborative technologies, integrating health research with engineering and computer science, and research methods for online studies.

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Mandy LaBreche is the Associate Director of Operations of the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota (UMN). Her work involves managing all program aspects, including logistics, operations, finances, and reporting. She has had diverse experiences, both domestically and abroad, working to address health disparities through collaborative research and programming. Prior to joining IRL, Mandy managed a National Cancer Institute-funded center to reduce cancer health disparities among southern California’s Pacific Islander population. She is constantly inspired by collaborative and creative work that sparks social change within communities.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, BEHAVIOR AND SOCIETY, JOHNS HOPKINS BLOOMBERG SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Krystal Lee, Ed.D. (she/her) is an educator and curriculum development specialist who finds fulfillment in using her unique combination of skills to create value. She believes the purpose of education is to prepare individuals to critically analyze the world, see themselves capable of making positive change and feel motivated to take action. Her goal is to help learners to develop the knowledge and skills required to make the change they wish to see in their work, their communities and the world.

Krystal holds a Bachelor’s degree in Information Systems from Morgan State University, a Masters degree in Public Administration from the University of Delaware and a Doctorate in Higher Education Administration from the University of Florida.

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Praise (Fiyinfoluwa) Mafe attended the University of Minnesota, majoring in Biology, Society and Environment. During her undergraduate career, Praise participated in MCAE, African Student Association, North Stem Alliance, and was a Community Advisor for three years. The skills and experiences gained in these roles framed her career path and led her to Interdisciplinary Research Leaders. Praise is excited and grateful to join IRL as Curriculum Coordinator because of the fascinating people and the amount of professional growth she will experience learning from the IRL team and fellows.

Paul Marincel is a Senior Advisor to the IRL Program. Paul has worked as a professional community organizer since 1978. In the 1980’s Paul hired a team of organizers who started a set of community organizations in Minnesota.  He served as founding director of one of those organizations: the St Paul Ecumenical Alliance for Change (SPEAC) beginning in 1990. SPEAC’s mission was to act as a vehicle for low and moderate income people and people of color in St Paul to build independent power to seek justice for themselves and their communities. SPEAC worked with many partner organizations in St Paul and the Metropolitan Region including Joint Ministry Project/Interfaith Action in Minneapolis and GRIP in St Cloud.  In 2000 they united to form ISAIAH and Paul became a founding co-Director of ISAIAH.  He helped launch and lead ISAIAH’s (ISAIAHMN.org) Healthy Heartlands Initiative and also PICO’s (now Faith in Action) national Center for Health Organizing. The Healthy Heartlands Initiative and the Center for Health Organizing worked with organizers and public health institutions to build toward health equity and to fight racism. Initially Faith-based and neighborhood community organizations in five Midwestern states partnered to forge community power, build public support for change, and win policy victories for healthier, equitable and anti-racist communities. The states include: Minnesota, Ohio, Missouri, Wisconsin and Michigan. These Midwestern urban areas are experiencing some of the country’s most extreme health inequities based upon race, income and geography. Paul has served as Chair of the Central Staff/Gamaliel Foundation (2000 – 2010).  As part of the Gamaliel Foundation Central Staff he provided consultation to organizations in the Midwest (with a Co-Director) and established a Development Department.  He also helped to launch Metro Organization for Racial and Economic Equity (MORE2) in Kansas City.

ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Susan Mason is an Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health.  She is trained as a social epidemiologist and studies the population health impacts of adverse and traumatic experiences, including childhood abuse and neglect, sexual violence, racial segregation, and other forms of violence and social marginalization.

Susan earned a PhD in Epidemiology and an MPH degree in Maternal and Child Health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a BA in Women’s Studies from the College of William and Mary.

DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Marwa Mohammed is a sophomore at the University of Minnesota pursuing a degree in Computer Science in the College of Liberal Arts and a minor in Public Health. She is interested in the intersection between ethics and technology, specifically through the lens of racial justice. She was a Curriculum Change Fellow with YoUthROC at the Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach-Engagement Center during the summer of 2021. Marwa is currently an undergraduate Intern with Interdisciplinary Research Leaders.

PH.D. STUDENT, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Inari is an epidemiology Ph.D. student at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. She is also a health equity epidemiologist at the Minnesota Department of Health. Her research centers on understanding and addressing disparities in COVID-19 and childhood vaccinations among communities of color in Minnesota.

ADJUNCT ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH POLICY & MANAGEMENT, CUNY GRADUATE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH & HEALTH POLICY

ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY HEALTH & SOCIAL MEDICINE, CUNY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

AFFILIATE FACULTY, CUNY INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH EQUITY

Dr. J. Robin Moon is co-founder and chief strategy officer of sana solutions LLC, a boutique health advisory consultancy. She is a social epidemiologist, educator and scholar, and a seasoned public health and executive management professional with over 25 years of experience in private and public sectors. She brings her diverse experience into the domains of public health, healthcare, and social welfare system development. Dr. Moon has led various domestic and international research and evaluation initiatives for public health with various local communities, and developed tools and programs to measure health, economic and social impact. She is also an entrepreneur and startup strategist in health and wellness space — currently head of strategy at a cognitive fitness startup ThreesPhysiyoga Method. Her areas of expertise include health equity strategy, Medicaid and value-based payment reform, care delivery system integration, network management, business process engineering, organizational strategy development, quality improvement, evidence-based practice development, program evaluation, and social venture/entrepreneurship.

Dr. Moon holds a Doctor of Public Health from Harvard University, a Master of Public Health and a Master of International Affairs from Columbia University, and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Chicago. She is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at City University of New York (CUNY) School of Public Health, an Adjunct Professor at CUNY School of Medicine, and a faculty member of CUNY Institute for Health Equity. She is an Aspen Health Innovators fellow.

She is also a registered yoga teacher, black belt martial artist, and a perennial marathon runner.

PROFESSOR, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Toben Nelson is a Social Epidemiologist who works on community-based health promotion and evaluation of strategies to improve population health. He is a Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health and works with the Alcohol Epidemiology Program and Minnesota Population Center. His research focus is on policy approaches to prevention of alcohol-attributable harm, injury, and violence; physical activity promotion and social determinants of health. Dr. Nelson received his ScD from the Harvard School of Public Health and MS in Kinesiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

PARTNER, ACADEMYHEALTH

Kristin Rosengren is Vice President, Strategic Communications, at AcademyHealth, leading the organization’s public relations, marketing, membership and advocacy efforts. A member of AcademyHealth’s leadership team, she guides the development of messaging and outreach to support the organization’s mission, build relationships with members, partners and other stakeholders, and increase the awareness and perceived value of health services research. She also serves as co-director of the AcademyHealth Translation and Dissemination Institute, which seeks, tests and promotes new and innovative approaches to moving knowledge into action.

Ms. Rosengren has 20 years of experience in health care communications including strategic planning, media relations, crisis communications, message development and speaker training. Prior to joining AcademyHealth, Ms. Rosengren provided strategic communications counsel to clients in the health care and pharmaceutical industries as an Account Supervisor at Ketchum Public Relations in Washington, D.C., and as an Account Executive at McNeely, Pigott & Fox in Nashville, Tenn. Her clients have included health care providers, payers, voluntary health organizations and health technology companies.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and public relations from the University of Georgia.

Bob-e is a trauma specialist, relationship builder and an expert in facilitation helping individuals, communities and systems leaders to acknowledge historical trauma and its impact on making meaningful change.   With a deep understanding of what it means to be equitable, inclusive and diverse and the necessity to address and operationalize practices recognizing race and justice throughout and across systems. Bob-e uses methods that lift up and support authentic and truthful conversations to build relationships and take action that can be sustained overtime.

Brian Carey Sims has over 15 years of faculty and administrative experience in university teaching and learning, faculty governance, and social and instructional media. He is founder and Executive Director at Jomoworks, an education management consulting firm specializing in University / K-12 partnership development, with a portfolio that includes evidence-based programs, funded research and evaluation projects from public and private-sector institutions, strategic partnerships in community violence prevention and engagement and research dissemination science. His research focuses on the implications of media for individuals, families, and communities of African descent. His forthcoming book, College Thug Syndrome offers an explosive Afrikan-Centered analysis of higher education. He holds a PhD in education and psychology from the University of Michigan and is a proud alum of IRL’s mighty (mighty) Cohort 2.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR, DIVISION OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & COMMUNITY HEALTH, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Drissa earned a PhD from the University of Nebraska, an MD from the School of Medicine, Pharmacy and Dentistry of Mali, and an MPH degree from the George Washington University, School of Public Health.