Public Health Institute Faculty
2023 Teaching Faculty
Amira Adawe, MPH, Founder, Executive Director, The Beautywell Project; Host,
Beauty-Wellness Talk, St. Paul, MN
Musheng Alishahi, PhD, MSc, Wisconsin Department of Health Services
John Amuasi, MBChB, MPH, MS, PhD, Executive Director, African Research Network for
Neglected Tropical Diseases, Senior Research Fellow (EOD Group), Kumasi Collaborative
Center for Research in Tropical Medicine, KCCR, KNUST, University Office, PMB, Kumasi,
Ghana
Anne Barry, JD, MPH, Public Health Director, Ramsey County, MN; Deputy Commissioner,
Minnesota Department of Human Services; Senior Lecturer, School of Public Health, University
of Minnesota
Leah Bauck, MPH, Zoonotic Diseases Epidemiologist
Maria Bye, MPH, Zoonotic Diseases Epidemiologist
Jeffery Bender, DVM, MS, DACVPM, Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences,
School of Public Health, Director, USAID One Health Workforce Project; Director, Upper
Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH); Adjunct Professor, College of
Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
Kate Carlson, MS, Spatial Technology Consultant, U-Spatial, Research Computing, University
of Minnesota
Shekinah Fashaw-Walters, PhD, MSPH, Assistant Professor, Division of Health Policy and
Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Melanie Firestone, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences,
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Joseph E. Gaugler, PhD, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Sarah Gollust, PhD, Associate Professor; Senior Advisor, RWJF Interdisciplinary Research
Leaders, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, University of
Minnesota
Lauren Gilchrist, MPH, Adjunct Instructor, Division of Epidemiology and Community Health,
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota; Executive Vice President of External Affairs,
Planned Parenthood North Central States, Minneapolis, MN
Larone Greer, MSW, Director, Project Imani
Tim Hanson, PhD, Senior Statistical Manager, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN
Craig W. Hedberg, PhD, Co-Director, Minnesota Integrated Food and Safety Center of
Excellence, University of Minnesota; Interim Division Head, Professor, Division of Environmental
Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Malia Ireland, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, Zoonotic Diseases Epidemiologist
Amy Kinsley, DVM, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine,
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
Carrie Klumb, MPH, Zoonotic Diseases Epidemiologist
Genelle Lamont, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, School
of Medicine, Department of Family Medicine and Biobehavioral Health, Memory Keepers
Medical Discovery Team – investigating Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias in rural and
American Indian communities
Stephanie Meyer, MPH, Epidemiology and Data Unit Supervisor, Covid-19 Section, Infectious
Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control Division, Minnesota Department of Health, St.
Paul, MN
Benjamin Miller, PhD, MPH, RS, Senior Director, Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, The
Acheson Group, Minneapolis, MN
Ruby H.N. Nguyen, PhD, MHS, Associate Professor, Division of Epidemiology and Community
Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber, Director, Emergency Preparedness and Response, Minnesota
Department of Health, St. Paul, MN
Carolyn Porta, PhD, MPH, MS, RN, SANE-A, FAAN, Associate Vice President, Clinical Affairs,
Office of Academic and Clinical Affairs, University of Minnesota; Professor, Population Health
Systems Cooperative, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota; Adjunct Professor,
Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Fernando Sampedro, PhD, Associate Professor, Center for Animal Health and Food Safety,
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
Courtney Sarkin, MBE, Ph.D. Student, Division of Health Policy & Management, University of
Minnesota School of Public Health
Joni Scheftel, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, State Public Health Veterinarian, Supervisor, Zoonotic
Disease Section, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division, Minnesota
Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota
Elizabeth Schiffman, MPH, MA, Supervisor Vectorborne Diseases Unit
Megan Schossow, MS, Research Project Specialist, Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety &
Health Center (UMASH), University of Minnesota
Mickey Scullard, MPH, MEP, Public Health Emergency Preparedness Planner, Minnesota
Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota
Marta Shore, MS, Lecturer, Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of
Minnesota
Kirk Smith, DVM, MS, PhD, Director, Minnesota Integrated Food Safety Center of Excellence,
University of Minnesota; Manager, Foodborne, Waterborne, Vectorborne and Zoonotic Disease
Section, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control Division, Minnesota
Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota; Adjunct Faculty, School of Public Health, University
of Minnesota
William A. Toscano Jr., PhD, MS, Professor, Division of Environmental Health Sciences,
School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Isaac Triebold, MS, Epidemiologist, Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention, and Control
Division, Minnesota Department of Health, St. Paul, Minnesota
Scott Wells, DVM, PhD, DACVPM, Professor, Department of Veterinary Population Medicine,
College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota; Adjunct Professor, Division of
Environmental Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota
Melinda Wilkins, DVM, MPH, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Veterinary Population
Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota
Julian Wolfson, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health,
University of Minnesota
Joel Wu, JD, MPH, MA, Fellow, Clinical Ethics Department, Children’s Minnesota; Senior
Lecturer, Senior Fellow, Division of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health,
University of Minnesota; Affiliate Faculty, Center for Bioethics, University of Minnesota