Dr. Kirkland is a researcher for the Center for Public Health Systems. She is a mixed methodologist and is experienced in public health research including workforce development, social determinants of health, health equity, physical activity, and community health workers. She holds a PhD in public health and graduate qualitative research certificate from Kent State University. Dr. Kirkland also holds a BS in exercise science, an MPH, and CHW certification.

Skky Martin is a researcher at the Center for Public Health Systems. Her research interests include health disparities, social determinants of health, and the interrelationship between public health and medical education. She has experience in qualitative methods and analysis, writing surveys, and using STATA to create and analyze quantitative datasets. Ms. Martin holds a master’s degree in sociology and a Certificate in Public Health from Loyola University Chicago. She is a doctoral candidate at Loyola University of Chicago in sociology. Her dissertation specializes in medical sociology and health education, focusing on the ways in which patients, providers, and medical schools experience and conceptualize racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health.

Feather LaRoche focuses his attention on the underlying disparities and imbalances that affect Native American communities. He holds a Master’s of Tribal Administration and Governance from University of Minnesota – Duluth and has been working with the School of Public Health since this past June (2022) to bring awareness to the Public Health Administration and Policy MPH to Native American professionals and students. Mr. LaRoche is an enrolled member of the Kul Wicasa Oyate Tribe from Lower Brule, South Dakota.

Jocelyn Leung is a researcher at the Center for Public Health Systems with over four years of experience practicing community-based participatory research, qualitative research, and evaluation with BIPOC and Greater Minnesota communities. She has facilitated decision-making processes and planning efforts involving communities most impacted by inequities, philanthropy, county governments, and state agencies on social determinants of health, including affordable housing and keeping drinking water safe from contamination. Ms. Leung holds an MPH in Community Health Promotion from the University of Minnesota, a MA in Political Science from the University of Minnesota, and a MSc in Modern Chinese Studies from the University of Oxford.

Sezen Ozcan Onal is a researcher at the Center for Public Health Systems. She is interested in applying a modern econometric toolkit to address policy-relevant questions in public health research. Ms. Ozcan holds a master’s degree in Economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She is a doctoral candidate in Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Mr. Orr is a researcher with the Center for Public Health Systems and is experienced in policy analysis, mixed-methods research, and systems design & analysis. He holds a BS in chemical engineering and an MPH from Kansas State University and is a doctoral candidate in systems engineering at Colorado State University. He has academic interests in public health services frameworks (e.g., Foundational Public Health Services), collaborative service delivery (i.e., cross-jurisdictional or cross-sectoral collaboration), and other transformation and innovation initiatives for public health systems.

Ms. Odowa is a project manager with the Center for Public Health Systems. She has experience working in local and state public health agencies in program management and infectious disease surveillance. Her professional interests include understanding how to build an ethnically and racially diverse public health workforce and ways to ensure the retention of governmental public health staff. She holds a BA in biology, society, and environment and is currently pursuing an MPH at the University of Minnesota.

Dr. Stabler is a postdoctoral research student with the UMN Center for Public Health Systems with experience in program evaluation, policy analysis, and mixed methods research. Dr. Stabler’s research interests relate to hospital-community relationships and multisectoral collaboration.  He holds a PhD from the University of Minnesota’s Health Services Research, Policy, & Administration program with a focus on Health Policy, and an MPH from the University of Michigan.

Ms. Trachet is an analyst and grant administrator in the SPH Division of Health Policy and Management. She has been the financial manager for the Center since its inception. While not involved in the PH Workforce science, she finds the science very interesting from an economic lens. Ms. Trachet has over 25 years of experience overseeing large-scale, complex grants, and contracts. She has implemented several new system processes across the University and provides training courses on reporting to mid- and upper-level management administrators. Prior to HPM, she was in Central Administration for 15 years.

Nikki Weiss is a biocultural anthropologist specializing in mixed methods research. She completed her undergraduate education in biology at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and she earned her master’s and doctorate in anthropology from Ohio State University. Before arriving at CPHS, Nikki worked for the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health – Great Lakes Hub, as well as for the CDC Foundation. Her research interests include health equity and making health care accessible and attainable for all.