Study Team
Melissa Laska, PhD, RD
Principal Investigator
Dr. Laska is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Dr. Laska is Co-Director of the University of Minnesota Healthy Weight Research Center. Dr. Laska’s research interests include environmental, social and behavioral determinants of excess weight gain, particularly among young people, and community food access in underserved areas.
Contact: mnlaska@umn.edu
Carolyn M. Porta, PhD, MPH, RN, SANE-A, FAAN
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Porta is the Associate Vice President for Clinical Affairs for the University of Minnesota. She is a Professor in the School of Nursing, and an adjunct Professor in the School of Public Health and the Center for Spirituality and Healing. Dr. Porta is a forensic clinician and prevention scientist committed to improving the health and well-being of vulnerable individuals, families, and communities in Minnesota and around the globe. She has decades of experience in clinical service, team science, and interprofessional education, including strategic and operational leadership of large-scale multisectoral global initiatives ($100M+ USD) addressing emerging infectious disease threats, gender-based violence, stigma, and faculty and healthcare workforce development.
Contact: porta@umn.edu
Michael Stebleton, PhD, MA
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Stebleton is an Associate Professor and the Coordinator of Graduate Programs in Higher Education in the Department of Organizational Leadership, Policy and Development in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Stebleton’s research focuses on exploring the factors and issues that influence college student success across diverse student populations.
Contact: steb0004@umn.edu
Katherine Lust, PhD, MPH, RD
Co-Principal Investigator
Dr. Lust is the Director of Research at Boynton Health, the health service of the University of Minnesota and one of the largest college health providers in the U.S. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Lust directs the College Student Health Survey (CSHS), a surveillance system of Minnesota 2-year and 4-year colleges with 300,000 participants since 2007. It is the only surveillance system of its kind in the US.
Contact: lustx001@umn.edu
Rebecca Leighton, MPH, RD, LD
Collaborator
Ms. Leighton is a Health Promotion Specialist at Boynton Health at the University of Minnesota and works to implement, manage, and evaluate policy, systems, and environmental changes on campus in order to help students meet their basic needs. She co-facilitates the Thrive Basic Needs Coalition with the goal of addressing the root causes of food and housing insecurity at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus and leads the SNAP for Students Statewide Coalition, helping colleges across Minnesota strategically connect eligible students to benefits. Ms. Leighton founded and oversees the Nutritious U Food Pantry which provides fresh produce and staple foods to an average of 800 college students in need every month.
Contact: leigh142@umn.edu
Stacey Moe, MPH
Study Coordinator
Ms. Moe is an experienced study coordinator with over 20 years of experience managing both large-scale and small-scale research studies.
Contact: moe@umn.edu
Pamela Carr-Manthe
Data Collection Coordinator
Ms. Carr-Manthe is an experienced evaluation and data collection coordinator with over 15 years of experience working on both large and small research studies.
Contact: carr0348@umn.edu
Kathleen Lenk, MPH
Senior Research Fellow
Ms. Lenk’s expertise is in substance use and nutrition policy research with a focus on statistical analyses and scientific manuscript writing. Ms. Lenk has published approximately 75 journal articles on these topics. She received her MPH from the University of Minnesota in 1999.
Contact: lenk@umn.edu
Cydney McGuire, MPH
Student Research Assistant
Ms. McGuire is a PhD student in Health Services Research, Policy, and Administration with a focus on Policy at the University of Minnesota. She is an NIH T32 pre-doctoral fellow in the Minnesota Obesity Prevention Training Program. Ms. McGuire’s research interests include equity, disparities in chronic health conditions, evaluation of policy and politics, and social determinants of health.
Contact: mcgui417@umn.edu
Christina Petsoulis, JD, MSPH
Law Student (2017-2020)
Ms. Petsoulis is a graduate of the University of Minnesota Law School. She holds an MSPH from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and a BS in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of Minnesota.
Contact: pets0047@umn.edu
Tricia Alexander
Student Research Assistant
Ms. Alexander is an MPH student and dietetic intern at the University of Minnesota with an anticipated graduation in May 2021. She is passionate about health equity and human rights for institutionally underserved communities.
Contact: alexa606@umn.edu
Selena Salfen
Student Research Assistant
Ms. Salfen is a graduate student in the Coordinated MPH Nutrition program at the University of Minnesota. Her research interests are in maternal and child health, nutrition communication, and equity and social justice work in public health.
Contact: salfe014@umn.edu
Edson Flores, MPH
Student Research Assistant
Mr. Flores is a PhD student in Epidemiology at the University of Minnesota. His research examines the role of social determinants of health among under-resourced populations with an emphasis on the neighborhood physical and social context on the development of diet-related chronic diseases.
Contact: flore836@umn.edu
Alyssa Dougherty
Student Research Assistant
Ms. Dougherty is graduate student in the Coordinated Master’s Program pursuing her MPH in Public Health Nutrition and RD credentials. Her research interests include food security, sustainable food systems, global health, and undernutrition.
Contact: dough397@umn.edu
