SangNam Ahn, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at SLU’s College for Public Health and Social Justice, and his colleagues, Ms. Joanne Salas, Jinmyoung Cho, Ph.D., and Jeffrey F. Scherrer, Ph.D., on their new publication in The Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease (JPAD), a high-impact journal in Alzheimer’s disease and dementia research. The study examined whether anxiety disorders and insomnia increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Using electronic health record data from more than 1.86 million adults aged 50 and older, the researchers found that both anxiety and insomnia were associated with elevated dementia risk, with anxiety showing a stronger association than insomnia. Notably, having both anxiety and insomnia did not further increase risk beyond anxiety alone. These findings highlight the importance of early screening and treatment of anxiety and sleep problems as practical strategies to support healthy cognitive aging. If you are interested in this study, please contact Dr. SangNam Ahn at sangnam.ahn@slu.edu.
Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice faculty and student researchers Jen Jen Chang, Christopher D. Hopwood, Yuki Sugawara, Abigail Andresen,Thomas E. Burroughs, Aya Bou Fakhreddine, and Steven E. Rigdon collaborated to produce "Emergency Department Utilization by Women of Reproductive Age for Mental Illness in St. Louis Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic" in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.
Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice researchers collaborated for a multi-university study titled "COVID vaccine data quality, cleaning, and management" which examines a database for county-level vaccine data that addresses these data quality issues in the 'Quality Engineering' journal.
Qiang Pu, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science and Health Equity) co-first authored the research "Ambient PM2.5 Exposure Modeling in LMICs: An Example from Peru." This international collaboration reviews recent advances in estimating ambient PM2.5 exposure in low- and middle-income country settings. The article highlights the NIH-funded Peru GeoHealth Hub’s efforts to establish a nationwide monitoring network using low-cost sensors, and describe a hybrid framework for estimating ambient PM2.5 exposure across Peru that integrates multiple geospatial technologies.
Sam Biver, Travis Loux, and Enbal Shacham published and collaborated on the research article "Association between high school physical education and physical activity in Missouri students" in the 'Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy.'
Nancy L. Weaver, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science and Health Equity) was quoted in a Ladue News article about parenting techniques.
SLU Research Links Depression, Insomnia to Higher Risk of Dementia
Anne K. Sebert Kuhlmann, Ph.D., M.P.H. and Enbal Shacham, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science and Health Equity) and Kenan Li, Ph.D. (Epidemiology and Biostatistics) along with MPH alums Maire MacMaster, Sydney Gellner, and Adam Gilmore published the research "Availability, accessibility, and functionality of public restrooms in the City of St. Louis, Missouri" in the 'Health & Place Journal.'
Anne K. Sebert Kuhlmann, Ph.D., M.P.H. (Behavioral Science and Health Equity) with former students Kenneth Kibii, Kirstin Palovick, and Cheleia Marshall published the research article "Exploring Adolescents' Menstrual Hygiene Management Needs: Findings From Students in St. Louis, Missouri Charter Schools" in the 'Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health Journal.'
Nancy L. Weaver, Ph.D. (Behavioral Science) was a guest on KMOX-AM 1120, discussing the limitations of traditional parenting and the value of neurological approaches.
The 4th Edition of the book 'Evidence-Based Public Health' published this summer examines practical guidance on how to choose, carry out, and evaluate evidence-based programs and policies in public health settings. Heath Management and Policy associate professor Kathleen N. Gillespie, Ph.D. was one of the contributing authors of the book.
Katie Stamatakis, Ph.D., M.P.H., and researchers from the Saint Louis University Doisy College of Health Sciences, the Saint Louis University School of Medicine and others from St. Louis area hospitals and clinics collaborated to publish the research study "Understanding Injury Patterns and Predictors in Pickleball Players: A Nationwide Study of 1,758 Participants." The study states, "This study provides foundational evidence to advance injury prevention initiatives in pickleball, emphasizing the need for tailored multi-component interventions, including interventions that target neuromuscular deficits in the trunk and extremities, aimed at maximizing the health benefits of pickleball among players." Along with the study, the Translational Injury Prevention Lab at SLU is hosting a Pickleball Tournament on September 19th.
Xiaoyu Liu, PhD, Mark Gaynor, PhD, Kathleen Gillespie, PhD & Echu Liu, PhD from the Department of Health Management and Policy collaborated to publish the research "Evaluation and Implications of Generative AI in Health Administration Education" in the 'Journal of Health Administration Education.' The study evaluated the performance of five LLMs in performing MHA-level tasks and the results highlight both the strengths and limitations of LLMs in health administration education.

College for Public Health and Social Justice Faculty and Staff

Office of the Dean

Kimberly R. Enard, Ph.D.
Interim Dean
Kelly Lane-deGraaf, Ph.D.
Associate dean for academic affairs
Enbal Shacham, Ph.D.
Associate dean of research

Department of Behavioral Science and Health Equity

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Michael Elliott, Ph.D.
Chair
Katherine A. Stamatakis, Ph.D.
Director - Master of Public Health program
Lauren D. Arnold, Ph.D.
Director - Health Management and Public Health undergraduate programs
Steven E. Rigdon, Ph.D.
Director - Biostatistics and Health Analytics program
Kelly Ayres, M.S.
Jen Jen Chang, Ph.D.
Kelly Lane-deGraaf, Ph.D.
Kenan Li, Ph.D.
Travis Loux, Ph.D.
Leslie McClure, Ph.D.
Zhengmin Qian, Ph.D., M.D.
Mintesnot T. Teni, Ph.D.
Hong Xian, Ph.D.

Department of Health Management and Policy

Thomas E. Burroughs, Ph.D.
Interim Chair
Marcea Walter, M.S.H.A.
Director - Master of Health Administration and Master of Science in Health Administration programs
Echu Liu, Ph.D.
Director - Ph.D. in Public Health Studies program
SangNam Ahn, Ph.D.
Kimberly R. Enard, Ph.D.
Mark Gaynor, Ph.D.
Kathleen N. Gillespie, Ph.D.
Xiaoyu Liu, Ph.D.
Cheryl Rathert, Ph.D.
Jake T. Redden, DHSc

College Staff

Maggie Callon
Program manager - undergraduate programs
Caroline Cartledge
Administrative assistant - public health
Mary Dant
CPHSJ assistant dean - finance and administration
Karen Effinger
CPHSJ business manager I
Kimberly Elliott
Program manager - public health
Kevin Gates
Director of professional development and alumni engagement - M.H.A./H.M.P.
Mary-Lynn Glenn
Public health internship coordinator
Kathleen (Katie) Linnenbrink
Administrative assistant - undergraduate programs
Ben Loewnau
Marketing and communications manager
Nicole Lyon
CPHSJ executive assistant to dean
Laura Schrubb
Director of graduate recruiting and admissions
Maggie Snodgrass
Program manager - M.H.A./H.M.P.

Grant Staff

James Burns
Program manager, Ryan White Planning Council
Rene Dulle
Program director, Center for Environmental Education and Training
Ashley Estwin
Program coordinator, Ryan White Planning Council
Dephanie McGill-Brandon
Program coordinator, Center for Environmental Education and Training
Ashley Norton
Program coordinator, Enviornmental Workforce Development Program
Aver Yakubu
Research manager, Heartland Center

College for Public Health and Social Justice Faculty and Staff

Office of the Dean

Department of Behavioral Science and Health Equity

Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Department of Health Management and Policy

College Staff

Grant Staff

Next Steps to SLU