Primary Faculty Within the Social and Behavioral Interventions Program Area
All ranks of professors, scientists, and research associates can serve as an MSPH adviser. All ranks of professors can serve as doctoral student advisers, and all ranks of professors and scientists can serve as doctoral student co-advisers.
Professors, Assistant Professors and Associate Professors
Svea Closser, PhD, MPH, studies the social relations and political dynamics that shape primary health care.
Julie Denison, PhD '06, MHS '99, develops interventions for youth living with HIV, with a focus on the role of family and environmental and structural determinants of health.
Caitlin Kennedy PhD ’09, MPH ’04, is a social and behavioral scientist with a focus on sexual and reproductive health and HIV prevention, and resource-limited settings.
Victoria M. O’Keefe, PhD, MS, works to achieve strengths-based and culturally informed suicide prevention, mental health promotion, and wellness among Indigenous communities.
Haneefa Tasleem Saleem, PhD ’14, MPH, ’09, conducts research to inform and evaluate approaches aimed at improving HIV prevention and treatment and other health outcomes for people who use drugs globally.
Melissa Walls, PhD, MA, is an Indigenous researcher who works with American Indian and First Nations communities to promote health equity through culturally centered projects.
Peter J. Winch, MD, MPH ’88, develops and evaluates interventions to promote health behaviors for water, sanitation, infectious diseases, and environmental sustainability.
Assistant, Associate and Senior Scientists
Allison Barlow, PhD, MPH ’97, MA, works with Native American communities to co-create strengths-based programs promoting health and education equity and well-being.
Laura Beres, PhD ’19, MPH, uses implementation science and participatory approaches to optimize engagement in HIV prevention, care, and treatment services globally.
Mary Cwik, PhD, MA, is a child psychologist who studies suicide, substance misuse, and trauma interventions to reduce health disparities among Native Americans and people in East Baltimore.
Emily E. Haroz, PhD ’15, MHS ’11, MA, researches the implementation of mental health and suicide prevention programs, particularly in partnership with Indigenous communities.
Dane Hautala, PhD, MA, studies substance use epidemiology and treatment across life spans in American Indian and First Nations communities.
Elli Leontsini, MD, MPH ‘88 specializes in the design of feasible and sustainable behavioral and community-centered vector control and hygiene strategies internationally.
Kate Rucinski, PhD, MPH, is an epidemiologist with a focus on sexual and reproductive health research that promotes the health and wellbeing of marginalized populations in resource-limited settings.
Anita Shankar, PhD, MS, researches and develops behavioral interventions to foster personal agency and leadership in vulnerable populations to support human flourishing.
Senior Research Associates and Research Associates
Fiona Grubin, MSPH ‘19, coordinates research and practice projects related to mental and behavioral health, health equity, suicide prevention, and Indigenous health.
Hannah Marker, MPH ‘18, uses community-based, behavior change approaches and training programs to protect local environments and empower women to achieve their goals.
Marium Sultan, MSc, researches barriers to frontline worker success and safety across global contexts, from Pakistan to Baltimore. She also manages grants for the Alliance for a Healthier World.
Anna Sundbo, MGH, manages the Center for American Indian Health’s research and training programs, including culturally tailored course delivery and evaluation.
Sydney White, MPH '21, works to disseminate and implement evidence-based and culturally specific behavioral health interventions in partnership with Indigenous communities.
Ping Teresa Yeh, MSPH ’16, uses qualitative and quantitative methods to evaluate strategies to improve the health of people living in resource-limited settings.