Departmental Affiliations
Research Interests
Epidemiology; cancer epidemiology; breast cancer; colorectal cancer; American Indian; cancer control; cancer prevention
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
MPH
University of Michigan School of Public Health
2018
BA
Colorado College
2014
Overview
Joel is an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, originally from Shiprock, NM. He joined the Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health as a Research Associate in September of 2021. Joel oversees the management and coordination of the JHU Cancer Care Project, which aims to address disparities in cancer education, care access, and outcomes among American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) communities.
Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Joel was a medical and surgical assistant at Vanguard Skin Specialists in Colorado Springs, CO which specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. He was also a fellow with the Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations (CEESP) Program through the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a Research Associate with Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan, an Epidemiologist with the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center, and Data Manager/Analyst with the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity & Diabetes (LEAD) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Given Joel’s clinical and research background, he aspires to advance health equity, strengthen public health systems, and build public health infrastructure with particular focus on AIAN communities.
Joel received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biochemistry from Colorado College in 2014. He then received his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Hospital & Molecular Epidemiology and Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Infection Prevention & Control from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2018. More recently, Joel completed the Graduate Public Health Training Certificate for American Indian Health Professionals through Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2021.
When Joel is not in the office, he enjoys travelling with his partner, spending quality time with his family, and enjoys the Colorado outdoors.
Prior to joining Johns Hopkins, Joel was a medical and surgical assistant at Vanguard Skin Specialists in Colorado Springs, CO which specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancer. He was also a fellow with the Cancer Epidemiology Education in Special Populations (CEESP) Program through the University of Nebraska Medical Center, a Research Associate with Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan, an Epidemiologist with the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Epidemiology Center, and Data Manager/Analyst with the Lifecourse Epidemiology of Adiposity & Diabetes (LEAD) at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus. Given Joel’s clinical and research background, he aspires to advance health equity, strengthen public health systems, and build public health infrastructure with particular focus on AIAN communities.
Joel received his Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Biochemistry from Colorado College in 2014. He then received his Master of Public Health (MPH) in Hospital & Molecular Epidemiology and Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Infection Prevention & Control from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2018. More recently, Joel completed the Graduate Public Health Training Certificate for American Indian Health Professionals through Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2021.
When Joel is not in the office, he enjoys travelling with his partner, spending quality time with his family, and enjoys the Colorado outdoors.
Select Publications
Most recent publications
- Gondwe T, Herbach E, Cvitanovich M, et al. Racial/ethnic distribution of graduates from doctorate and masters epidemiology degree programs in the United States, 2008 to 2018. Ann Epidemiol. 2022;68:32-36. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2021.12.004
- Roubidoux MA, Richards B, Honey NE, Begay JA. Adherence to Screening Among American Indian Women Accessing a Mobile Mammography Unit. Acad Radiol. 2021;28(7):944-949. doi:10.1016/j.acra.2021.03.014
- Mills EA, Begay JA, Fisher C, Mao-Draayer Y. Impact of trial design and patient heterogeneity on the identification of clinically effective therapies for progressive MS. Mult Scler J. 2018;24(14):1795-1807. doi:10.1177/1352458518800800
- Roubidoux MA, Shih-Pei Wu P, Nolte ELR, Begay JA, Joe AI. Availability of prior mammograms affects incomplete report rates in mobile screening mammography. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2018;171(3):667-673. doi:10.1007/s10549-018-4861-4