ICHS Faculty and StaffTechnical Faculty
Richard A. Brown II, PhD Dr. "Rick" Brown joined ICHS in September of 2011. A recent graduate of the University of Alabama, his background is in applied cognitive biocultural medical anthropology, business and organizations, and information technology. Rick takes a mixed methods (qualitative and quantitative) approach to understand reciprocal cultural, social, psychological, and biological links to health outcomes. He has studied placebo effects and ideal clinical medical encounters in west central Alabama, post-disaster transitions along the U.S. Gulf Coast, and type 2 diabetes in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. His current projects are aimed at developing and evaluating STI/HIV prevention programs among Alaskan Natives, and identifying health program needs for a broader range of circumpolar peoples. He has additional interests in food and cuisines, neuroscience, and renewable energy. In his spare time Rick enjoys traveling, socializing, and artistic pursuits like sculpting and carving. If you have questions or comments about this website, drop Rick a line.
Bruce Dotterrer, MS Bruce is responsible for the management of research projects including, data collection and analysis. His administrative duties include supervision of technical staff; organizing the ICHS Strategic Advisory Group of Experts; and development, maintenance, and implementation of department policies and procedures. Bruce’s research experience includes survey design, and both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis using a variety of applications. Before joining the ICHS he worked in the natural resource management and education fields
CV (pdf, 144 KB) Dr. Driscoll is the Director of the Institute for Health Studies and an associate professor in the College of Health and Social Welfare. His research combines epidemiological and anthropological methods to link population-level health data and sociocultural context in order to assess and create effective public health programs. He has more than 10 years of experience working for a host of federal agencies and research foundations and associations. When not in the office, Dr. Driscoll enjoys running, biking, canoe camping, and fishing.
Dr. Johnston, a statistician and epidemiologist, conducts epidemiological research focused on chronic diseases, health disparities, women's health, and aging. She specializes in study design, analytic methods, and data quality. Prior to joining UAA, Dr. Johnston worked at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium as a Senior Epidemiologist and Health Research Director. At ANTHC she focused on cardiovascular epidemiology, working on both the Alaska Native Cardiovascular Disease Registry and the Alaska Native Stroke Registry. Previously, Dr. Johnston was the co-principal investigator for the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN) Coordinating Center with day-to-day responsibility overseeing data management, analysis, and clinic support. SWAN is a multi-site, multi-ethnic study of 3302 women transitioning through menopause. Dr. Johnston was also the lead statistician for the NHLBI Dynamic Registry of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions and an Injury Epidemiologist at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Morgantown, WV.
Katie joined the ICHS research team in May 2011 after receiving her MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has more than five years of experience assisting with the design, implementation and evaluation of public health interventions including international HIV/AIDS prevention programs, rural intimate partner violence prevention services, and urban substance abuse surveillance. Her research experience includes structured survey and interview guide design; qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis; and the use of community-based participatory research methods, including Photovoice. Outside of the office, Katie enjoys running, cycling, skiing and making music.
Dr. Tenaya Sunbury, is a postdoctoral research fellows at ICHS and a recent graduate from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Her overall research interests lie in using spatial analytic methods (i.e., geographical information systems – GIS) to identify specific social and physical area characteristics and the mechanisms by which these area characteristics influence individual health behaviors and health outcomes. Her research goals include improving rural health and using an interdisciplinary approach to develop appropriate structural health interventions through policy changes and community collaborations. Her past projects included spatial prediction models of air pollution and identifying urban-rural differences in driving behaviors and injury outcomes.
Quenna is Inupiaq Eskimo and Polish American from the Fish River Tribe in the Bering Straits region. With a background in molecular biology, she participated in biomedical and evolutionary development research at The University of Montana as an Undergraduate Research Fellow and Research Associate. Upon returning to Alaska, she has explored diverse projects within the state, and currently is an enrolled nursing student. She is responsible for project management, interview conduction, transcription/coding/analysis, and disseminating project information to research participants and varied audiences. She loves the outdoors and enjoys biking, snowboarding, and berry picking.
Administrative Staff
Linda Stjern joined the Institute for Health Studies in January 2009.
ICHS Strategic Advisory Group of ExpertsDownload a description and list of SAGE members (PDF) |
Faculty & Staff
Quenna Szafran, BS
Linda Stjern 
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