AIHREA Staff

JCCC Design Team

The Johnson County Community College Design team consists of Brandon Roche, Blake Nafzinger, Matt Martiny, and Keri Sartain.  They worked countless hours (well, 834 to be close enough) to get this brand new AIHREA site up and running.  They were assisted by Professor Patrick Baxter, as well as his entire …Continue Reading

Trish Long

Hello, my name is Trish Long, and I am the project manager for Healthy Living Kansas – Breast Health, member of the rural health team, under the direction of Kim Engelman PhD, department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.  I manage Dr. Engelman’s colon cancer prevention research grant (R01) and the …Continue Reading

Travis Brown

My name is Travis W. Brown I am an enrolled member of the Sac n Fox Tribe of Oklahoma and Kiowa, I  was born in Dallas, Texas  and attended Haskell Indian Nations University and work in Preventive Medicine as a Research Assistant.  I have had the opportunity to work with …Continue Reading

Tara Hammer

She is an enrolled member of Cherokee Nation, grew up in Lawrence, KS and received her Bachelor of Science with an emphasis in Environmental Science from Haskell Indian Nations University.  Currently, she is working towards her Master of Public Health with a concentration in Environmental Health Sciences.  Working as a Komen …Continue Reading

Stacy Braiuca

Stacy is a Research Associate for the Center for American Indian Community Health and Healthy Living Kansas in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health.  She has previously worked on the Komen Breast Cancer and NIH Colorectal Cancer projects, organizing, moderating, and doing analysis of focus groups and interviews.  …Continue Reading

Shelly Bointy

Shelley Bointy is an enrolled member of the Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of Montana. She also descends from the Little Traverse Bay Band of Ottawa Indians.  She is the Project Director for the Center for American Indian Community Health at University of Kansas Medical Center, Department of Preventive …Continue Reading

Ruth Anna Buffalo

  -Mandan, Hidatsa, Chirichua Apache   Ruth Anna Buffalo, carries her late grandmother Ruth’s Hidatsa (Nuxbaaga) name, Mia E’desh, Women Appears, she is a member of the Awa xia clan (Dripping Earth).  She is the granddaughter of the late Ruth (Rabbithead) and Theodore Buffalo Bolman Sr.  Her mother is Maxine …Continue Reading

Niaman Nazir

 Research Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine & Public HealthHaving been trained as a physician in Lahore, Pakistan, Niaman came to the United States to advance his knowledge in public health. He received his MPH at KU and now serves as an advisor and instructor in that same graduate program. Students benefit …Continue Reading

Myrietta N. Talawyma

Research Associate- Incentives manager- researching products/ items ordering, organizing and maintaining items for all the different programs plus assist with all of the programs here at CAICH- helping with what is needed to be done for community events and research programs on a daily bases  

Melissa Filippi

Melissa Filippi is a research instructor  and holds a joint appointment in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health and the Department of Family Medicine. She has been working with underserved populations since she was an undergraduate in 1997. She is a medical anthropologist and focuses on qualitative research. …Continue Reading

Marrina Stabler

Marrina Stabler, has been a volunteer since February 2009 at various AIHREA events.  Marrina has also been our Student Leader Advisory Board and participated in the summer internship program in 2011.  Marrina was recently hired part time.  Marrina is very interested in public health and wants to make others aware …Continue Reading

Lance Cully

Lance Cully, Research Technician and Artistic Director, joined the Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health in May 2010 prior to joining the team Lance was a volunteer for many of projects within Center for American Indian Community Health (CAICH) and American Indian Research and Education Alliance (AIHREA).  Since Lance …Continue Reading

Kayla Davis

Research Assistant- works with the obesity project, dorm challenge and ANBL recruitment. Started as an intern the summer of 2010 and was hired on part time in August of 2010. Member of the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma Attends HINU and majoring in Environmental Science  

Julia White Bull

-Julia White Bull from Eagle Butte, South Dakota. Graduated from Haskell Indian Nations University in May of 2010. -Center for American Indian Community Health-Research Assistant -Works with community outreach in the American Indian community, All Nations Breath of Life smoking cessation program, traditional tobacco videos. -Julia has a twin sister, …Continue Reading

Joseph Pacheco

Joseph Pacheco is a Susan G. Komen for the cure Scholar in the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at KUMC and works as a Graduate Research Assistant with CAICH, where his work focuses on breast cancer research for both men and women.  As the grandson of a breast cancer …Continue Reading

Jennifer Sanderson

Jennifer Sanderson, I recently started at CAICH on October 3rd assisting with the administration of the Center and the P20 grant. I’m a long-time resident of Kansas City, worked as the Director of Students services at New Horizons Computer Learning Center for 17 years until it sold, at which point I …Continue Reading

Julia Soap

Julia Soap is a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation in Mayetta, Kansas.  She is also affiliated with the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma and the Kickapoo Tribe in Kansas.  Julia graduated from the University of Arizona in 2008 with a B.S. in Molecular and Cellular Biology and minors in …Continue Reading

Florence Ndikum-Moffor

Florence Ndikum-Moffor, PhD, MPH is a postdoctoral fellow, in the department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center (KUMC), working in the area of cancer research. She is currently Program Manager on a project to assess mammography satisfaction among American Indian/Alaskan Native women. The …Continue Reading

Elwood Pipestem-Ott

Elwood Pipestem-Ott is an enrolled member of the Otoe-Missouria Nation. He is a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University where he received a Bachelors Degree in American Indian Studies. Mr. Pipestem has worked at the Center of American Indian Community Health at Kansas University Medical Center for over a year. …Continue Reading

Eleheh Zare Mohazab

Elaheh was born and raised in Iran. In 2000 Elaheh and her family migrated to Pakistan and lived there for about six years. In summer of 2006, Elaheh and her family arrived to the United States as immigrants. She attended Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in 2006 to learn English …Continue Reading

Ed Smith

Ed Smith (Osage descendant) is 35 years old. Ed works at Johnson County Community College for the American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance as a Research Program Coordinator. Ed is project director for the All Nations Breath of Life Smoking Cessation program. He also assists with the Youth Outreach …Continue Reading

Coreen Gunja

Coreen Gunja, Office Manager has been joined the CAICH team in the Spring of 2011.  Coreen takes care of Budget, Financial Reporting, Timekeeping.  Purchasing, Billing, Administrative Office duties.  Includes Travel and Faculty Support.  Coreen has been working for the University since 2000.  While at the University she has worked for …Continue Reading

Chybon Cully

Chybon Cully, Student Worker, joined the Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health in August  2010 prior to joining the team Chybon was one of the first summer interns.  Chybon is a senior at Lawrence High School.  Chybon enjoys playing football and rugby when not working or studying.  Chybon has …Continue Reading

Christina M. Pacheco

Christina M. Pacheco, Esq. is a Research Associate and the Project Manager for the Tobacco Use among American Indian/Alaska Native Tribal College Students project at the Center for American Indian Community Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Ms. Pacheco received her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and …Continue Reading

Charlotee McCloskey

Charlotte McCloskey is a licensed psychologist who has joined the AIHREA team in April 2011.  Dr. McCloskey completed a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Psychology, a Masters Degree and a Doctoral Degree in Counseling Psychology all from the University of Missouri-Columbia. She completed her internship at the University of Illinois-Chicago …Continue Reading

Charley Lewis

Charley is from Benton, California, and a graduate of Haskell Indian Nations University. Always having an interest in science and research, he is now a MPH student and a recipient of the CAICH Scholarship.

Chandler Williams

Dept of preventive med & public health I have been working on ANBL R24S since I started working at CAICH and have recently moved to the education core. I will be starting the MPH program in the fall. I grew up in Detroit. I’m a big sports fan. My goal …Continue Reading

Byllye Clendon

My Name is Byllye Clendon I am a member of the White Mountain Apache Tribe located in White River, Arizona. I attend Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas. I work with the preventive medicine department and my current position is an Assistant. In the past I was a student …Continue Reading

Baljit Kaur

I was born and raised in Punjab, India and graduated medical school with MBBS degree.  I came to Kansas in 2005 to pursue Masters in Public Health (MPH) and since then Kansas City has been my new hometown. I joined the Department of Preventive Medicine as a Graduate Research Assistant …Continue Reading

Babalola Faseru

Babalola Faseru MD, MPH is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health (primary) and the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center.  An internationally-trained physician and epidemiologist, Babalola’s primary research area is in cancer prevention and control, …Continue Reading

Aruno Rao

Aruno Rao Research/Academic Interests I am interested in minority Health Disparities, Focusing on Native Americans and Alaskan Natives with Diabetes and Obesity; Value of “health” in city planning; looking at the social and structural determinants of health.   Prior Education I graduated with honors in Philosophy in my Bachelor of …Continue Reading

Angela Cully

Angelia Cully, Community Core Coordinator, joined the Department of Preventive Medicine & Public Health and has been coordinating community outreach activities for the Center in American Indian Community Health and the American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance since 2009.  Actively participating in various aspects of her culture since childhood, …Continue Reading