Gillings faculty spotlight

Tanya Garcia, PhD

Associate Professor of Biostatistics

• Research interests: longitudinal data analysis, neurogenerative diseases, prediction models, survival analysis
• How do you unwind? Salsa dancing and making up games with my daughter *Professor Garcia was in the early stages of labor while responding for this article. She gave birth to a son soon after.
• ‍COVID aside, what do you see as the biggest issue in public health today? Reporting stat results in an understandable way that can help public policy

Arrianna Planey, PhD, MA

‍Assistant Professor of Health Policy and Management

• Research interests: interactions between health policies, healthcare access and utilization, and underlying population-level health inequities
• How do you unwind? I like to cook and bake! I rarely cook the same thing more than once every six months, so there is a lot of variety on the menu. On the shelf, my husband and I have Japanese, Lebanese, Indian, Italian and Soul Food cookbooks. We use them fairly frequently.
• COVID aside, what do you see as the biggest issue in public health today? Structural racism. No matter what other public health issue or outcome you name, racism contours outcomes in terms of who is most exposed to hazards, who has access to resources to maintain and improve their health and well-being, and the distribution of morbidity and preventable deaths.

Amanda Northcross, PhD

‍‍Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences and Engineering

• Research interests: using chemistry and engineering to identify exposures to air pollution and to develop interventions to reduce pollution.
• How do you unwind? I like to take my dog for a walk, have a nice glass of wine and watch a movie with my husband.
• COVID aside, what do you see as the biggest issue in public health today? The effects of racial injustice permeate every corner of our society and make it impossible for us to achieve health equity. We must end systemic racism.

Emma Tzioumis, PhD

Assistant Professor of Nutrition

• Research interests: maternal and child nutrition, both globally and locally – specifically malnutrition, complementary feeding and maternal experiences in the perinatal period.
• How do you unwind? Spending time with the family outside hiking, biking, camping, engaging in whatever activity the kids are currently enjoying. On any given day there is a high probability you’ll find me watching my kids tear around the pump track at Martin Luther King Jr. Park in Carrboro. One of my favorite ways to unwind solo is to go to the grocery store by myself on a Saturday night after bedtime.
• COVID aside, what do you see as the biggest issue in public health today? Racism. It is pervasive and at the root of every system, institution and discipline.