The Gillings School is proud to welcome new faculty every year. Meet some of our newest experts in biostatistics, maternal and child health, nutrition, and public health leadership and practice.
Every year, the Gillings School is proud to welcome new faculty who bring a wealth of expertise in diverse areas of public health. Say hello to some of our most recent hires!
Iheoma U. Iruka, PhD
Professor of Maternal and Child Health; Adjunct Professor of Public Policy; Fellow, Frank Porter Graham (FPG) Child Development Institute
Iruka is an applied developmental psychologist who is focused on ensuring that racially minoritized children and children from low-income households thrive through anti-bias, anti-racist and culturally grounded mixed-methods approaches.
As the founding director of the Equity Research Action Coalition at FPG, Iruka’s action-oriented research-to-policy and practice focuses on (1) early childhood research and evaluation attending to the healthy, academic and socio-emotional development of racially minoritized children and children from low-income communities, (2) equitable policies that advance health, wealth and early educational equity, (3) mentoring and training of emerging scholars from minoritized communities, and (4) translation of science to counter deficit-oriented research, practice and policy regarding minoritized communities.
Kamaria Mason, MS, MPH, RDN, LDN
Assistant Professor of Nutrition
Mason is an educator who contributes to the nationwide discourse on public health nutrition. Her commitment to excellence in education extends beyond the classroom. Her insights gained from roles in academia, clinical nutrition, local government, research and community engagement uniquely position her to shape the next generation of public health nutrition leaders.
As a co-founder of the Culture of Wellness, she works with organizations to empower individuals, communities and food systems to make changes from the inside out to create a food culture where healthy choices are inclusive, balanced and accessible. In her role at UNC Gillings School of Public Health, she works primarily with students enrolled in the bachelor’s and master’s programs seeking to become registered dietitians. She teaches three nutrition counseling, communication and culture courses, and a nutrition practicum course.
Bryce Rowland, PhD
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
Rowland is an assistant professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the Collaborative Studies Coordinating Center (CSCC). His research expertise is at the intersection of precision medicine, applied biostatistics and team science. Currently, Rowland serves as a co-investigator on clinical trials in chronic pain and cardiovascular disease funded by both the National Institutes of Health and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. During his National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, Rowland researched extending polygenic risk score methodologies and analyzed biobank-sized ‘omics data.
Rowland is committed to training the next generation of collaborative biostatisticians. This is done through a combination of teaching and mentorship through hands-on work at the CSCC.
Minzhi Xing, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Public Health Leadership and Practice; Adjunct Assistant Professor of Radiology
Xing is a medical epidemiologist and health services researcher with a background in local and global public health practice. She has extensive experience in conducting epidemiological, patient-focused and community-engaged research and in developing public health solutions to advance health equity. The overarching goal of her work is to bridge the gap between the practice of medicine and public health by using data-driven and community-centered shared leadership approaches to create, develop, implement and evaluate interventions. Xing collaborates extensively with community-based partners, local and state health departments, and health systems to increase health care accessibility and improve the quality of care, with the goal of reducing barriers and eliminating disparities in health.
