Faculty

Dr. Erin Grinshteyn is an associate professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, where she teaches a variety of courses in the MPH program. Her primary research interest relates to fear of crime and fear of violent victimization, and the association of fear with a variety of health outcomes. She is particularly interested in population-based health disparities associated with fear of violence and specifically examines these topics among older adults. Erin also does work examining...

As a health demographer, Dr. Chyu studies how social factors and chronic stressors are embodied physiologically and shape women’s health over the life course. Her research examines the dynamic interplay of biological and social processes to better understand how chronic stress impacts health and aging trajectories. She is also interested in the effects of positive and adverse childhood experiences on physical and mental health later in life.

Dory Magasis Escobar, PhD has worked in community organizing, coalition building, and grassroots leadership development for decades in Northern California and Central America.  She was Director of Healthy Communities and Community Building at a regional health system for 13 years; where she also oversaw the organization’s Community Benefit planning and reporting. Prior to that time, Dory worked for 11 years in Central America in community mental health, community-based rehabilitation, community...

Alice Fiddian-Green (she, her, hers) is an Assistant Professor of Public Health in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Alice is a community-engaged researcher that uses public health storytelling methods (digital storytelling, 'zines, and photovoice) to research the social and structural determinants of substance use and treatment. Her current focus is on opioid use and treatment among pregnant people and adolescents. Her goal is to use storytelling methods to counter harmful...

Courtney Keeler is a health economist. She has been teaching at USF's Master in Public Health programs since August 2011. Her research surrounds topics related to adolescent health, mental health, and smoking prevention and control. In her teaching, she works to meet students where they are in hope of creating a classroom climate where individuals feel well-equipped to tackle the subject matter covered in the course.

Dr. Kelly L’Engle, associate professor and director of the MPH-Behavioral Health concentration, is a social and behavioral health scientist with 25 years experience in research and program development in the health sector.

She joined the faculty of the Population Health Sciences Department in the School of Nursing and Health Professions at the University of San Francisco in August 2015. She has served as department chair and program director and teaches classes in program planning and...

Dr. Balaji previously served as the Chief of Primary Health Care and Health Systems at UNICEF Headquarters until 2023. As Chief of PHC, he led jointly with WHO the PHC Accelerator in the SDG-3 Global Action Plan for Healthy lives and Well-being for All Earlier from 2014 to 2017, he headed the Afghanistan Programmes for UNICEF and managed UNICEF supported programmes in Health, Nutrition, WASH, Education, Child Protection and Social Policy. He has worked in Africa and Asia in the UN system for...

Neha Kumar is a Health Decision Scientist by training, whose research interests include psychological anthropology, or the interaction of cultural and mental processes. She studies how cultural groups–with their history, language, and practices–shape processes of human emotion and mental health. She has also worked to develop the allcove program, an innovative network of integrated youth mental health centers designed with, by, and for youth that reduce stigma, embrace mental wellness, increase...

Mehgan Sierra (she/her) graduated San Francisco State University with her undergraduate degree in Latino and Sexual Studies. During undergrad, she was involved in the mental health and primary care setting by volunteering at San Francisco Suicide Prevention and Clinical Martin-Baro.

After finishing undergrad, Mehgan began her career at Edgewood Center for Children and Families, a mental health non-profit organization. She worked in an array of roles and continued to grow in this area from a...