Sharon Croisant, MS, PhD, COEC director, is an Associate Professor in the UTMB Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health (PMCH). An investigator in both the CET and the Institute for Translational Sciences, she serves as director of Community Engagement for both. She has a strong record of leading community engagement efforts in environmental health, having assumed the role of COEC director in 2009, after serving as director of Children’s Asthma and Lead Outreach since 2001. A major focus of her career has centered on translational research, i.e., building interfaces between and among environmental research, education, and community health, especially through a Community-Based Participatory Research approach. She has established long-standing, ongoing collaborative relationships with community stakeholders across the Gulf Coast with a vested interest in using research findings to direct community-based intervention and outreach activities. As COEC director, Dr. Croisant oversees the community advisory boards, Community Science Workshops organized in conjunction with the IHSFC, and Disaster Research Response outreach activities. She represents the COEC on the CET Executive Committee and the Internal Advisory Board. As a member of the IAB, Dr. Croisant also participates in the review of pilot projects, placing special emphasis on projects that address community-identified research priorities and/or propose community-engaged research approaches.
Amber Anthony, BS, program director, develops and implements key environmental public health initiatives and programs, and is the liaison for community stakeholders to communicate and translate CET science. A former teacher, she oversees the Bench Tutorials Program, in addition to directing engagement initiatives including the COEC’s SCI Cafés (Where Science and Communities Interact), and our annual coastal resiliency workshops.
John Prochaska, DrPH, MPH, program director, earned his doctorate in social and behavioral health in 2009. He is currently an Assistant Professor in the UTMB Department of PMCH, previously serving as program manager for the UTMB Center to Eliminate Health Disparities. Dr. Prochaska has broad expertise in environmental health disparities, cumulative risk assessment, program evaluation, community-engaged research and use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for determining and communicating environmental health risk. Having served as an evaluation specialist for a number of programs while he was with Texas A&M University, he brings complementary leadership and expertise to the team. Dr. Prochaska directs community health needs assessments, and assists with both qualitative and quantitative evaluation of COEC activities and programs.
Brittany Wallace, AB, COEC coordinator, is responsible for planning, implementing and maintaining COEC programs. She prepares and disseminates printed and online materials, including layout, editing, knowledge translation, and packaging of materials for target audiences. She serves as the first contact for the COEC, managing daily processes, and assists with developing and maintaining social media offerings. She is also responsible for responding to queries and referring inquiries appropriately to COEC program directors.