Meet Our Team

Meet our team of multidisciplinary faculty, staff, students, and affiliates

IHJE Team

Faculty, Staff & Students

Faculty Affiliates

Diversity & Community Engagement

INSTITUTE FACULTY, STAFF & STUDENTS

The Institute for Healing Justice & Equity is an interdisciplinary collective of researchers that engages academic and practice stakeholders in developing strategies and partnerships to change policy, encourage stakeholder participation, and provide training to enhance the capacity of Saint Louis University and the broader community to eliminate inequities in health and well-being.

William P. Johnson

William P. Johnson, JD, is the Dean and a Professor at the Center for International and Comparative Law at Saint Louis University School of Law.

Willam Johnson is an Execute Sponsor for the Institute for Healing Justice & Equity.

Practice Areas:
Commercial transactions; contracts; international business transactions; international law; international product distribution; UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods; uniform commercial code.

RUQAIIJAH YEARBY

Co-founder,
Executive Director,
Director of Community Research Ethics

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Ruqaiijah Yearby

Ruqaiijah Yearby, JD, MPH, is a Professor and member of the Center for Health Law Studies at Saint Louis University School of Law. Expertise: Health disparities and civil rights laws; health equity and health justice framework; structural, political, and social determinants of health; bioethics; racial equity frameworks and tools. Highlighted Work: “Assessing Legal Responses to COVID-19”

KEON GILBERT

Co-founder,
director of Equity and Policy

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Keon Gilbert

Dr. Keon Gilbert, DrPH, is an Associate Professor at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice, in the Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education.

Expertise:
Health disparities; social capital; African-American men’s health; health promotion and disease prevention interventions for chronic diseases.

Highlighted Work:
“Racism: Science and Tools for the Public Health Professional”

KIRA BANKS

Co-founder,
Director of Healing Justice

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Kira Banks

Kira Banks, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Saint Louis University, an APA-accredited Clinical Psychology doctoral program.

Expertise:
How discrimination impacts mental health; training models for helping professions to promote equity and cultural humility; intergroup relations.

Highlighted Work:
“Is Your Company Actually Fighting Racism, or Just Talking About It?”

MICHELLE ROLFSMEYER

Program Director

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Michelle Rolfsmeyer

Michelle Rolfsmeyer has extensive experience in non-profit and social service work, both as a frontline worker and program manager. She has dedicated her career to supporting vulnerable communities, and is excited to be a part of the Institute’s work and mission.

Expertise:
Program administration, development and collaboration; child and family services; frontline worker selection, support, and training.

CRYSTAL LEWIS

Public Health Law &
Policy Analyst

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Crystal Lewis

Crystal Lewis, JD, MPH, has several years of social justice and legal experience. She is currently working on projects with the Institute which include: Racism as a Public Health Crisis, Worker Rights during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pregnancy Discrimination in the workplace, and Wage Pass Through laws for Direct Care workers.

Expertise:
Public health law; policy surveillance and legal epidemiology; legal research; multidisciplinary collaboration.

CHARYSSE GIBSON

Biostatistician

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Charysse Gibson

Charysse Gibson, MPH, MA, works in the areas of data, statistics, programming, geographic information systems, and technology to inform solutions that serve and empower marginalized and vulnerable communities.

Expertise:
Biostatistics and epidemiology; geographic information systems; community development and racial reconciliation; intercultural relations.

NIA SUMPTER

GRADUATE ASSISTANT

AUTUMN JONES

GRADUATE ASSISTANT

AUBRA LADD

GRADUATE ASSISTANT

FACULTY AFFILIATES

The Institute serves as a hub for trans-disciplinary research collaboratives, where community members and scholars work jointly to create new conceptual, theoretical, methodological, and translational innovations that integrate and move beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem. The Institute is proud to serve as a place for interdisciplinary research, bringing together faculty, staff, students, and community organizations to collaborate on community engagement projects and grants.

DIVERSITY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

AMBER JOHNSON

Co-founder,
Executive Sponsor

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Amber Johnson

Amber Johnson, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Communication and the Associate Provost in the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement at Saint Louis University. Johnson is also the creator of The Justice Fleet ™, a mobile social justice museum that fosters healing through art, dialogue, and play.

Expertise:
Humanizing equity; narratives of identity; social justice in digital media, popular media, and everyday lived experiences; relationship between healing justice and equity.

Highlighted Work:
“African American Communication: Examining the Complexities of Lived Experiences

PUBLIC HEALTH

ELIZABETH BAKER

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Elizabeth Baker

Elizabeth Baker, PhD, is a Professor at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice, in the Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education.

Research Interests:
Community-based participatory research; social determinants of health and health equity; social support and control.

ELLEN K. BARNIDGE

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Ellen K. Barnidge

Ellen K. Barnidge, PhD, MPH, is an Assistant Professor at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice, in the Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education.

Research Interests:
Community engagement; environment and policy change; health equity; household food insecurity; social determinants of health.

RHONDA BELUE

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Rhonda BeLue

Rhonda BeLue, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Health Management and Policy Program at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice.

Research Interests:
Global health care; health care disparities; health care safety net; population health management.

KIMBERLY R. ENARD

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Kimberly Enard

Kimberly Enard, PhD, is an Assistant Professor is a Professor at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice, in the Department of Health Management and Policy.

Research Interests:
Cancer screening and treatment; community-based participatory research; health disparities; health system improvement; safety net populations; shared decision making; social determinants of health.

KATIE STAMATAKIS

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Katie Stamatakis

Katie Stamatakis, PhD, MPH, is a Professor at Saint Louis University’s College for Public Health and Social Justice, in the Department of Behavioral Science and Health Education.

Research Interests:
Chronic disease epidemiology; implementation research in public health settings; sleep and metabolic determinants of chronic disease.

ARTS & SCIENCES

LIZ CHIARELLO

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Liz Chiarello

Liz Chiarello, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Saint Louis University.

Research Interests:
Sociological theories of organizations and medicine; socio-legal theories of criminality and frontline work.

RICHARD HARVEY

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Richard Harvey

Richard Harvey, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Industrial-Organization Program and Experimental Program at Saint Louis University.

Research Interests:
Collective identity and its relations to a variety of social group related and organization-related phenomena; strategic planning; diversity development; organizational development; program evaluation.

TIM HUFFMAN

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Tim Huffman

Tim Huffman, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication at Saint Louis University.

Research Interests:
Social justice, nonprofit organizing, homelessness, compassion, community, pragmatic and relational epistemology, participatory and community-based research.

CHRISTOPHER PRENER

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Christopher Prener

Christopher Prener, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Saint Louis University.

Research Interests:
Health and wellness; mental health; social stratification; urban sociology work; research methods; mobile data collection tools.

BRYAN SOKOL

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Bryan Sokol

Bryan Sokol, PhD, is an Associate Professor of the Experimental Program in the Developmental Department of Psychology at Saint Louis University.

Research Interests:
Constructivism; social development; child and adolescent social development.

CHRISTOPHER TINSON

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Christopher Tinson

Christopher Tinson, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of History and Director of African American Studies at Saint Louis University.

Research Interests:
Histories of Africana radical traditions; Black protest movements, U.S. ethnic studies; incarceration; race and sports.

LAW

ROBERT GATTER

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Robert Gatter

Robert Gatter, JD, is a Professor at the Center for Health Law Studies at Saint Louis University School of Law and a Professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the College for Public Health and Social Justice at Saint Louis University.

Practice Areas:
Public health law; informed consent law; end-of-life decisions; conflicts of interest; theoretical descriptions of health law.

WILLIAM P. JOHNSON

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ELIZABETH PENDO

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Elizabeth Pendo

Elizabeth Pendo, JD, is the Joseph J. Simeone Professor of Law at the Center for Health and the William C. Wefel Center for Employment Law at Saint Louis University School of Law.

Practice Areas:
Disability law; healthcare law; bioethics.

ANA SANTOS RUTSCHMAN

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Ana Santos Rutschman

Ana Santos Rutschman, SJD, is an Assistant Professor at the Center for Health Law Studies and Center for International and Comparative Law at Saint Louis University School of Law.

Practice Areas:
Health law; intellectual property; food and drug law.

SIDNEY WATSON

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Sidney Watson

Sidney Watson, JD, is the Jane and Bruce Robert Professor and Director of the Center for Health Law Studies and Center for International and Comparative Law at Saint Louis University School of Law.

Practice Areas:
Racial and ethnic disparities in health care; health reform; Medicaid; health care for those who are homeless.

MEDICINE

DENISE
HOOKS-ANDERSON

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Denise Hooks-Anderson

Denise Hooks-Anderson, MD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Saint Louis University.

Practice Areas:
Obesity; women’s health; primary care provider.

IN MEMORIAM

JONATHAN SMITH

Jonathan Smith

Remembering Dr. Jonathan Smith (1959-2021)

Jonathan Smith, PhD, is a Founding Executive Sponsor of the Institute for Healing Justice & Equity.

Meet Our Team

Meet our team of multidisciplinary faculty, staff, students, and affiliates

INSTITUTE FACULTY, STAFF & STUDENTS

RUQAIIJAH YEARBY

KEON GILBERT

KIRA BANKS

MICHELLE ROLFSMEYER

CRYSTAL LEWIS

CHARYSSE GIBSON

NIA SUMPTER

AUTUMN JONES

AUBRA LADD

FACULTY AFFILIATES

DIVERSITY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

AMBER JOHNSON

PUBLIC HEALTH

ELIZABETH BAKER

ELLEN K. BARNIDGE

RHONDA BELUE

KIMBERLY R. ENARD

KATIE STAMATAKIS

ARTS & SCIENCES

LIZ CHIARELLO

RICHARD HARVEY

TIM HUFFMAN

CHRISTOPHER PRENER

BRYAN SOKOL

CHRISTOPHER TINSON

LAW

ROBERT GATTER

WILLIAM P. JOHNSON

ELIZABETH PENDO

ANA SANTOS RUTSCHMAN

SIDNEY WATSON

MEDICINE

DENISEHOOKS-ANDERSON

IN MEMORIAM

JONATHAN SMITH

DENISE
HOOKS-ANDERSON