• Skip to main content
  • Skip to main content
Choose which site to search.
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Logo University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
  • UAMS Health
  • Jobs
  • Giving
  • About
    • What is Public Health?
    • Message from the Dean
    • Administration
    • Mission, Vision, and Values
    • Accreditation
    • Strategic Plan
    • About Central Arkansas
    • COPH Policies
  • Future Students
    • How to Apply
    • Application Deadlines
  • Academic Programs
    • 4 + 1 Program
    • Certificate Programs
      • Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Analytics
      • Graduate Certificate in Healthcare Management
      • Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Sciences
        • About the Graduate Certificate in Regulatory Sciences Program
        • Courses
        • How to Apply
          • Non-Degree Seeking Students Application and Eligibility Requirements
        • Additional Information
        • Tuition and Fees
      • Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Public Health
      • Graduate Certificate in Environmental and Occupational Health
    • Master Degree Programs
      • Master of Public Health
        • MPH, Concentration in Biostatistics
        • MPH, Concentration in Epidemiology
        • MPH, Concentration in Environmental Health Sciences
        • MPH, Concentration in Health Behavior and Health Education
        • Combined Degree Programs
          • MD/MPH Combined Degree Program
          • MPS/MPH Combined Degree Program
          • JD/MPH in Public Health and Law Program
          • PharmD/MPH Combined Degree Program
        • MPH, Concentration in Health Policy and Management
      • Master of Science in Healthcare Data Analytics
      • Master of Health Administration
        • MHA Mentorship Program
        • MHA Student Association
    • Doctoral Degree Programs
      • Doctor of Public Health in Public Health Leadership
      • PhD in Epidemiology
      • PhD in Health Systems and Services Research
      • PhD in Health Promotion and Prevention Research
      • Doctoral Degree Program Policies
    • Program Planners
  • Students
    • Alumni
    • Non-Degree Seeking
    • New Students
      • Virtual Orientation
      • New Student Required Forms
      • New Students Resource Links
    • Current Students
      • Academic Calendar
      • Registration
        • Spring 2022 Course Schedule
        • Summer 2022 Course Schedule
        • Registration Requirements
        • Two Year Course Planner
      • Forms
        • Doctoral Program Forms
        • UAMS COPH Code of Academic Integrity Student Honor Pledge
        • UAMS COPH Student Handbook Agreement
      • Student Resources
        • External Scholarships
        • Fellowships
        • Non-Discrimination Policy
        • Public Health Scholarships
      • Student Organizations
        • 2020-2021 Student Council
        • Delta Omega-Honorary Society in Public Health
        • Honor Council
      • Student Experience Projects
      • Program Competencies
        • Certificate in Public Health and MPH Foundational Competencies
        • Certificate in Regulatory Science Program Competencies
        • MPH Biostatistics Program Competencies
        • MPH Environmental Health Sciences Program Competencies
        • MPH Epidemiology Program Competencies
        • MPH Health Behavior and Health Education Program Competencies
        • MPH Health Policy and Management Program Competencies
        • MPH Rural and Global Public Health Program Competencies
        • MPH Combined Degree Program Competencies
        • DrPH Program Competencies
        • Ph.D. in Epidemiology Program Competencies
        • PhD in Health Promotion and Prevention Research Program Competencies
        • PhD in Health Systems and Services Research Program Competencies
        • MS Healthcare Data Analytics Program Competencies
        • Master of Health Administration Competencies
      • Public Health Biology Competency Exam
  • Faculty
    • COPH Faculty Directory
      • COPH Web Faculty Profile Form
    • Faculty Resources
      • Faculty Academic Resources
      • Faculty Research and Grant Resources
        • Grant Process Materials
      • UAMS and Other Resources
    • Professional Development
    • Current Faculty Open Positions
  • Departments and Units
    • Departments
      • Biostatistics
      • Environmental Health Sciences
        • About Us
        • Climate Change and Public Health (ENVH 5303)
        • Faculty
        • Healthy Habits by Environmental Health
      • Epidemiology
      • Health Behavior and Health Education
      • Health Policy and Management
    • Centers
      • Arkansas Center for Excellence in Birth Defects Research and Prevention
        • About the Center
        • Organization
        • Research
        • Prevention
        • Surveillance
        • News and Events
        • Peer-Reviewed Center Publications
        • Resources
        • Contact Us
      • Center for Dietary Supplements Research
        • About the Center
        • Organization
        • Research
      • Center for Research, Health, and Social Justice
      • Center for the Study of Obesity
      • Southern Public Health and Criminal Justice Research Center
        • Who We Are
        • Current Projects
        • Contact Us
        • Resources
      • Arkansas Center for Health Disparities
        • About Us
        • ARCHD Distinguished Speaker Series
          • August 25, 2021: Alex Ortega, PhD
          • January 27, 2022: Daniel Dawes, JD
          • July 15, 2021: Scout, MA, PhD
          • May 13, 2021: Carol McGruder and Dr. Valerie Yerger
          • May 4, 2021: Dr. Mignonne C. Guy
        • ARCHD Organization
          • Administrative Core
          • Community Engagement and Dissemination Core
          • Investigator Development Core
        • ARCHD-T32 Pre-Doctoral Training Scholarship
        • Important Definitions to Know
        • Pilot Projects
          • 2020 Pilot Projects
          • 2021 Pilot Projects
          • 2018 Pilot Projects
          • Past Pilot Projects
        • Research Projects
        • Reports and Materials
        • Links and Resources
        • Funding Opportunities
      • Center for the Study of Tobacco
        • Director’s Message
        • Strategic Plan
        • Faculty and Staff
        • Collaborating Faculty
        • Advisory Board
        • Tobacco and Related Diseases Working Group
        • Research and Training
          • Current CST Research Projects
          • Pilot Study Program
          • Student Learning Opportunities
        • News and Social Media
        • Job Opportunities
        • Other Resources
    • Offices
      • Office of Planning and Policy
      • Office of Professional Development and Program Evaluation
      • Public Health Writing Studio
      • Office of Community Engagement
        • Projects and Activities
      • Office of Student and Alumni Affairs
        • OSAA Career Services
          • Job Prospects by Concentration
          • Public Health Careers
          • Job Search Preparation
          • Current Job Postings
          • Ongoing Job Sites and Opportunities
          • Fellowships and Internships
          • Alumni Center Stage
            • Center Stage Alumni: LaTonya Bynum
            • Center Stage Alumni: Richard Hughes IV, J.D., M.P.H.
            • COPH Alumni Center Stage Form
  • Research
    • Current Research Projects
      • CHARM
      • Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities
        • Door-to-Door Campaigning: Promoting Comprehensive COVID-19 Prevention and Protection
        • Our Team
      • DISCOVAR Study
        • ¿En qué consiste el Estudio DISCOVAR?
          • Inscríbase en el Estudio DISCOVAR
        • Join DISCOVAR Study
      • F R E S H
        • About the Project
        • Interested in Joining This Study
        • Refer a Friend
      • Faith-Academic Initiatives for Transforming Health (FAITH) Network
      • Home Together
      • NICE
      • PCORI
      • Project Heal
      • Save AR Future (SARF)
    • Publications
      • 2008 Faculty Publications
      • 2009 Faculty Publications
      • 2010 Faculty Publications
      • 2011 Faculty Publications
      • 2012 Faculty Publications
      • 2013 Faculty Publications
      • 2014 Faculty Publications
      • 2015 Faculty Publications
      • 2016 Faculty Publications
      • 2017 Faculty Publications
      • 2018 Faculty Publications
    • Past Research Projects
      • College and University Contact Tracing Project
        • Higher Education Contact Tracing Call Center Reporting Form
        • K-12 Contact Tracing Reporting Form
        • Meeting Recordings
        • Guidance
        • COVID-19 Reporting Form
      • REJOICE
      • Arkansas Prevention Research Center
        • PRC News Archive
        • PRC Research
        • PRC Organization
        • Advisors
  • Community
    • AmeriCorps VISTA Program
    • Available Tools
      • Grassroots Public Health Video Series
      • Take Control: A Lay Health Advisor, Stepped Care Program To Help Persons with High Blood Pressure
        • Download Take Control Toolkit
    • Training Opportunities
      • Public Health Law: Basic Concepts for Practitioners
      • Social Determinants of Health: A Short Course
  • News
    • COVID-19 News Updates
    • Public Health Seminar Series
  • Contact Us
    • COPH Suggestion Box
    • Website Change Request Form
  • About UAMS
  • Academic Degree Programs
  • Courses
  • Departments
  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
  3. Departments and Units
  4. Centers
  5. Southern Public Health and Criminal Justice Research Center
  6. Who We Are

Who We Are

Nick Zaller
Nickolas Zaller, PhD

Nickolas Zaller, Founder and Director, is a Professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. His research focus is on the overlap between behavioral health disorders, including addiction and mental illness, infectious diseases and incarceration both in the United States and internationally. Dr. Zaller earned his bachelor’s degree in microbiology and East Asian Studies from Kansas University in 1999. After graduation, he lived in China for a year as a Fulbright Scholar before completing a doctorate in public health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2005.


Nakita Lovelady
Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH

Nakita Lovelady, PhD, MPH is a postdoctoral fellow supported by the UAMS NIDA T32 Addiction Research Training Program. Her primary research interests are centered around investigating health disparities and violence prevention, particularly developing and implementing multi-level public health interventions to improve mental and behavioral health outcomes and reduce gun violence among vulnerable racial-minority populations such as young African American men and their families. This includes exploring linkage interventions that leverage peer support, enhance healthy coping, and improve access to structural/systemic support to confront persistent post-traumatic stress among African American men in both institutional settings (i.e. hospitals, jails, and prisons) and non-traditional community settings (i.e. barbershops). Her research hopes to inform real-world meaningful change among communities with the greatest need.


Meg Gorvine
Meg Gorvine, PhD, CHES, E-RYT

Meg Gorvine, PhD, CHES, E-RYT most recently completed a predoctoral fellowship with UAMS’ NIDA T32 training program in Translational Addiction Science, and now serves as a postdoctoral researcher for S-PAC. Her research centers on stress, integrative health, recovery science, and resilience particularly among the underserved, including women re-entering the community from incarceration. Dr. Gorvine is currently exploring research in the areas of stress and resilience training in correctional settings in Arkansas.


George Pro
George Pro, PhD

Dr. George Pro is a health services researcher in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. Broadly, his interests include behavioral health, health disparities, applied quantitative methods, and treatment for substance use disorders including medication assistance for opioid use disorders. He received his PhD in Community and Behavioral Health from the University of Iowa College of Public Health, and completed his postdoctoral training with the Center for Health Equity Research at Northern Arizona University. He is currently involved in research projects addressing relationships between prison-based COVID-19 outbreaks and community spread, and developing innovative ways to strengthen health data systems to improve healthcare use among recently incarcerated individuals.


Brooke Montgomery
Brooke Montgomery, PhD, MPH

Dr. Brooke Montgomery is a behavioral researcher in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. Her research interests include sexual health promotion and the use of qualitative and qualitative research methodologies to investigate the role of social, cultural, and psychological factors on sexual risk and drug using behaviors. She received her PhD and MPH from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. She is currently researching the role of criminal justice system involvement on homeless mothers.


Mofan Gu
Mofan Gu, MPH

Mofan Gu is a PhD candidate in Epidemiology and a data analyst at UAMS. Mofan’s research focuses on the prediction of adverse health outcomes using social and behavioral factors. His current project examines the key predictors for revoked probations in Arkansas. Mofan has methodological expertise in quantitative research. His primary interest includes criminal justice and infectious diseases.


Heather Horton
Heather Horton

Heather Horton is a research coordinator for multiple S-PAC projects that focus on incarceration, PrEP access, and healing from violence. Before coming to UAMS, Heather worked as a health coordinator for people living with HIV in New Orleans and as an advocate for survivors of violence in Northwest Arkansas. She holds a BA and MA in Sociology.


Timikia Jackson is a Community Health Coordinator with S-PAC.  I am an active service volunteer working in the substance use and mental health recovery world for over 17 years. I enjoy helping the community and finding resources for people who want to help themselves. I really love and believe in people. I am a firm believer in second chances and I am ecstatic to work on the S-PAC research team.


For more than 20 years, Dr. O’Dell Johnson has provided wraparound supportive services to individuals challenged with co-morbid mental health disorders in marginalized communities, inclusive of those who have been justice impacted.  His research interests are focused on creating equitable communities in the areas of economics, education, health, and criminal justice reform.  Dr. Johnson holds a master’s degree in Transpersonal Psychology with a specialization a in Community and Health. While matriculating towards his master’s degree, he obtained two master’s certificates, in Transpersonal Health Psychology and Creative Expressive Healing Arts, from Sofia University. He obtained his Ph.D. in Humanistic Psychology from Saybrook University with a specialization in Transformative Studies.


Brooklyn L. Tody is a research technician for the HIV PrEP project.  She is a 2021 honors graduate of Philander Smith College. She received her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry and minored in Criminal Justice. She plans on eventually going back to school for her PhD in Public Health or Epidemiology. Her primary research interests include HIV/STD prevention of the general population and forensic science.

UAMS College of Public Health LogoUAMS College of Public HealthUniversity of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Mailing Address: 4301 West Markham Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
Phone: (501) 526-6614
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy

© 2022 University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences