The Arkansas Center for Health Disparities (ARCHD) was awarded a five-year research training grant in 2020 by the National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities. Funded by the Office of Behavior and Social Sciences Research, (OBSSR) this brand-new, cutting-edge program will create a cohort of researchers who can critically address the severe health inequalities in the state through advanced data analytics.
The ARCHD-T32 Program is part of a national network of esteemed universities that are also funded by the OBSSR at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The participating universities are Emory University, Johns Hopkins University, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, University of California at San Diego, University of California at San Francisco, and the University of Washington.
The NIH supported Training in Advanced Data Analytics for Behavioral and Social Science (TADA-BSSR) T32 program seeks to support the development of a cohort of specialized predoctoral candidates who will possess advanced competencies in data science analytics to apply to an increasingly complex landscape of behavioral and social health-related big data. Our trainees will actively participate with students and mentors from the institutions described in the links below. In addition, program staff from five NIH institutes and the Office of Behavioral and Social Science Research (OBSSR) will be participating in shared activities to develop state-of-the-art training programs for incorporating advanced analytic techniques into Ph.D. programs in the social sciences.
Meet our Trainees
Toni Wall Jaudon, Ph.D. (English), MA is a doctoral student in the Health Systems and Services Research degree program in the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. Her research interests include methods for causal inference, quantitative approaches to problems in implementation science, and health disparities affecting women, LGBTQ+ populations, and persons with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Her goal for the T32 is to develop skills in advanced analytic methods and quasi-experimental study design, which she will use in studies of policy implementation that amplify or reduce health disparities.
Benjamin Kaimukilwa, MPH is a Ph.D. candidate in the Epidemiology doctoral degree program at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, where he earned his Master of Public Health degree. His research focuses on understanding and addressing disparities in mental health, health-related quality of life, and early-onset cancers among adolescents and adults. Drawing on social determinants of health frameworks, Benjamin integrates community-engaged and culturally tailored approaches to examine how structural, environmental, and behavioral factors shape population health. Through quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods research, his work aims to develop and evaluate interventions that promote resilience, reduce stigma, and advance health equity across diverse populations.
Ariel Morrow, MPH, CHES, is a doctoral student in the Health Promotion and Prevention Research degree program at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. She earned her Master of Public Health degree in Community Health Education from Southern Illinois University- Carbondale and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Her research interests include maternal and child health, intimate partner violence prevention, and community-based participatory research. Through her work with the Ujima Maternity Network, she supports data-informed initiatives that address perinatal mental health and racial and ethnic healthcare disparities in birthing outcomes. Ariel aims to apply advanced data analytics and implementation science methods to identify structural drivers of maternal health inequities and to inform equitable, evidence-based interventions across community and clinical settings.
Olabowale Olola, MPH, BS is a doctoral candidate in the Epidemiology doctoral degree program at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health. She graduated with a Master of Public Health degree in Epidemiology and an Advanced Certificate in Sustainability Leadership from the University at Buffalo, SUNY. Her research interests include maternal and child health, environmental risk factors, birth defects, racial disparities, and causal/mediation analysis. She is a research assistant for the Arkansas Center for Excellence in Birth Defects Research and Prevention and the college’s Center for the Study of Obesity. Olabowale’s career goal is to apply advanced analytical methods to identify and mitigate exposures, such as racial, social, and environmental drivers, that contribute to advanced perinatal outcomes and birth defects.
Benefits of becoming an ARCHD-T32 Trainee
- Stipends of $30,000 a year
- Collaboration with a national network of T32 sites
- Access to travel & research funds
- Externship opportunities at collaborating programs
- Advanced training in data analytics and informatics
- Diverse mentorship
- A significant training accomplishment for your CV
Join Us
How to Apply
If you are enrolled or plan to enroll in one of our participating Ph.D. programs (Epidemiology, Health Promotion and Prevention Research, Health Systems and Services Research, Nursing, or Pharmaceutical Evaluation and Policy) we’d like to hear from you! Ph.D. students with an interest in disparities research and with the quantitative skills for conducting advanced analytics research are strongly encouraged to apply.
Scholarships and Assistantships
A limited number of research assistantships for the Health Promotion and Prevention research doctoral degree program are available on a competitive basis for qualified students that cover tuition and up to $30,000 a year in stipends for up to three years.
We also offer a pre-doctoral scholarship (ARCHD-T32) for students with an interest in health disparities research and advanced data analytics. This four-year program is funded by a grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Disparities, and includes an annual stipend and tuition discounts. To learn more about this program, visit our ARCHD-T32 web page, or contact Mick Tilford, Ph.D., at TilfordMickJ@uams.edu.
Application Requirements:
To apply, please email the following materials to our Program Coordinator, Shawna Grisham at sgrisham@uams.edu.
- Resume or CV
- Transcripts (unofficial)
- Letter of Recommendation from PhD Program Director
- Research Statement: see directions below.
Please describe how learning advanced analytics will help you reach a better understanding of healthcare disparities; how you plan to use training in advanced analytics and healthcare disparities in your research goals; and where you would like to see your career in five years following training in the ARCHD-T32 program.
Questions?
For more information, please contact our Principal Investigators below or the Director of the Ph.D. program in which you are enrolled.
J. Mick Tilford, PhD
Professor and Chair
Health Policy & Management
tilfordmickj@uams.edu
Jonathan Bona, PhD
Assistant Professor
Biomedical Informatics
jpbona@uams.edu