I am an assistant professor of health policy and management at Texas A&M School of Public Health.

I am an interdisciplinary social scientist exploring how rural Americans engage with the political process and the health care system in the United States. I am passionate about mentoring and teaching, and am committed to pedagogy that sparks curiosity, facilitates genuine and active engagement, and ultimately meets all students where they're at.

My research and teaching interests broadly focus on health politics, public opinion and political behavior, and rural health policy. My current work evaluates the role of place-based identity in how rural Americans view health and social policies, the framing of substance use policy issues in political campaign advertisements, and improving cancer prevention in rural communities. My work has been published in peer-reviewed journals including JAMA Health Forum, Vaccine, Journal of Prevention, and Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law.  I was the co-editor of Rural Healthy People 2030 and have also authored policy reports for the Montana Department of Justice and the Public Health Institute of Western Massachusetts.

I hold a PhD in Health Policy and Political Analysis from Harvard University, an MPH in Health and Social Behavior from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and an AB in Government and Health Policy from Harvard College. I have a professional background in political communications and have served as a senior aide in U.S. House and Senate offices. I am a proud Montanan, outdoors enthusiast, and human companion for a tireless yellow Labrador retriever named Haxby.