Welcome Jarron Saint Onge, New IAPHS Population Health Blog Editor

We’re pleased to welcome Dr. Jarron Saint Onge as our new Blog Editor. And we send a huge, enthusiastic THANK YOU to Dr. Danya Keene, who served us so ably and thoughtfully as our Blog Editor the last two years. 

We talked with Dr. Saint Onge about his research and his vision for the blog.

Tell us about your background.

I am an Associate Professor with training as a sociologist/demographer. I work in a joint position in the Department of Sociology and Population Health at the University of Kansas and the University of Kansas Medical Center. I am consistently navigating the opportunities and challenges of working in two different locations, teaching very diverse student populations, and engaging with the unique institutional cultures that come with a college of liberal arts and social sciences compared to a school of medicine.

What are your current research projects?

I’m always working on several projects related to social determinants of health, particularly related to context and health lifestyles. I’m currently focused on the relationship between rural food/exercise environments and health behaviors. I am also really excited about two new projects, both with other IAPHS members. The first, with Erika Blacksher is focused on using deliberative models to gauge and communicate health equity. The second, with Dorothy Daley, is a project integrating climate change data with racial health equity outcomes.

What are some areas you’d like to explore in the blog, and how can folks get in touch with you to pitch a blog idea?

I am really looking to highlight new and innovative ideas that can help us to better communicate and engage with one another as a research/practitioner/policy community. I would also like to learn more about how population health scientists are collaborating within health systems, and I am particularly interested in highlighting community-engaged research. I believe that our respective departments would also benefit from more of an open dialogue about what is and what isn’t working as we continue to build more population health departments.

Also, I would love to prioritize any ideas that can help emerging scholars to highlight their work, navigate their careers, secure funding, manage life/work issues, or assist in making connections to the broader community.

The best way to reach me is jsaintonge@ku.edu. I’m always happy to talk through ideas if you prefer.

What do you do for fun?

Fun is getting outside. I spend a lot of time trying to get away from my house, preferably on a bike, in a tent, or going to see music. It’s somewhat unknown that Kansas has great mountain biking as well as gravel riding and is not too far from Colorado for skiing.

Anything you’d like to add, talk about, or share?

I am open to any blog ideas. Writing a post is a quick and enjoyable way to highlight your work or advice. Feel free to let us know about something you are excited about presenting at the upcoming annual meeting. So please reach out. I’m always amazed at the diverse work of IAPHS members and look forward to hearing from you.

The perennial IAPHS question: Donuts or onion rings?

Errrhhh…at the risk of offending all,  I’m not a huge fan of either, but I guess it really depends on the time of day. Not really into mixing onion rings and coffee, but maybe I’m missing out on something great!?