Research

Our Precision Health research focus builds on Lehigh’s strengths in biological and chemical disciplines to leverage data and develop prevention strategies based on individual variability in genes, biomarkers, environment, and lifestyle.

Research areas

Asthma speciation

Obesity

Sex-dimorphism

Biomarker development and validation

Predictive modeling for screening and diagnosis

Development and evaluation of decision-support tools

Leveraging Lehigh’s traditional technology strengths, our Health Innovation & Technology research aims to develop diagnostics, devices, and data analytics to improve health outcomes.

Research areas

Biological and Environmental Sensing and Diagnostics

Institute for Indigenous Studies

The Institute for Indigenous Studies partners and collaborates with Indigenous peoples, nations, communities, and organizations to improve the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of Indigenous peoples throughout the Western Hemisphere. Researchers work with Indigenous peoples, nations, communities, and organizations to identify and address the current health and education needs of Indigenous peoples using a multi-level socio-ecological framework and partners with tribal and community organizations, colleges, universities, and other academic institutions to develop culturally appropriate research methodologies and frameworks that can be used to address the health and education needs of Indigenous peoples.

Examples of current research includes:

Tobacco cessation
COVID-19
Contemporary Indigenous identity
Grant writing and research training programs for Native community members
Cultural education programs for non-Natives

Institute for Indigenous Studies research is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, the National Institutes of Health, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Cancer Society.

Current research scientists:

Photo Justin Begaye

Justin Begaye, MSW, MPA (Navajo) - Justin Begaye has been involved with community-based participatory research since 2007. He earned his Bachelor's in Social Work in 2010 from the University of Kansas, his Master in Social Work in 2011 from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and a 2nd Master of Public Administration in 2015 from the University of Kansas. His research interests lie heavily with qualitative data collection and community-based participatory research.

Photo of Ryan Goeckner

Ryan Goeckner, MA, PhD Student - Ryan Goeckner is a doctoral student in cultural anthropology at The Ohio State University. Since 2014, he has worked with American Indian Health Research and Education Alliance partners on a variety of projects related to American Indian health and identities. His dissertation research focuses on participation in Lakota resistance rides (such as the Dakota 38+2 and Bigfoot Memorial Rides) as a means to develop senses of community belonging and their relationship to mental health.

Photo of Jordyn Gunville

Jordyn Gunville, MPH, PhD Student (Cheyenne River Sioux) - Jordyn A. Gunville, MPH, enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, is a doctoral student and a Robert Wood Johnson-Health Policy Research Scholar in the School of Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center. She received her Master of Public Health at the University of Kansas Medical Center as a Susan G. Komen Scholar, where she was awarded the Analee E. "Betsy" Beisecker Public Health Excellence Student Award. Jordyn was a Zegar Scholar at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health where she completed a Public Health Training Certificate for American Indian Health Professionals. Jordyn is a Senior Research Scientist for the Institute of Indigenous Studies in the College of Health at Lehigh University, where she is involved with numerous research projects.

Born and raised on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation, she has gained the first-hand experience of understanding health disparities and health barriers American Indian’s face. She dedicated her life goals to serving her community and other American Indian communities to improve the overall health of community members and gap health disparities by addressing the social determinants of health. Jordyn’s research focuses on Maternal, Infant and Child Health, Health Policy, Social Determinants of Health, Indigenous Health, Access to Healthcare, and Tobacco Cessation.

Photo of River Gunville

River Gunville, BS (Cheyenne River Sioux) - River Gunville, BA, is an enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe (CRST). She was raised on the CRST reservation in South Dakota. Her experiences growing up on the reservation have fueled her passion for a career in research and medicine. River received a Bachelor of Arts in Medical Anthropology with minors in Biology and Public Health from Creighton University in 2018. River currently serves as a Research Scientist for the Institute of Indigenous Studies in the College of Health at Lehigh University, where she is involved with numerous research projects such as, All Nations Breath of Life (ANBL), a culturally-appropriate smoking cessation program, and various projects focusing on COVID-19 in Native communities. River’s research interests include environmental, mental, and community health. As an aspiring physician and researcher, River’s goals are to address health disparities on a community and clinical level.

Photo of Jason Hale

Jason Hale, MA (Prairie Band Potawatomi) - Jason Hale is a Senior Research Scientist in the College of Health and the Institute for Indigenous Studies. His current research includes reducing smoking among American Indians through the development and implementation of culturally-tailored smoking cessation interventions. He is also now actively working on a research project with American Indian tribal communities to understand the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of American Indians surrounding COVID-19. Hale’s other research interests and community engagement work include weight loss, nutrition, and American Indians in higher education.

Photo of Charley Lewis

Charley Lewis, MPH, PhD Student (Paiute/Navajo) - Charley is an enrolled member of the Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe, and a doctoral student in the Health Policy and Management program at the University of Kansas Medical Center. He has been working in the field of public health for almost ten years. His research interests are tobacco cessation among American Indians and increasing American Indians in higher education.

Photo of Joe Pacheco

Joseph Pacheco, MPH, ABD (Quechua/Cherokee) - Joseph Pacheco is a senior research scientist for the Institute for Indigenous Studies at Lehigh’s College of Health. He has had extensive experience working in the field of public health and has conducted prevention and implementation research for over ten years. He is currently in the dissertation phase of his PhD program in Health Policy and Management at the University of Kansas Medical Center, and he aims to understand commercial and traditional tobacco use and tobacco control policy views among American Indians. He looks forward to working with Indigenous populations in the realm of environmental health to improve access to care, reduce barriers to care, and develop new and innovative interventions to reduce health disparities.

Photo of Luke Swimmer

Luke Swimmer, MBA (Eastern Band Cherokee) - Luke Swimmer is a member of the Eastern Band Cherokee from the Qualla Boundary in North Carolina. I am currently project manager for tANBL (telephone All Nations Breath of Life) a telephone based smoking cessation program tailored for Native Americans. I enjoy working on community based participatory research within Native communities that focus on health disparities and language/cultural revitalization.

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Contact: Professor Sean Daley, Director

Our state-of-the-art Health, Science and Technology building is home to a number of cutting edge resources including: the Health Data Warehouse, the Artificial Intelligence and Data Visualization Laboratory, the Community Partnership Engagement Space and more.

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Anand Jagota, Associate Dean for Research
anj6@lehigh.edu
(610) 758-4396