Newswise — New Brunswick, NJ -  The Rutgers School of Public Health is excited to announce that Racquel (Kelly) Kohler, PhD, has joined the department of health behavior, society, and policy, as an instructor, and the Center for Cancer Health Equity at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey as a member.

Kohler is trained in health services research and behavioral sciences. Her research focuses on cancer health disparities, dissemination and implementation science, and the prevention and control of cervical cancer, with the goal of improving cancer control among socially and economically marginalized populations both domestically and globally.

Kohler's work begins with community outreach and follows individuals through diagnosis to oncology care, using qualitative and quantitative methods to address psychosocial, health system, and structural barriers to cancer services among underserved populations.

At Rutgers, she will focus on community-based, multi-level interventions in socioeconomically disadvantaged and underserved racial/ethnic populations in New Jersey, while also continuing her cervical cancer research in Botswana.

“Our department is thrilled to add Dr. Kohler to its ranks,” said Paul Duberstein, PhD, chair of the department of behavioral health, society, and policy. “Dr. Kohler’s expertise in interdisciplinary behavioral health sciences and her commitment to addressing health inequities will positively enrich our School. She will be a terrific role model for our students.”

“Dr. Kohler joins the expanding Center for Cancer Health Equity at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey,” said Anita Kinney, PhD, director of the Center for Cancer Health Equity and associate director for cancer health equity and engagement at Rutgers Cancer Institute. “Her research interests and expertise complement our commitment to social justice, engagement of community partners in research, and a biopsychosocial perspective. Dr. Kohler will immensely improve New Jersey’s efforts in cancer prevention and screening, and her work will help us meet our goal of overcoming the significant patterns of disparity in cancer risk and survival in New Jersey’s communities, and multi-ethnic and socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.”

“I’m excited to join the Rutgers School of Public Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute,” said Kohler. “I look forward to partnering with my colleagues and community organizations to bring women’s voices to cancer intervention design and implementation.”

Kohler has a PhD in health services research and an MSPH in health policy and management from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to joining Rutgers, she completed post-doctoral fellowship at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, working with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

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The Rutgers School of Public Health is New Jersey’s only accredited school of public health that seeks to improve health and prevent disease in diverse populations in New Jersey and around the world through educating students to become well-qualified and effective public health leaders, researchers, and practitioners; conducting research to advance public health science and policies; and providing service programs that promote population and individual health. Visit us at https://sph.rutgers.edu and follow us on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and LinkedIn to learn how we're "keeping the ‘public’ in public health.”