Faculty

Jody Early, PhD, MS, MCHES, CHWC
Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies
University of Washington Bothell
Jearly3@uw.edu Twitter: @Jody_Early (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Jody Early is a social scientist and Master Certified Community Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and Certified Health and Wellness Coach (CHWC) with an interdisciplinary background that integrates humanities, education, and public health. She has spent over two decades working with and in communities on a number of health related issues, co-designing, administering, and evaluating tailored health education programs and strategies-with the goal of improving health equity and quality of life for individuals and communities. Jody's work with communities is anchored in principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the desire to improve individual and population health through health education and promotion. She is the co-author of the text, The Process of Community Health Education and Promotion (Waveland Press; 3rd edition), and regularly publishes her work in peer reviewed journals relating to public health, global health promotion, communication, education, and technology.
Dr. Early's most recent and current research projects include: co-developing Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment in Agriculture, the first Spanish/English video and workplace training in the U.S. relating to sexual harassment prevention in agriculture-- co-created with Latina farm workers in Washington State, her colleague, Dr. Victoria Breckwich Vasquez, a number of stakeholder groups, and students from the University of Washington. She's currently working on a Spanish/English graphic novella relating to sexual harassment and examining lay health promotion as a form of feminist health activism. Jody's other projects and scholarly collaborations relate to cross-cultural perspectives on "community resilience," college health promotion, and culturally tailored digital health and pedagogy.
Jody is part of the TEACH (Transnational Education and Community Health Collaboratory) Co-Lab, with colleagues on this website (Drs. Murphy, Eagen-Torkko, Barry, Stone, O'Connor (x2) and others) experimenting with collaborative online international learning (COIL) strategies in her classes and examining their impact on student learning, pedagogy, and health promotion praxis. She loves mentoring emerging scholars and health educators, so if you share some of her same research interests, you can reach out to her at Jearly3@uw.edu or find her on Twitter @Jody_Early.
Associate Professor, School of Nursing and Health Studies
University of Washington Bothell
Jearly3@uw.edu Twitter: @Jody_Early (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Jody Early is a social scientist and Master Certified Community Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and Certified Health and Wellness Coach (CHWC) with an interdisciplinary background that integrates humanities, education, and public health. She has spent over two decades working with and in communities on a number of health related issues, co-designing, administering, and evaluating tailored health education programs and strategies-with the goal of improving health equity and quality of life for individuals and communities. Jody's work with communities is anchored in principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR) and the desire to improve individual and population health through health education and promotion. She is the co-author of the text, The Process of Community Health Education and Promotion (Waveland Press; 3rd edition), and regularly publishes her work in peer reviewed journals relating to public health, global health promotion, communication, education, and technology.
Dr. Early's most recent and current research projects include: co-developing Basta! Preventing Sexual Harassment in Agriculture, the first Spanish/English video and workplace training in the U.S. relating to sexual harassment prevention in agriculture-- co-created with Latina farm workers in Washington State, her colleague, Dr. Victoria Breckwich Vasquez, a number of stakeholder groups, and students from the University of Washington. She's currently working on a Spanish/English graphic novella relating to sexual harassment and examining lay health promotion as a form of feminist health activism. Jody's other projects and scholarly collaborations relate to cross-cultural perspectives on "community resilience," college health promotion, and culturally tailored digital health and pedagogy.
Jody is part of the TEACH (Transnational Education and Community Health Collaboratory) Co-Lab, with colleagues on this website (Drs. Murphy, Eagen-Torkko, Barry, Stone, O'Connor (x2) and others) experimenting with collaborative online international learning (COIL) strategies in her classes and examining their impact on student learning, pedagogy, and health promotion praxis. She loves mentoring emerging scholars and health educators, so if you share some of her same research interests, you can reach out to her at Jearly3@uw.edu or find her on Twitter @Jody_Early.

Jenny O'Connor, PhD
Lecturer
School of Humanities -Languages, Tourism and Hospitality
Waterford Institute of Technology
JMOCONNOR@wit.ie (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Jenny O' Connor received her PhD in 2009 from the School of English, Drama and Film at University College Dublin. Her research examines the impact of Deleuzian theory on film studies and upon the intersection of Deleuzian and feminist thought. She has contributed to postgraduate publications, published papers in peer-reviewed online journals such as Rhizomes, and has had chapters in a number of books including Screening Irish-America: Representing Irish-America in Film and Television, Essays in Irish Literary Criticism, Voicing Dissent: New Perspectives in Irish Criticism, Gender and Interpersonal Violence: Language, Action and Representation and Viewpoints: Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Visual Texts. She is currently employed as a lecturer in English and Communications in the School of Humanities at Waterford Institute of Technology where she also teaches health communication modules in the BA of Health Promotion program. She is a committee member of Waterford Film For All, a non-profit organisation that aims to screen non-mainstream film for audiences in the region. Regular screenings take place in Garter Lane Arts Centre (Waterford) on Sunday nights and other events have also been organised in conjunction with Waterford City Council, the Imagine Arts Festival, the Well Festival, Waterford Writers' Weekend, the Irish Film Institute, and the Harvest Festival. These screenings have taken place in venues as diverse as theatres, restaurants, car parks, churches and medical centres.
Lecturer
School of Humanities -Languages, Tourism and Hospitality
Waterford Institute of Technology
JMOCONNOR@wit.ie (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Jenny O' Connor received her PhD in 2009 from the School of English, Drama and Film at University College Dublin. Her research examines the impact of Deleuzian theory on film studies and upon the intersection of Deleuzian and feminist thought. She has contributed to postgraduate publications, published papers in peer-reviewed online journals such as Rhizomes, and has had chapters in a number of books including Screening Irish-America: Representing Irish-America in Film and Television, Essays in Irish Literary Criticism, Voicing Dissent: New Perspectives in Irish Criticism, Gender and Interpersonal Violence: Language, Action and Representation and Viewpoints: Theoretical Perspectives on Irish Visual Texts. She is currently employed as a lecturer in English and Communications in the School of Humanities at Waterford Institute of Technology where she also teaches health communication modules in the BA of Health Promotion program. She is a committee member of Waterford Film For All, a non-profit organisation that aims to screen non-mainstream film for audiences in the region. Regular screenings take place in Garter Lane Arts Centre (Waterford) on Sunday nights and other events have also been organised in conjunction with Waterford City Council, the Imagine Arts Festival, the Well Festival, Waterford Writers' Weekend, the Irish Film Institute, and the Harvest Festival. These screenings have taken place in venues as diverse as theatres, restaurants, car parks, churches and medical centres.

Niahm Murphy, PhD, MSc, BA
Senior Lecturer
School of Health Sciences
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, IRE nmurphy@wit.ie
Twitter: @niamhmurphywit (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr Niamh Murphy has a background in physical education, and Masters and PhD specialisms in exercise physiology, health promotion, and public health. She has over 20 years experience in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in WIT where she leads the IUHPE accredited BSc(Hons) in Public Health and Health Promotion. She has led the Centre for Health Behaviour Research (CHBR; www.wit.ie/chbr ) over the past 9 years and conducts research which is of relevance to real world practice in health. She has a consistent and strong peer reviewed publications record over the past 10 years, with good policy impact. Other esteem measures include contributions to national and European physical activity policy, eg election as steering group member to the European Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) Network, membership of the World Health Organisation Working Group on Social Disadvantage and Physical Activity and leader of the HEPA Europe Working Group on Physical Activity and Social Disadvantage, membership of the communications committee of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health, and National Steering Group member and writer of the National Physical Activity Guidelines and The Physical Activity Plan for Ireland. She was a partner on the WHO and EC DG Sanco project to promote networking and action for healthy and equitable environments for physical activity (PHAN), Join In migrant youth project funded by the EC (DG EAC), and the ISCA Europe MOVE Quality and MOVE Transfer projects which upscale and translate physical activity related projects across Europe. She also spent a year working in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
Niamh is an ex-international athlete, and a keen triathlete. In her spare time she coaches a group of cross country and track and field athletes in Kilkenny City Harriers at least three times a week and is involved in athletics development activities at a national level. She sits on the boards of several community based not for profit associations and loves to participate in local cultural and arts based activities.
Senior Lecturer
School of Health Sciences
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, IRE nmurphy@wit.ie
Twitter: @niamhmurphywit (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr Niamh Murphy has a background in physical education, and Masters and PhD specialisms in exercise physiology, health promotion, and public health. She has over 20 years experience in teaching at both undergraduate and postgraduate level in WIT where she leads the IUHPE accredited BSc(Hons) in Public Health and Health Promotion. She has led the Centre for Health Behaviour Research (CHBR; www.wit.ie/chbr ) over the past 9 years and conducts research which is of relevance to real world practice in health. She has a consistent and strong peer reviewed publications record over the past 10 years, with good policy impact. Other esteem measures include contributions to national and European physical activity policy, eg election as steering group member to the European Health Enhancing Physical Activity (HEPA) Network, membership of the World Health Organisation Working Group on Social Disadvantage and Physical Activity and leader of the HEPA Europe Working Group on Physical Activity and Social Disadvantage, membership of the communications committee of the International Society for Physical Activity and Health, and National Steering Group member and writer of the National Physical Activity Guidelines and The Physical Activity Plan for Ireland. She was a partner on the WHO and EC DG Sanco project to promote networking and action for healthy and equitable environments for physical activity (PHAN), Join In migrant youth project funded by the EC (DG EAC), and the ISCA Europe MOVE Quality and MOVE Transfer projects which upscale and translate physical activity related projects across Europe. She also spent a year working in the School of Public Health at the University of Sydney.
Niamh is an ex-international athlete, and a keen triathlete. In her spare time she coaches a group of cross country and track and field athletes in Kilkenny City Harriers at least three times a week and is involved in athletics development activities at a national level. She sits on the boards of several community based not for profit associations and loves to participate in local cultural and arts based activities.

Meghan Egan-Torkko, PhD, CNM, ARNP
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing and Health Studies, UW Bothell
Eagen@uw.edu (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Egan-Torrko completed her Ph.D. in nursing with a specialization in women’s health at the University of Michigan in 2015, where she was a Rackham Merit Fellow. She has worked as a certified nurse midwife since 2009 and continues to practice with Public Health Seattle-King County, where her practice specializes in family planning and women’s health. Meghan’s scholarship uses a feminist perspective to explore how social structures/norms and life events intersect to affect women’s health outcomes. Previous projects include: stigma management among abortion providers, midwife-physician communication, and the effects of childhood abuse and PTSD on breastfeeding outcomes.
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing and Health Studies, UW Bothell
Eagen@uw.edu (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Egan-Torrko completed her Ph.D. in nursing with a specialization in women’s health at the University of Michigan in 2015, where she was a Rackham Merit Fellow. She has worked as a certified nurse midwife since 2009 and continues to practice with Public Health Seattle-King County, where her practice specializes in family planning and women’s health. Meghan’s scholarship uses a feminist perspective to explore how social structures/norms and life events intersect to affect women’s health outcomes. Previous projects include: stigma management among abortion providers, midwife-physician communication, and the effects of childhood abuse and PTSD on breastfeeding outcomes.

Mairead Barry, MSc, BA(hons)
Lecturer
School of Health Sciences
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, IRE MLBARRY@wit.ie
(pronouns: she/her//hers)
Prof. Barry is a Lecturer in the School of Health Science at Waterford Institute of Technology. She is Co-Course Leader for the MA (Level 9) in Advanced Facilitation Skills for Promoting Health and Well-Being (Formerly known as MA SPHE). She has a BA(hons) in Recreation and Leisure and an MSc by Research from WIT.
Prof. Barry is a member of the Centre for Health Behaviour Research Group at WIT and her areas of research are facilitation for health and well being, social personal and health education and community based health initiatives. She is a member of the Association of Health Promotion Ireland and is on the Interim Board of Directors for the development of a registration system in Ireland for Health Promotion Practitioners.
She is also a member of the Healthy Waterford Steering Committee which is part of the WHO European Network of Healthy Cities (since 2010).
Mairead works at developing partnerships that are mutually beneficial to the School of Health Science at WIT, the community partner and the students learning experience. Such partnerships in Ireland are Squashy Couch Adolescent Health and Information Service, Students Union in WIT, Access Office in WIT, St Vincent de Paul, Waterford Sports Partnership and Waterford Area Partnership.
Lecturer
School of Health Sciences
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, IRE MLBARRY@wit.ie
(pronouns: she/her//hers)
Prof. Barry is a Lecturer in the School of Health Science at Waterford Institute of Technology. She is Co-Course Leader for the MA (Level 9) in Advanced Facilitation Skills for Promoting Health and Well-Being (Formerly known as MA SPHE). She has a BA(hons) in Recreation and Leisure and an MSc by Research from WIT.
Prof. Barry is a member of the Centre for Health Behaviour Research Group at WIT and her areas of research are facilitation for health and well being, social personal and health education and community based health initiatives. She is a member of the Association of Health Promotion Ireland and is on the Interim Board of Directors for the development of a registration system in Ireland for Health Promotion Practitioners.
She is also a member of the Healthy Waterford Steering Committee which is part of the WHO European Network of Healthy Cities (since 2010).
Mairead works at developing partnerships that are mutually beneficial to the School of Health Science at WIT, the community partner and the students learning experience. Such partnerships in Ireland are Squashy Couch Adolescent Health and Information Service, Students Union in WIT, Access Office in WIT, St Vincent de Paul, Waterford Sports Partnership and Waterford Area Partnership.

Andrea Stone, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Health Sciences
University of Washington Bothell
ALStone@uw.edu (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Andrea Stone is a faculty member of the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Washington Bothell. Prior to that appointment, she was an epidemiologist at the Washington State Health and Recovery Services Administration in the division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. She is also a former faculty member of the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS).
Andrea’s research has focused on the promotion of child and young adult health and mental health through epidemiological research examining risk and protective factors associated with behavioral outcomes, and that may be targeted through community-based prevention/ intervention programs. Current research interests also include the impact of cannabis legislation in WA state and issue of diversity, bullying, and adolescent stress in relation to youth substance use. Dr. Stone is the faculty advisor for the UW Bothell student research journal, The Crow, She currently chairs the curriculum committee for the Health Studies undergraduate degree, and has also served on curricular committees for the IAS undergraduate degrees in Society, Ethics, and Behavior; Law Economics and Public Policy, and for the graduate Master of the Arts in Policy Studies degree.
Assistant Professor
School of Health Sciences
University of Washington Bothell
ALStone@uw.edu (pronouns: she/her/hers)
Dr. Andrea Stone is a faculty member of the School of Nursing and Health Studies at the University of Washington Bothell. Prior to that appointment, she was an epidemiologist at the Washington State Health and Recovery Services Administration in the division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse. She is also a former faculty member of the University of Washington Bothell’s School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences (IAS).
Andrea’s research has focused on the promotion of child and young adult health and mental health through epidemiological research examining risk and protective factors associated with behavioral outcomes, and that may be targeted through community-based prevention/ intervention programs. Current research interests also include the impact of cannabis legislation in WA state and issue of diversity, bullying, and adolescent stress in relation to youth substance use. Dr. Stone is the faculty advisor for the UW Bothell student research journal, The Crow, She currently chairs the curriculum committee for the Health Studies undergraduate degree, and has also served on curricular committees for the IAS undergraduate degrees in Society, Ethics, and Behavior; Law Economics and Public Policy, and for the graduate Master of the Arts in Policy Studies degree.

Robert O’Connor, MSc, BSc(Hons)
Lecturer
School of Science & Computing,
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, IRE
roconnor@wit.ie
Twitter: @curlybert
(pronouns: he/him/his)
Robert (Rob) O’Connor is a faculty member in the School of Science & Computing at WIT, where he lectures in computer programming and digital media. Concurrently, he is an active participant in the Irish arts scene, particularly in music and theatre. Recently, he has been researching the educational aspects of new media technologies and produces a number of podcasts in the educational and cultural space. His prior research work is all in technological disciplines and he is excited to contribute with the other team members on this project.
Robert (Rob) O’Connor is a faculty member in the School of Science & Computing at WIT, where he lectures in computer programming and digital media. Concurrently, he is an active participant in the Irish arts scene, particularly in music and theatre. Recently, he has been researching the educational aspects of new media technologies and produces a number of podcasts in the educational and cultural space. His prior research work is all in technological disciplines and he is excited to contribute with the other team members on this project.
Lecturer
School of Science & Computing,
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford, IRE
roconnor@wit.ie
Twitter: @curlybert
(pronouns: he/him/his)
Robert (Rob) O’Connor is a faculty member in the School of Science & Computing at WIT, where he lectures in computer programming and digital media. Concurrently, he is an active participant in the Irish arts scene, particularly in music and theatre. Recently, he has been researching the educational aspects of new media technologies and produces a number of podcasts in the educational and cultural space. His prior research work is all in technological disciplines and he is excited to contribute with the other team members on this project.
Robert (Rob) O’Connor is a faculty member in the School of Science & Computing at WIT, where he lectures in computer programming and digital media. Concurrently, he is an active participant in the Irish arts scene, particularly in music and theatre. Recently, he has been researching the educational aspects of new media technologies and produces a number of podcasts in the educational and cultural space. His prior research work is all in technological disciplines and he is excited to contribute with the other team members on this project.