Faculty

Dr. Nikhil Ahuja

103 Jack Dinger Building – Suite 109
Phone: 724.738.4480
Email: nikhil.ahuja@sru.edu

Dr. Nikhil Ahuja, PhD, MDS, BDS is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences at Slippery Rock University. He received his PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the School of Public Health at the University of Memphis. Prior to coming to the United States (US), Dr. Ahuja received his Bachelor's degree in Dentistry and Master's degree in Public Health Dentistry from India. He then worked for three years as a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Public Health Dentistry in India, where he was involved in public health teaching, research, and other service activities. Dr. Ahuja has extensive public health practice experience with various non-governmental and private public health organizations in India.

Dr. Ahuja has gained valuable experience by working with different research teams in the US and India, and has published on projects related to tobacco control, substance use prevention and treatment, oral cancer, and other oral health-related issues in the peer-reviewed journals. His doctoral research was focused on examining individual, interpersonal, and environmental/policy level factors associated with e-cigarette quit intention and behavior among US adolescents. Dr. Ahuja is an active member of American Public Health Association (APHA), Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), and Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry (IAPHD); he has also presented his research work at meetings and conferences of these organizations.

Some of the courses taught by Dr. Ahuja in the Public Health Program include Health and Behavior Change, Health and Wellness Coaching, and Health Marketing and Communication. He plans to further expand his research addressing tobacco/e-cigarettes, opioids, and other substance use issues, especially among youth/young adults, underserved groups, or racial minority populations in the US, by collaborating with local health agencies and community-based organizations. He is also passionate about contributing to global health, especially global tobacco control and oral cancer research.

Dr. Adaeze Aroh

103 Jack Dinger Building – Suite 121
Phone: 724.738.2258
Email: adaeze.aroh@sru.edu

Dr. Adaeze Aroh is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences, within the College of Health Professions, at Slippery Rock University. She earned her Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) and Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy from the University of Kentucky and Master of Science degree in Health Informatics from Northern Kentucky University.

Dr. Aroh is a health policy management scientist and digital health transformation strategist with over 15 years of global public health, financial services, health services research, information technology, and project management expertise. She has extensive experience using community based participatory research methodologies to reduce disparities and improve outcomes in underserved populations and communities.

Her research interest and experience are in the areas of chronic disease prevention (cancer, heart diseases, obesity, and type 2 diabetes), health information technology, and application of mobile health technologies in population health.

Dr. Aroh is a member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), and Project Management Institute (PMI).

Dr. Tarek Eshak

103 Jack Dinger Building – Suite 112
Phone: 724.738.4424
Email: tarek.eshak@sru.edu

Tarek B. Eshak, MD, MPH, DrPH is an Assistant Professor of Public Health Sciences where he teaches epidemiology, biostatistics, introduction to study of diseases, and health service administration to both undergraduate and graduate students.

Prior to joining Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania, Dr. Eshak was a post-doctoral fellow with Harrisburg University of Science and Technology (2021-2022) where he supported the planning and implementation of the State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP) project in Pennsylvania. Dr. Eshak also held a Research Assistant position with the Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Public Health (2018-2022) where he worked on evaluating the syndemic impact of substance abuse, depression, and diabetes on retention in care (RIC) among people living with HIV (PLHIV). He also studied the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on RIC outcomes. Dr. Eshak holds a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery (MBBCh. (MD)) from the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt where he has maintained his medical license with the Egyptian Medical Syndicate since 2002.

For almost 20 years, Dr. Eshak has been engaged in global health practice through an extensive working and living experiences across different settings around the world. Right after completing his Master of Public Health (MPH) degree from VU University in The Netherlands in 2011, Dr. Eshak started his international assignments as a public health advisor where he supported the development of HIV prevention, treatment, and care services across countries in the Middle-East and North Africa (MENA) and Central Asia. In addition, Dr. Eshak has a substantial experience leading public health programs with international development agencies such as WHO, GFATM, World Bank, USAID, FHI360, UNODC, and UNAIDS.

Presently, Dr. Eshak has a research focus on addressing the syndemic of infectious diseases, mental illness, and substance use disorders and examining their impact on health outcomes among vulnerable populations including PLHIV, adolescents, minority groups, and incarcerated populations.

Dr. Marcy Leeds

103 Jack Dinger Building – Suite 120
Phone: 724.738.2269
Email:marcy.leeds@sru.edu

Dr. Marcy Leeds, RDN, is a tenured Professor in the Undergraduate Public Health Program in
the Department of Public Health Science within the College of Health Professions at Slippery Rock
University. Currently, she the faculty advisor for the public health majors’ student organization, the Collegiate Chapter of the Pennsylvania Public Health Association of Slippery Rock University. Since the mid-1980s, she has been a faculty member at Slippery Rock University in the Undergraduate Public Health Program.

Dr. Leeds is active in a variety of community service activities. She is the Founder and Director of the Milk and Health Fund, a non-profit organization that provides powdered milk and public health education to under-privileged youth in rural Southeast Asia, as well as healthcare supplies and training to public health paraprofessionals and professionals who are based in the surrounding communities. On a more local level, Dr. Leeds is the founder and director of Food for Fitness, which provides nutrition and health presentations at events for communities surrounding the University. She also was the founder and director of the Sports Nutrition Education Resource Center which received national acclaim for its sports nutrition publications and work with athletes.

Dr. Leeds has taught numerous graduate and undergraduate courses within the Public Health Science Department. She is presently teaching six different undergraduate courses: Nutrition and Health, Introduction to Public Health, Environmental Health, International (Global) Health, Women’s Health Issues, and FYRST Seminar (a freshman seminar) for Public Health majors. In the classroom, Dr. Leeds is best known by her students for her community service learning group projects. One such project is the annual Earth Day Festival that is presented by her Environmental Health classes, and which is widely attended by university and community members.

Dr Leeds has published and presented extensively as well as received several grants in the field of public health. She wrote a nutrition textbook entitled Nutrition for Healthy Living that was published by William. C. Brown. Dr. Leeds has published profusely in peer-reviewed journals and made numerous professional presentations at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels on a variety of public health topics. Most recently she has published journal articles on health promotion and disease prevention, as well as on cardiovascular disease and obesity.

Dr. Joseph Robare

Joseph F. Robare, DrPH, MS, RD, LDN
103 Jack Dinger Building – Suite 110
Phone: 724.738.2943
Email: joseph.robare@sru.edu

Education
DrPH, University of Pittsburgh;
MS, Indiana University of Pennsylvania;
RD, Indiana University of Pennsylvania;
BS, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Research Interests
Nutrition and chronic disease prevention focusing on SDoH.

Background
Dr. Joseph F. Robare, DrPH, MS, RD holds a DrPH in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh, an MS in Nutrition from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, a BS in Nutrition from the University of Massachusetts, and a Registered Dietitians License through the Commission on Dietetic Registration. Presently, Dr. Robare is an Associate Professor and MPH Program Director at Slippery Rock University, College of Health Professions.

Dr. Robare is a Board Member of the Pennsylvania Rural Health Association, serving as Vice President. Dr. Robare continues to mentor doctoral students as a committee chair/member at Walden University, School of Health Professions. Prior to SRU, Dr. Robare was a Social Science Research Analyst/Project Officer for the United States Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service, Office of Policy Support. He developed and managed large national research studies that informed policy making and management decisions for federal nutrition assistance programs. Dr. Robare plans to continue his research in chronic disease prevention/health promotion and wellness.

Dr. Alexander Ufelle

103 Jack Dinger Building – Suite 106
Phone: 724.738.4484
Email: alexander.ufelle@sru.edu

Dr. Alexander Chukwuma Ufelle, MBBS, MPH, Ph.D., DABT.
Dr. Ufelle is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences. He has been a faculty member at Slippery Rock University since the fall of 2016. He received a medical degree from Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Nigeria, a Master of Public Health degree from Western Kentucky University, and a Ph.D. in Public Health with a specialty in Environmental and Occupational Health and Molecular Toxicology from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. He completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, and Graduate School of Public Health.

His research focuses on Indoor and Outdoor Air Quality, Environmental Justice, Groundwater contamination, Noise-induced Hearing Loss, Pulmonary Toxicology, Mechanisms of Chemical-Induced Liver Diseases, and Extracellular Matrix Protein's role in Diseases. Dr. Ufelle is an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA), National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), and Society of Toxicology (SOT). He has presented his research work at meetings and conferences of these organizations.

He is a member of the Pittsburgh Liver Research Center, working on the mechanism of Carbon Tetrachloride-induced Non-alcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH), and an academic visitor at the University of Pittsburgh, working on the mechanism of Arsenic-promoted Insulin Resistance.

Dr. Ufelle is a Board-Certified Toxicologist with the American Board of Toxicology (ABT) and a contributing author to Casarett & Doull’s Toxicology: The Basic Science of Poisons, Ninth Edition and Comprehensive Toxicology, Third Edition. Some of the courses taught by Dr. Ufelle include Foundation of Environmental and Occupational Toxicology, Environmental and Occupational Exposure Monitoring Analysis and Control, Occupational and Environmental Health Science, Assessment and Communication of Occupational and Environmental Health Risk, and other graduate-level Public Health courses. Dr. Ufelle has an active research program at SRU and mentors undergraduate and graduate students.

Dr. Adelle Williams

103 Jack Dinger Building - Suite 122
Phone: 724.738.2855
Email: adelle.williams@sru.edu

Adelle M. Williams, PhD, MBA, is currently a Professor and the chairperson of the Department of Public Health Sciences and the Gerontology Coordinator for the University. She has taught at SRU for 30 years and she has taught nineteen courses in various areas which include: gerontology, health (community/international/personal), health administration, counseling, career and professional development, and women’s issues.

She has extensive experience in the clinical, administrative, and research aspects as they pertain to health and the aging process. She authored a textbook entitled “Helping Relationships with Older Persons” published by SAGE. Her publications and research interests are in the areas of gerontology, mental health, cultural diversity, administration, and health and her publications have appeared in numerous refereed journals. Some of her publications have appeared in the Journal of Professional Safety, Journal of Public Health Issues and Practices, Journal of Aging and Long-Term Care, Current Aging Science, Journal of Allied Health, Journal of Health Administration Education, Physical Therapy Education, American Journal of Occupational Therapy, Journal of Long-Term Care Administration, The Gerontologist, and the Journal of Public Health Issues and Practices.

Dr. Williams has delivered professional presentations at the local, state, national and international levels and she has been invited to deliver keynote addresses at several commencements, including Slippery Rock University. She has served in numerous capacities within the University: Assistant to the Dean for the College of Health, Environment and Science, Chairperson for the Public Health Department, Professor and Director of the Aging Specialization within the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program, Director of the Health Services Administration Program, Co-Developer of the Long-Term Care Administration Specialization and Faculty Liaison to Queen Margaret College in Edinburg, Scotland. Dr. Williams teaches at the graduate and undergraduate levels, serves on many departmental committees, and she is an experienced educator, clinician, researcher, and administrator.

Public Health Sciences

Faculty

Public Health Sciences

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