About us
What we do
Dr. Nash is interested in combining community-engagement with population-based and/or publicly-available data sources, as well as using both quantitative and qualitative methods, to understand and address health disparities and contribute to the pursue of health equity. She also has extensive training in nutritional epidemiology and cancer prevention, and is interested in modifiable risk and protective factors (including healthcare access) for incidence of and mortality from cancer and other chronic diseases. Her students are engaged in a wide variety of research spanning cancer surveillance and epidemiology, nutritional epidemiology, and health equity.
Who we are
Sarah Nash, PhD, MPH
(she/her/hers)
Sarah is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa, with a secondary appointment in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health; and, an Adjunct appointment at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Department of Biology and Wildlife. She is also the Director of Research, Analytics, and Dissemination at the Iowa Cancer Registry, and a Co-Lead for Community Outreach and Engagement at the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Breanna Greteman, PhD, MPH
(she/her/hers)
Breanna is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. She recently completed her PhD with Dr. Mary Charlton, with a Graduate Research Assistantship with Dr. Nash at the Iowa Cancer Registry. Breanna’s primary research interests are in colorectal cancer screening, diagnosis, and outcome inequities, particularly for those in the intersections of sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., race/ethnicity, rurality, SES). In her postdoc with Dr. Nash, Dr. Greteman will primarily be working on projects related to weight stigma and cancer treatment.
Morgan Wolff, MPH
(she/her/hers)
Morgan is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. She has a Graduate Research Assistantship with the University of Iowa's Grad Success Center, and she also works with the Multi-Site Osteoarthritis Study (MOST) on dietary assessment and physical activity measurement. Morgan's primary research interests are in dietary assessment; nutritional epidemiology; and the role of diet in the development of osteoarthritis and knee pain.
Jamie Sorensen, MPH
(she/her/hers)
Jamie is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. She has a Graduate Research Assistantship with Dr. Nash, focused on projects related to cancer care delivery among AIAN people, weight stigma, and cancer screening. She has also worked with Dr. Gilbertson-White (UI College of Nursing), focused on delivery of supportive interventions to cancer survivors. Jamie's primary research interests are in cancer screening disparities, particularly among rural communities.
Erin Wissler Gerdes, MA
(she/her/hers)
Erin is a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. Erin has a Graduate Research Assistantship with Dr. Nash working on the Cancer Mapping Project. Erin's primary research interests are in women's health and cancer prevention.
Where are they now?
We are really proud of our trainees in the Nash lab; we think rightly so. Here are some of our former lab members and where they ended up.
Emma Herbach, PhD
(she/her/hers)
Emma (PhD '22) was a PhD student in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Iowa. Emma's primary mentor was Dr. Mary Charlton; however, we considered Emma an honorary member of the Nash lab! After graduating from UIowa, Emma joined a T32 training program at the Unviersity of Miami, where her work focused on community engaged cancer research.
Ashley Williams, MPH
(she/her/hers)
Ashley (MPH '23) was an MPH student in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health who worked in the lab to understand how experiences of racism impact African American Iowans' interaction with the healthcare system, specifically cancer care. After graduating from UIowa, Ashley joined the UIHC as a Program Evaluator.
People we work with
There is no "I" in Research. Here are some of the folx we are proud to work with to reduce the burden of cancer and other chronic diseases in Iowa, and across the US.
