Title(s): Assistant Professor
Department: Health Management and Policy
Office: N240 CPHB
Phone: (319) 467-4402
Social: Twitter feed
Whitney Zahnd, PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Management and Policy and full member of the Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research employs health services research, social epidemiological, and spatial methods to address rural cancer disparities across the continuum and to evaluate access to health care services. Dr. Zahnd serves on the board of the Iowa Rural Health Association. Before joining the University of Iowa faculty, Dr. Zahnd completed post-doctoral training and served as research faculty at the Rural & Minority Health Research Center at the University of South Carolina. Prior to earning her doctorate in community health from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2018, she worked for eleven years as a master’s trained researcher at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine supporting rural health and cancer disparities research.
Dr. Zahnd leads the Advancing Cancer and Rural Equity (ACRE) lab where she works with students at all levels to help them develop research and professional skills to reduce rural health disparities and improve health care access and equity. She aims to support students in meeting their academic and career goals.
Courses Taught
- Introduction to Healthcare Organization and Policy
- Primary Data and Mixed Methods
Research Interests
- Rural health
- Cancer disparities
- Access to care
- Social determinants of health
- Social epidemiology
- Geographic information systems/spatial statistics
Background
Affiliations
In the News
- Iowa hospitals face increasing financial challenges
- Zahnd awarded grant to study screening for social needs in rural settings
- Article by Whitney Zahnd honored for research impact
- Zahnd discusses national broadband map
- The Power of Stories
- Zahnd’s article is among top 5 most-read
- Zahnd writes about collaboration to address cancer inequities
- Zahnd to chair Journal of Rural Health editorial board
- Zahnd addresses increasing death in rural America
- Zahnd comments on rural access to health care services
- Zahnd receives 2021 New Faculty Research Award for rural cancer project
- Zahnd discusses rural cancer care
- Study examines US rural cancer control plans to address disparities
- Zahnd comments on nursing shortages in rural hospitals