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Faculty & Staff Profiles

Program Director, Bachelor of Science in Public Health, and Associate Professor, Public Health Sciences

Health Sciences Campus, Lake Shore Campus

Faculty photo for Julie Darnell
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    • I am an associate proofessor and the Director of the Bachelor of Science in Public Health in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Parkinson School of Health Sciences and Public Health. With degrees in government, health policy, and social work and years of experience conducting research from the vantage of programs and schools of public health, I have devoted myself to improving the lives of our nation’s most marginalized populations through my practice-based, collaborative scholarship, volunteerism, and teaching. I am particularly passionate about free clinics and equipping them to bring cutting-edge, evidence-based interventions to the most vulnerable members of our society. I love working with students—our future leaders—and introducing them to the field of public health and helping them discover how they can make the world more equitable and compassionate.

    Research Interests

    My scholarship is focused on strengthening the capacity of the primary care safety net to provide high quality care. I have earned a national reputation for my work on free clinics—loosely defined as private nonprofit organizations that deliver a range of health care services to the low-income uninsured at little or no cost—a little understood but important member of the safety net.

    Education
    • BA in Government, St. Mary's College
    • MHSA in Health Policy, George Washington University
    • MA in Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago
    • PhD in Social Service Administration, The University of Chicago

    Why is this area of study important at this point in time?

    My specialization in free clinics is important to public health because free clinics serve populations that are often overlooked but care for low-income uninsured patients who are at greatest risk of poor health outcomes. By focusing on free clinics, I can begin to remedy the neglect, and hopefully improve the quality of care available to these marginalized populations who arguably have the most to gain from evidence-based interventions.

    What called you to or attracted you to Loyola?

    Loyola's Jesuit mission attracted me to the institution, and the potential to make a difference through my teaching and scholarship attracted me to public health sciences (PHS). When I joined PHS was still in the School of Medicine, but it already had its sights on eventually breaking off and becoming its own school. This was an exciting prospect that has happily materialized. Similarly, I was passionate about teaching undergraduates and was drawn to the potential to start an undergraduate program in public health, which as come to fruition.

    Publications

    • Patient Navigation in Medically Underserved Areas study design: A trial with implications for efficacy, effect modification, and full continuum assessmentMolina,Y.; Glassgow,A. E.; Kim,S. J.; Berrios,N. M.; Pauls,H.; Watson,K. S.; Darnell,J. S.; Calhoun,E. A. Contemporary Clinical Trials 2017 ;53:29-35
    • Patient Navigation Improves Subsequent Breast Cancer Screening After a Noncancerous Result: Evidence from the Patient Navigation in Medically Underserved Areas Study Molina,Y.; Kim,S. J.; Berrios,N.; Glassgow,A. E.; San Miguel,Y.; Darnell,J. S.; Pauls,H.; Vijayasiri,G.; Warnecke,R. B.; Calhoun,E. A. Journal of women's health (2002) 2017
    • The impact of patient navigation on the delivery of diagnostic breast cancer care in the National Patient Navigation Research Program: a prospective meta-analysisBattaglia,T. A.; Darnell,J. S.; Ko,N.; Snyder,F.; Paskett,E. D.; Wells,K. J.; Whitley,E. M.; Griggs,J. J.; Karnad,A.; Young,H.; Warren-Mears,V.; Simon,M. A.; Calhoun,E. Breast cancer research and treatment 2016 ;158(3):523-534
    • Patient barriers to follow-up care for breast and cervical cancer abnormalitiesTejeda,S.; Darnell,J. S.; Cho,Y. I.; Stolley,M. R.; Markossian,T. W.; Calhoun,E. A. Journal of women's health (2002) 2013 ;22(6):507-517
    • Follow-up and timeliness after an abnormal cancer screening among underserved, urban women in a patient navigation program Markossian,T. W.; Darnell,J. S.; Calhoun,E. A. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology 2012 ;21(10):1691-1700