Study Staff and Partners
Investigators
Jeff Burgess, MD, MS, MPH – Co-Principal Investigator and Director of the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research/Professor at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. He is trained in Emergency Medicine, Medical Toxicology, and Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and has extensive expertise in directing research studies with a particular focus on the measurement of exposures and biomarkers of effect in occupational populations.
Melissa Furlong, PhD – Co-Principal Investigator and Center Member of the Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research, and Assistant Professor of the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. She holds a PhD in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and has extensive expertise in epidemiological approaches for evaluating effects of environmental exposures on a variety of health outcomes.
Karen Lutrick, PhD – Co-Investigator and Assistant Professor of Family and Community Medicine at the College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. She holds a PhD in Health Behavior Health Promotion from the University of Arizona, and her research focuses on health disparities and wellness in the Hispanic/Latino community.
Shawn Beitel, MSc – Research Program Administrative Officer of the Firefighter Health Collaborative Research Program at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona. He is trained as a toxicologist and has over 10 years of experience leading laboratory and field research teams.
Floris Wardenaar, PhD - Co-Investigator. Senior Global Futures Scientist of the Global Futures Scientists and Scholars and Assistant Professor with expertise in Performance Nutrition at the College of Health Solutions, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona. He received his PhD in Dietary exposure assessment in athletes from Wageningen University, and his research interests include nutrition and hydration needs of athletes and active populations living in a hot and dry environment.
Liaisons
John Gulotta - Current Department Liaison and Research Staff on the Firefighter Collaborative Research Project and the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study. He was previously a fire Captain and also served as the Health and Safety Program Coordinator for Tucson Fire Department. Captain Gulotta serves as the Southern Arizona Safety Officer Association chair and provides safety-related leadership to Southern Arizona fire service partners. Captain Gulotta has earned several awards for his service with TFD, including the Firefighter of the Year in 2012 and the Fire Chief’s Award in 2016.
Kepra Jack, RN - Co-Owner and Chief Operating Officer for HeartFit For Duty. Kepra works with various fire departments and law enforcement agencies across the country to educate members on relevant health risks specific to their jobs. HeartFit For Duty is a medical practice that works with Police and Fire Departments to bring health/wellness into their agencies with both Occupational Medicine and Primary Care. Kepra will be responsible for coordinating recruitment and follow up events with departments in Phoenix. HeartFit for Duty will help administer Cardiopulmonary Exercise Tests (CPET). As the owner of HeartFit For Duty, Kepra works with fire departments and fire responders regularly.
Clinical Research Coordinators
Reagan Conner - Reagan Conner serves as the Program Manager for the Firefighter Collaborative Research Project (FCRP) and is a second-year MPH student in Environmental and Occupational Health. Before pursuing her MPH at the University of Arizona, she earned a BS in Biochemistry from Mississippi State University and served as a volunteer firefighter. Her research interests include occupational health, environmental toxicology, and clinical trials. Outside of work, she enjoys cooking, spending time with friends and family, and hiking.
Olivia Healy - Olivia Healy is a Clinical Research Coordinator II at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Natural Resources from the University of Arizona. In her current role, she serves as a regulatory manager for the Fire Fighter Cancer Cohort Study (FFCCS), Firefighter Collaborative Research Project (FCRP), and Dr. Burgess’s other projects. Her research interests include environmental health, health disparities, and occupational health. Outside of work, her hobbies include cooking, baking, reading, and photography.
Hailey Freeman - Hailey Freeman is a Clinical Research Coordinator with the University of Arizona Family and Community Medicine Department. She is a Tucson native and UA graduate, earning her BA in Journalism & Psychology. Hailey has previous clinical research experience in Phase I oncology trials and viral respiratory illness studies. With the FCRP study, Hailey will help enroll and maintain follow-up with participants.
Elizabeth Valdivia - Elizabeth Valdivia is a Clinical Research Coordinator at the University of Arizona within the Family Medicine Department. She is a graduate from the University of Arizona, earning her BS degree in Microbiology and Anthropology. Her background includes clinical research in oncology working with sponsor and investigator-initiated trials. More recently she was involved in respiratory viral illness trials in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In her current role with the Firefighter Collaborative Respiratory Project (FCRP) she is enrolling participants and following them throughout the study.
Brendan Thomas - Brendan Thomas, MPH, Research Project Coordinator, has diverse training and work experience. Brendan has worked with the Clinical Research Services (CRS) core since June of 2022. Previous experience includes 8 years in the Department of Animal Care and Technologies, and over 10 years in health care working in hospitals and clinics in polysomnography, logistics, and radiology. His responsibilities include study coordination, initial processing of biospecimens collected in the clinical space, shipping (IATA trained in 2022), and phlebotomy since completing training in 2022. Brendan is an active Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP) member.
Data Team
Krystal Jovel - Krystal Jovel is a Data Manager for multiple projects within the Firefighter Health Collaborative Research Program at the University of Arizona Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. She has experience in biopsychosocial interventions with a focus on cardiovascular disease and psychophysiological methods. Krystal’s research interests include social epidemiology, health disparities, indigenous populations, and cardiovascular health. Her hobbies include: growing her never-ending TBR, bowling, and sand volleyball.
Cynthia Porter - Cynthia Porter is a staff member and recent MS graduate at the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health. Cynthia currently works as a scientific analyst for the AZ-HEROES study funded by the CDC to study immune markers of protection against COVID-19 in healthcare workers, first responders, and essential workers, and as a data scientist in the FCRP to study potential cancer interventions in firefighters. Cynthia’s current research includes COVID-19 immune response in children, correlates of protection against COVID-19, and other serological studies. Her research interests include infectious disease, occupational health, clinical trials, and health disparities.
James Hollister - James Hollister is a second-year PhD student in Biostatistics and a data analyst for FCRP. Prior to this position, he obtained his MS in Biostatistics at the University of Arizona and his undergraduate degree in Mathematics from the University of North Dakota. His research interests involve infectious disease epidemiology, longitudinal methods, COVID-19, and clinical trials. Outside of work, his hobbies include running, golfing, playing piano, and spending time with friends.
Laboratory Team
Samantha Castro
Danielle Stea
Erin Woods
Joe Mirabito
Jordan Baker
Partners
This study is funded by the Arizona Board of Regents.
HeartFit For Duty and 1582 will assist in administering the Cardiopulmonary Exercise Tests (CPET) to participants.
Fire Departments
Arizona Fire and Medical, Buckeye, Central Arizona Fire and Medical District, Drexel Heights, Flagstaff, Gilbert, Glendale, Golden Ranch, Goodyear, Green Valley, Northwest, Pinetop, Prescott, Scottsdale, Summit Fire and Medical District, Tempe, Timber Mesa, Tucson, Yuma