Samantha Smith is a research analyst at the UNLV School of Public Health's Nevada Institute for Children’s Research and Policy (NICRP), where she collaborates with various agencies and community partners to conduct research and coordinate projects aimed at addressing health disparities in Nevada.

Through her role at NICRP, Smith also serves as the program manager for the Nevada Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program, which promotes lead-safe home environments for Nevada children. Additionally, Smith conducts research for the Nevada Minority Health and Equity Coalition, and she has co-led and coordinated the Nevada Vaccine Equity Collaborative since February 2021.

As part of her commitment to advancing health equity and community well-being, Smith is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Public Health, focused on global and environmental initiatives, at UNLV.

Vaida Kazlauskaite is an assistant professor in the Couple and Family Therapy program, housed within the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. Her research focuses on medical family therapy, exploring how families cope when a member is diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness.

In particular, Kazlauskaite's work aims to understand how medical and mental health providers can engage all members of the family in communication about the illness. She also explores the needs of families while adjusting their lifestyles to adapt to having an ill family member. The objective is to provide training modules for medical and mental health providers in these areas.

Kazlauskaite is published in several peer-reviewed journals that are centered around this research area. Additionally, she has been interviewed by media outlets such as Nevada Public Radio on topics including navigating relationships and anxiety.

Chad Hensley is the director of UNLV’s radiography program, which is part of the Department of Health Physics and Diagnostic Sciences within the School of Integrated Health Sciences. He joined the program in 2004 and specializes in radiographic anatomy and positioning, patient care, radiologic technology, along with the ethics and law of medical imaging.

Hensley is the co-founder of the Nevada Society of Radiologic Technologists. 

His accolades include Outstanding Educator from the Association of Collegiate Educators in Radiologic Sciences in 2020, Most Effective Radiologic Technologist Educator award by Aunt Minnie, and the Outstanding Individual Grassroots Advocacy Award by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists in 2015.

Richard Rosenkranz is the chair of UNLV’s Department of Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences. His background is in behavior science, public health, and physical activity, focusing on how our living conditions can influence our health behaviors.

Rosenkranz’s research looks at what leads to healthy eating habits, with an eventual goal to develop health-promoting interventions including policies, systems, or environmental changes. 

He is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition & Physical Activity, has published over 120 peer-reviewed scientific journal articles, and has had research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council.

Sara K. Rosenkranz is an expert on the interactions between nutrition and physical activity, as well as the influence of lifestyle on cardiovascular and metabolic health — including blood glucose, insulin, blood lipids, and inflammation.

Her research has examined topics such as the body's ability to digest starch; how eating strawberries impacts health; and the ways sedentary behavior affects chronic disease health outcomes.

Rosenkranz is an American College of Sports Medicine-certified exercise physiologist and a member of several professional organizations, including the American Heart Association and International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. The certified triathlon coach's studies have been published in peer-reviewed outlets including Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, Journal of Child Nutrition and Management, and International Review of Sport and Exercise Psychology.

Imelda Reyes specializes in pediatric care, particularly in Latino communities. Her clinical research focuses on identifying and managing overweight and obesity in children, along with the parental perception of weight and health of children. She has also embarked on research projects that examine teaching, language, and rural health.

Reyes has served on national boards and teaches nursing students about social determinants of health and culturally-sensitive primary care pediatrics. She is dual-certified as a family and pediatric nurse practitioner. Reyes is also a fellow in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and previously served as a Medical Service Corps officer in the U.S. Navy.

Candace Burton is an expert on stress and trauma, particularly in interpersonal relationships within the context of health disparities. She is board-certified in advanced forensic nursing, and has conducted research funded by organizations including the UCI Initiative to End Family Violence. 

Her recent projects have examined stress-related blood and breath proteins in women affected by intimate partner violence, as well as the traumatic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nursing workforce. She has also worked to develop strategies for providing trauma-informed care to vulnerable populations, including immigrant and LGBTQ patients.

Burton is a member of organizations such as the Nursing Network on Violence Against Women, and the International Association of Forensic Nurses. She is a member of the Journal of Forensic Nursing editorial board and an associate editor with Clinical Nursing Research.

Louisa Messenger is a UNLV School of Public Health researcher who specializes in the control of tropical infectious diseases transmitted by insects (vector-borne diseases). She is passionate about improving health outcomes for impoverished populations worldwide.

Her current research concentrates on developing and evaluating new insecticides, health interventions, and surveillance tools to interrupt malaria transmission throughout sub-Saharan Africa. An additional line of her research focuses on improving our understanding of Chagas disease dynamics among distinct epidemiological settings across Latin America.

Messenger has worked on research projects in more than 15 countries, and collaborated with organizations including the U.S. President’s Malaria Initiative and the World Health Organization. Prior to joining UNLV, she was a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, completed a two-year American Society for Microbiology post-doctoral fellowship with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, held a L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science UK and Ireland fellowship, and led a U.S. Agency for International Development malaria clinical trial in Tanzania.

Messenger's work has been featured in multiple media outlets, including Reuters and BBC Radio 4. Her research findings have been published by the Lancet, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Journal of Infectious Diseases, Clinical Infectious Diseases, Nature Scientific Reports and PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Kavita Batra is an assistant professor and senior medical research biostatistician with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV. Her research interests include maternal and child health, the impact of COVID-19 on mental health, understanding social determinants of health, and vaccine hesitancy. Batra is also part of an interdisciplinary UNLV team studying traffic safety, which includes linked Nevada traffic database research, analysis of improper use of child restraints on roadside injuries, and Statistical Transparency of Policing (STOP) grant.

Batra began her career in India as a dental surgeon and public health officer. After obtaining advanced public health degrees from UNLV, she joined the medical school's faculty, where she provides statistical and research training to faculty, residents, fellows, and medical students.

Batra has published multiple peer-reviewed articles to investigate the far-ranging impact of COVID-19 among diverse groups. Her work has received several mentions in media outlets, such as Medscape and Inside Higher Ed, and by researchers at the global level. One of her meta-analytical pieces of evidence was also utilized by the European Union to synthesize evidence related to mental health and resilience amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Batra serves on the topical advisory panel and editorial boards of several journals, including Dentistry, Vaccines, Annals of Epidemiology, Psychiatric Case Reports and Healthcare. Additionally, she serves as the director of internal medicine resident research at UNLV's medical school and is a member of the Nevada System of Higher Education's Sexual Misconduct Task Force and the state secretary for the Nevada Public Health Association.

Natasha Mosby is a licensed clinical social worker in Nevada and the clinical program director of the Nevada Pediatric Access Program with the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health. She has been in the mental health field for more than 20 years, working in mental health and community agencies, inpatient psychiatric hospitals, non-for-profit agencies, and private practice.

She previously served as the Greenspun College of Urban Affairs' integrated healthcare program coordinator and a lecturer for graduate students in the School of Social Work. In this role, she was responsible for the implementation and oversight of the integrated healthcare scholarship as well as developing and enhancing clinical courses and trainings for students and community partners. Mosby also provides clinical supervision to clinical social work interns and serves as a mentor to first-generation college students.

Mosby is currently serving a second appointed term as a member of the Nevada Commission on Behavioral Health, and she provides clinical consultation and mental health trainings throughout Southern Nevada.