Research Assistant
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health, University of
Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Edgar Ellis is a research assistant with the ARCH team focusing on data management, data analysis, and manuscript writing for the cohort. He received his Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He graduated from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry. Edgar’s research at UAMS focuses on cancer epidemiology and health disparities of lung, breast, and prostate cancer in rural, medically underserved populations in the Southeastern United States.

Post Doctorial Fellow
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Beginning her public health journey at The Ohio State University, Shelbie completed her masters in epidemiology and PhD in Clinical and Translational Sciences with a specialization in epidemiology at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.  Her dissertation work was centered on the ARCH cohort regarding heavy metal analyses and obesity.  She has published papers utilizing the ARCH cohort analyzing physical activity, breast cancer, heavy metals, environmental exposures and obesity.  She has participated in various community events for the ARCH cohort to update participant contact information and currently maintains the cohort database.

Instructor
Department of Environmental Health Sciences, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Eryn’s research interests are related to the metabolomic effect of environmental, occupational, and behavioral exposure including diet, chemotherapy, pesticide, and tobacco exposure on cancer risk and health outcomes. She has attended and helped at events in the past for ARCH participant contact update collection. Eryn is working with Drs. Hsu and Boerma to develop a small molecule/analytical lab as a part of the UAMS DNA Damage and Toxicology COBRE core.

Research Nurse
Translational Research Institute, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences

Gail started with the ARCH cohort when it was first born and lovingly known as Spit for the Cure.  She has been on countless recruiting events that she lost count!  Gail has entered data by scanning in surveys and entering the data off the consent and follow up forms, collected samples, carried countless tables, chairs and tarps to events, and so much more.  By being one of the major faces of the cohort, she said one of the many things that she has mastered is, “the amazing skill of deciphering hand writing!”  This project has become her “baby” (well actually teenager, since this started 15 years ago).  Without Gail, the ARCH cohort would not be where it is today and the entire team is indebted to her efforts over the many years of maintaining the study.

Principal Investigator for the ARCH Cohort
Associate Professor, Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
Department of Environmental Health Sciences

Dr. Hsu is an Associate Professor of Environmental Health Sciences at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) with the expertise in environmental exposure and cancer health disparities. She was involved in the population studies including the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Centers (TTURC) study at Georgetown University, the Buckeye Teen Health Study at the Ohio State University, and now the PI for the Arkansas Rural Community Health (ARCH) cohort of 26,375 women representing every county in Arkansas. She was a Project Leader for the P20 COBRE Center for Studies on Host Response to Cancer Therapy at UAMS, which aims to understand early prediction markers for chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients. She is currently a PI and a co-I for two Prostate Cancer Research Program Health Disparity Research Awards from the United States Department of Defense to address the racial disparity of lethal prostate cancer among African American men, and is extremely honored to be able to work with all the great people toward a healthier Arkansas!