Jana Peterson, MPH, PhD

 

Jana Peterson, MPH, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Child Development and Rehabilitation Center (CDRC) at Oregon Health and Science University. She earned a PhD in Community and Behavioral Health as well as a Master of Public Health degree from The University of Iowa. Her PhD dissertation focused on the relationship of social support and self-efficacy to leisure physical activity participation among adults with intellectual disabilities who receive community-based supported living services. Dr. Peterson also completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in Disability and Health at the RRTC on Health and Wellness at the CDRC.

Dr. Peterson is the Principal Investigator of the Patient Activation Training for Health Services (PATHS) project, an RRTC study that focuses on improving receipt of clinical preventive services by women with mobility impairments. She is involved with all three strands of RRTC research (access to health care, health promotion, and quality of life measurement). Dr. Peterson also studies health disparities among people with disabilities under the NIDRR-funded Disability Rehabilitation Research Project on Health Disparities. Her other research interests include social determinants of health and community-based participatory research. She is on the Executive Council of the American Public Health Association Disability Section, serves as the Oregon Public Health Association Disability Section board representative, and is also a member of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability and the American Association on Health and Disability.

Jana enjoys hiking with her dog, cycling, running, seeing live music, and visiting loved ones in the Midwest.