Contributors

Rolf Schlagloth

Koala Ecologist, CQUniversity Australia

Koala Ecologist, CQUniversity Australia PhD koala ecology Masters Edu. Studies Grad. Dip. Edu. B. Appl. Sci. Cert. IV (Ecotourism)

Randal Claytor

Associate Professor of Kinesiology, Nutrition and Health, Miami University

Associate Professor of Kinesiology, Nutrition and Health, Miami University Dr. Claytor’s research interests have evolved over the years to include the study of physical activity, physical fitness and exercise training, as these conditions relate to or affect a variety of factors, such as: cardiovascular stress reactivity, childhood overweight/obesity and neurocognitive performance. Much of this work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NHLBI & NICHHD), the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association, and the Ohio Departments of Health and Education. More recently, Dr. Claytor has been studying the use of a unique combination of aerobic and resistance exercise training (from both an acute and chronic perspective) to determine the physiological and perceptual responses and adaptations to this type of exercise and to determine whether this type of exercise (training) is viable for various groups, such as overweight/obese youth, individuals diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and those with a high likelihood of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Roman Gabriel Olar

Assistant Professor in Political Science, Dublin City University

Assistant Professor in Political Science, Dublin City University My research focuses on the politics of authoritarian regimes, the legacies of authoritarianism, democratization processes and human rights violations. I am currently an Assistant Professor in Political Science at the School of Law and Government at Dublin City University. Previously, I was an Assistant Professor at Trinity College Dublin. I received my PhD from the Department of Government at the University of Essex in July 2018.

Ray Rast

Associate Professor of History, Gonzaga University

Associate Professor of History, Gonzaga University I specialize in 20th-century U.S. history, with areas of focus that include cultural history, urban history, Latine history, and the history of the American West. I also practice public history, with an emphasis on historic preservation and interpretation. I have worked closely with the National Park Service and community stakeholders to create the Cesar E. Chavez National Monument and to preserve numerous other sites associated with Latine history.

Rebecca Mead

Senior Research Associate in Public Health Policy, Lancaster University

Senior Research Associate in Public Health Policy, Lancaster University I am committed to generating high quality practical knowledge to support disadvantaged communities of place and interest to become equal partners in action to reduce the social inequalities driving health inequalities. I am a member of the research team conducting a longitudinal evaluation of Big Local, the largest community empowerment programme implemented in England (https://communitiesincontrol.uk), which is revealing the pathways through which communities of place develop the capabilities they need to have collective control over decisions and actions that impact on their lives and health. As a member of the NIHR School for Public Health Research (NIHR SPHR) I contribute to several projects in the Places and Communities Programme evaluating efficient and effective strategies for investing scarce resources in local place-centred public health. I was also recently awarded funding to explore local emergency responses to the covid-19 pandemic in relation to existing social and health inequalities. My doctoral research focussed on the implementation of public health policy aspirations relating to improving population health and reducing social inequality in health as an aspect of the work of local public sector partnerships. Since completing my PhD I have developed my research skills on a wide range of proejcts using participatory research and evaluation methods with communities of place and interest to support public health action.

Rupert Harwood

PhD Candidate, Swansea University

PhD Candidate, Swansea University I became ill with a number of systemic autoimmune diseases in 2016 which took until 2021 to get diagnosed and left me with a wish to contribute to efforts to speed-up the diagnostic process and reduce its adverse impact on patients. I began working as a patient researcher on the Cambridge University lupus and related connective tissue disease studies in 2019 and in 2022 began a part-time PhD in Swansea University Medical School. My study is exploring the role of patient-clinician interactions, and their organisational context, in the sustained misdiagnoses of neuorologically mediated systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases.