Dr. Jauch joined MAHEC in 2022 as Chair of the Department of Program Evaluation and Research. In this role, he supports the several Divisions within the Department and has led the creation of the new clinical trials program at MAHEC. Dr. Jauch serves in several regional roles supporting education, care implementation, research, and innovation across MAHEC, Western North Carolina, and the state.
Dr. Jauch completed a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (bioengineering) at Cornell University, after which he joined the faculty in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Kansas and the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Jauch completed medical school and an emergency medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati, subsequently joining the faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Team. Dr. Jauch was recruited to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 2008 to help develop the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, assist in the creation of the MUSC Comprehensive Stroke Center and Telemedicine Program, and eventually serve as Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Professor, Department of Neurology, faculty in the College of Graduate Studies at the MUSC, and adjunct Professor of Bioengineering, Clemson University. Dr. Jauch obtained his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington with an emphasis in data analytics. Before joining MAHEC, Dr. Jauch served as Chief of System Research and the Director of the Mission Research Institute in Asheville, NC, and the National Medical Director for Neurosciences Research for the HCA Healthcare Research Institute in Nashville, TN, for four years.
Dr. Jauch's research has performed a wide range of industry and federally-funded phase II and III clinical trials but with an emphasis on acute conditions, specifically neurologic emergencies and stroke. Dr. Jauch is very active in numerous national organizations, including serving as past Chair of the Stroke Council for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and immediate past President of the Southeast AHA Board of Directors. At state levels, Dr. Jauch served on the Ohio Stroke Task Force, as chair of the South Carolina Department of Health’s Stroke Advisory Committee, and currently serves on the North Carolina Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force Stroke Advisory Committee and as a consultant to the NC Department of Health and Human Services Coverdell National Acute Stroke program.
Dr. Carson is the Director of Analytics and Scholarship at MAHEC. Prior to joining MAHEC in January 2024, Dr. Carson was the Epidemiologist for Emory University’s Ob/Gyn department. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University and previously worked as the Education and Research Lead at LOOM, a digital health platform that empowers people to understand and manage their reproductive health.
Dr. Carson earned an MPH in Behavioral Health and PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, MI, and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at NYU Langone. Her research has focused on Women’s health, with a particular focus on issues of fertility, pregnancy, menstrual cycle dysfunction, and eating disorders in athletes. Dr. Carson specializes in research design, primary data collection, mixed methods, and survey design.
Her mission at MAHEC is to support Resident and Fellow research, as well as pursue novel research work that supports community needs around Women’s and reproductive health disparities. She is excited to be a part of a team that values collaboration, innovation, and social impact.
Outside of work, she is a competitive cyclist and loves spending time outside with her dogs and partner.
Kim is the Director of Program Evaluation at MAHEC, overseeing a team of evaluators who collect, analyze, and report on data for sponsored programs across the organization. Kim has a BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Biological Anthropology & Anatomy from Duke University (after leaving a PhD program ABD), and over 20 years of experience evaluating programs funded at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition to evaluating programs, she has written, reviewed, and managed grants in the fields of education and healthcare; taught science to students from preschool through graduate school; and conducted field research on wild primates. She is currently serving on the board of the WNC Nature Center and raising a teenage son.
As a Research Project Coordinator at MAHEC, Chelsea provides research support to a variety of faculty, learners, and MAHEC employees.
Chelsea received an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from the State University of New York, and a master's degree from Mercyhurst University. She worked for over a decade as an educator and behavioral health clinician. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in epidemiology through East Carolina University. Chelsea's research experience includes work with vector-borne illness, single-subject behavior analytic studies, and environmental epidemiology. Additionally, she has worked to assess occupational stress in public school educators. Chelsea's research interests include Neglected Tropical Diseases, infectious disease, epidemiology, vector-borne illness, parasitology, occupational health, and environmental health.
Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs, kayaking, traveling, reading, and running.
Hannah is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist assigned to both the CCBHC and Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation Wellness Grants. She is an NC native currently residing in Greenville, SC, and has a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a Master of Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill. Hannah also works with various teams across MAHEC in developing Smartsheet dashboards and survey tools. In her free time, Hannah enjoys traveling with her fiancé, cooking pasta dishes, and snuggling up with her dogs (Teddy & Navy) and cats (Max & Royski) to watch a movie.
Courtney is a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate within the Department of Program Evaluation and Research at MAHEC. She primarily focuses on evaluating SUD programs but has supported evaluation for a variety of grant-funded and legacy programs across several departments. Courtney graduated from UNC Asheville with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness Promotion in 2020. She then graduated from the UNC Asheville-UNC Chapel Hill Master of Public Health program with a concentration in Place-Based Health in 2022. Her primary interests include psychology and neuroscience, rural health disparities, and effective treatments for affective disorders. Courtney plans to earn her PhD and hopes to become a professor.
Gwyneth is a driven healthcare professional with a desire to improve access to quality healthcare in rural settings. Growing up in Western North Carolina has shown the inadequacies in healthcare access and inspired the attainment of a BS degree (Political Science) from Western Carolina University and MHA degree from the University of North Carolina – Gillings School of Global Public Health. She joined MAHEC as a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate in May 2022. In this role, she works with programmatic teams to ensure data process, tracking, and monitoring systems are efficient to document outlined goals and metrics to funders, as well as write and submit Graduate Medical Education (GME) reports to the Health Resources and Services Administration. She also manages internal pathway evaluations of middle school, high school, and undergraduate student programs through different survey platforms, program data, and learner deliverables. Through the collection of pathway and GME data, she has been able to complete analyses and create visuals illustrating the economic and geographic impact of MAHEC in the region.
Jackie is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist working on the CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) grant. Jackie has BS in Psychology from the University of North Florida and a Master of Social Work from Western Carolina University. Jackie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and spends one day per week as a School-Based Therapist in Buncombe County. In her free time, Jackie enjoys reading, swimming, going to concerts, and spending time with her husband and cats.
Sarah supports research and scholarly efforts across various departments at MAHEC. She provides expertise in qualitative research methods and analysis, examining cultural considerations in health care, IRB application and management, and clinical research including industry research. Sarah’s previous experience in health services research is contraception access and trends, palliative oncology, prostate cancer outcomes and treatment, care for transgender patients, vaccine and cancer screening communications, and evaluating community based perinatal healthcare. Her research interests include reproductive health and justice, understanding sexual violence and consent, and addressing health inequity. She studied at San Diego State University with a focus in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science. During her time in the Southern California Borderland region Sarah spent time as an intern at UCSD Moores Cancer Center and at multiple programs in the Pro-Salud organization around Tijuana.
Sarah cherishes her time spent in nature, baking, enjoying time with friends, and spending as much time as possible in the ocean.
Phillip provides support to various research activities at MAHEC based on project needs, including data management and quantitative analysis. He has experience working with complex modeling techniques to assess underlying causal relationships. Phillip's research interests include the psychosocial development of at-risk populations, disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, evidence-based policy, and statistical analysis.
When not at work, Phillip enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, eating at local restaurants, collecting antique books, and watching movies.
Dr. Kopak is a research scientist at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Kopak was a faculty member in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Western Carolina University where he held the rank of Professor.
Dr. Kopak learned the art and science of community engaged research while completing his PhD in Justice Studies at Arizona State University. He spent most of this time developing his methodological and statistical expertise at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC). Dr. Kopak specializes in research design, data collection methods, and advanced statistical modeling. These skills are the foundation of his work, which is dedicated to addressing substance use disorders in marginalized populations.
Dr. Kopak is interested in many areas of substance use research and has collaborated with a variety of organizations. He has partnered with several Western North Carolina Sheriff’s Offices to assess substance use and behavioral health-related needs among people who are admitted to local detention centers. He has served as a subject matter expert for the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). He has also conducted international research on the largest prison-based substance use treatment program in the United Kingdom. This work demonstrates Dr. Kopak’s full commitment to using research to develop solutions for people who experience substance use disorder.
Dr. Power is an Evaluation Scientist in the Department of Program Evaluation and Research. She has a BA in Neuroscience from Skidmore College and an MS in Health Promotion from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She completed her PhD in Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health with a focus on nutrition education, electronic and mobile health, rural populations, and using behavior change techniques to address health disparities. At MAHEC, she has evaluated grants related to mental health and substance use treatment for underserved populations. Outside of work, Julianne enjoys mountain biking, hiking with her dog, camping, and spending time with friends.
Sierra Thomas is a Research Associate with a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology. She specializes in qualitative research focusing on criminal justice and substance use disorder.
Anna joined MAHEC in June 2023 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate. She received her Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University in 2019 and relocated to Western North Carolina shortly after. She has enjoyed working in various roles in the area, serving first as a Health Educator in Transylvania County and then having the opportunity to move into a position evaluating grants designed to reduce substance misuse in youth before moving into her current role. At MAHEC, Anna is excited to continue serving as an evaluator for various innovative projects and to have a small part in improving health outcomes and access to quality care in the region. She enjoys spending time with her husband and infant daughter in her free time and exploring the beautiful nature WNC offers with her two extra-large rescue dogs!
Dr. Jauch joined MAHEC in 2022 as Chair of the Department of Program Evaluation and Research. In this role, he supports the several Divisions within the Department and has led the creation of the new clinical trials program at MAHEC. Dr. Jauch serves in several regional roles supporting education, care implementation, research, and innovation across MAHEC, Western North Carolina, and the state.
Dr. Jauch completed a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Dayton and a Masters in Mechanical Engineering (bioengineering) at Cornell University, after which he joined the faculty in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Kansas and the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Jauch completed medical school and an emergency medicine residency at the University of Cincinnati, subsequently joining the faculty in the Department of Emergency Medicine and the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke Team. Dr. Jauch was recruited to the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) in 2008 to help develop the Emergency Medicine Residency Program, assist in the creation of the MUSC Comprehensive Stroke Center and Telemedicine Program, and eventually serve as Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, Professor, Department of Neurology, faculty in the College of Graduate Studies at the MUSC, and adjunct Professor of Bioengineering, Clemson University. Dr. Jauch obtained his Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina - Wilmington with an emphasis in data analytics. Before joining MAHEC, Dr. Jauch served as Chief of System Research and the Director of the Mission Research Institute in Asheville, NC, and the National Medical Director for Neurosciences Research for the HCA Healthcare Research Institute in Nashville, TN, for four years.
Dr. Jauch's research has performed a wide range of industry and federally-funded phase II and III clinical trials but with an emphasis on acute conditions, specifically neurologic emergencies and stroke. Dr. Jauch is very active in numerous national organizations, including serving as past Chair of the Stroke Council for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and immediate past President of the Southeast AHA Board of Directors. At state levels, Dr. Jauch served on the Ohio Stroke Task Force, as chair of the South Carolina Department of Health’s Stroke Advisory Committee, and currently serves on the North Carolina Justus-Warren Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Task Force Stroke Advisory Committee and as a consultant to the NC Department of Health and Human Services Coverdell National Acute Stroke program.
Sarah supports research and scholarly efforts across various departments at MAHEC. She provides expertise in qualitative research methods and analysis, examining cultural considerations in health care, IRB application and management, and clinical research including industry research. Sarah’s previous experience in health services research is contraception access and trends, palliative oncology, prostate cancer outcomes and treatment, care for transgender patients, vaccine and cancer screening communications, and evaluating community based perinatal healthcare. Her research interests include reproductive health and justice, understanding sexual violence and consent, and addressing health inequity. She studied at San Diego State University with a focus in Health Promotion and Behavioral Science. During her time in the Southern California Borderland region Sarah spent time as an intern at UCSD Moores Cancer Center and at multiple programs in the Pro-Salud organization around Tijuana.
Sarah cherishes her time spent in nature, baking, enjoying time with friends, and spending as much time as possible in the ocean.
Kim is the Director of Program Evaluation at MAHEC, overseeing a team of evaluators who collect, analyze, and report on data for sponsored programs across the organization. Kim has a BA in the Biological Basis of Behavior from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s degree in Biological Anthropology & Anatomy from Duke University (after leaving a PhD program ABD), and over 20 years of experience evaluating programs funded at the federal, state, and local levels. In addition to evaluating programs, she has written, reviewed, and managed grants in the fields of education and healthcare; taught science to students from preschool through graduate school; and conducted field research on wild primates. She is currently serving on the board of the WNC Nature Center and raising a teenage son.
Hannah is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist assigned to both the CCBHC and Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation Wellness Grants. She is an NC native currently residing in Greenville, SC, and has a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of North Carolina at Asheville and a Master of Public Health from UNC Chapel Hill. Hannah also works with various teams across MAHEC in developing Smartsheet dashboards and survey tools. In her free time, Hannah enjoys traveling with her fiancé, cooking pasta dishes, and snuggling up with her dogs (Teddy & Navy) and cats (Max & Royski) to watch a movie.
Courtney is a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate within the Department of Program Evaluation and Research at MAHEC. She primarily focuses on evaluating SUD programs but has supported evaluation for a variety of grant-funded and legacy programs across several departments. Courtney graduated from UNC Asheville with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Wellness Promotion in 2020. She then graduated from the UNC Asheville-UNC Chapel Hill Master of Public Health program with a concentration in Place-Based Health in 2022. Her primary interests include psychology and neuroscience, rural health disparities, and effective treatments for affective disorders. Courtney plans to earn her PhD and hopes to become a professor.
Gwyneth is a driven healthcare professional with a desire to improve access to quality healthcare in rural settings. Growing up in Western North Carolina has shown the inadequacies in healthcare access and inspired the attainment of a BS degree (Political Science) from Western Carolina University and MHA degree from the University of North Carolina – Gillings School of Global Public Health. She joined MAHEC as a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate in May 2022. In this role, she works with programmatic teams to ensure data process, tracking, and monitoring systems are efficient to document outlined goals and metrics to funders, as well as write and submit Graduate Medical Education (GME) reports to the Health Resources and Services Administration. She also manages internal pathway evaluations of middle school, high school, and undergraduate student programs through different survey platforms, program data, and learner deliverables. Through the collection of pathway and GME data, she has been able to complete analyses and create visuals illustrating the economic and geographic impact of MAHEC in the region.
Jackie is a Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist working on the CCBHC (Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic) grant. Jackie has BS in Psychology from the University of North Florida and a Master of Social Work from Western Carolina University. Jackie is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and spends one day per week as a School-Based Therapist in Buncombe County. In her free time, Jackie enjoys reading, swimming, going to concerts, and spending time with her husband and cats.
Dr. Power is an Evaluation Scientist in the Department of Program Evaluation and Research. She has a BA in Neuroscience from Skidmore College and an MS in Health Promotion from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She completed her PhD in Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health with a focus on nutrition education, electronic and mobile health, rural populations, and using behavior change techniques to address health disparities. At MAHEC, she has evaluated grants related to mental health and substance use treatment for underserved populations. Outside of work, Julianne enjoys mountain biking, hiking with her dog, camping, and spending time with friends.
Anna joined MAHEC in June 2023 as a Monitoring and Evaluation Associate. She received her Master of Public Health from Georgia Southern University in 2019 and relocated to Western North Carolina shortly after. She has enjoyed working in various roles in the area, serving first as a Health Educator in Transylvania County and then having the opportunity to move into a position evaluating grants designed to reduce substance misuse in youth before moving into her current role. At MAHEC, Anna is excited to continue serving as an evaluator for various innovative projects and to have a small part in improving health outcomes and access to quality care in the region. She enjoys spending time with her husband and infant daughter in her free time and exploring the beautiful nature WNC offers with her two extra-large rescue dogs!
Dr. Carson is the Director of Analytics and Scholarship at MAHEC. Prior to joining MAHEC in January 2024, Dr. Carson was the Epidemiologist for Emory University’s Ob/Gyn department. She has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at Brown University and previously worked as the Education and Research Lead at LOOM, a digital health platform that empowers people to understand and manage their reproductive health.
Dr. Carson earned an MPH in Behavioral Health and PhD in Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, MI, and went on to complete a postdoctoral fellowship at NYU Langone. Her research has focused on Women’s health, with a particular focus on issues of fertility, pregnancy, menstrual cycle dysfunction, and eating disorders in athletes. Dr. Carson specializes in research design, primary data collection, mixed methods, and survey design.
Her mission at MAHEC is to support Resident and Fellow research, as well as pursue novel research work that supports community needs around Women’s and reproductive health disparities. She is excited to be a part of a team that values collaboration, innovation, and social impact.
Outside of work, she is a competitive cyclist and loves spending time outside with her dogs and partner.
As a Research Project Coordinator at MAHEC, Chelsea provides research support to a variety of faculty, learners, and MAHEC employees.
Chelsea received an undergraduate degree in Exercise Science from the State University of New York, and a master's degree from Mercyhurst University. She worked for over a decade as an educator and behavioral health clinician. She is currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree with a concentration in epidemiology through East Carolina University. Chelsea's research experience includes work with vector-borne illness, single-subject behavior analytic studies, and environmental epidemiology. Additionally, she has worked to assess occupational stress in public school educators. Chelsea's research interests include Neglected Tropical Diseases, infectious disease, epidemiology, vector-borne illness, parasitology, occupational health, and environmental health.
Outside of work, Chelsea enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs, kayaking, traveling, reading, and running.
Phillip provides support to various research activities at MAHEC based on project needs, including data management and quantitative analysis. He has experience working with complex modeling techniques to assess underlying causal relationships. Phillip's research interests include the psychosocial development of at-risk populations, disparities in healthcare access and outcomes, evidence-based policy, and statistical analysis.
When not at work, Phillip enjoys spending time with his wife and dog, eating at local restaurants, collecting antique books, and watching movies.
Dr. Kopak is a research scientist at the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC). Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Kopak was a faculty member in the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Western Carolina University where he held the rank of Professor.
Dr. Kopak learned the art and science of community engaged research while completing his PhD in Justice Studies at Arizona State University. He spent most of this time developing his methodological and statistical expertise at the Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC). Dr. Kopak specializes in research design, data collection methods, and advanced statistical modeling. These skills are the foundation of his work, which is dedicated to addressing substance use disorders in marginalized populations.
Dr. Kopak is interested in many areas of substance use research and has collaborated with a variety of organizations. He has partnered with several Western North Carolina Sheriff’s Offices to assess substance use and behavioral health-related needs among people who are admitted to local detention centers. He has served as a subject matter expert for the Comprehensive Opioid Abuse Program (COAP) sponsored by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). He has also conducted international research on the largest prison-based substance use treatment program in the United Kingdom. This work demonstrates Dr. Kopak’s full commitment to using research to develop solutions for people who experience substance use disorder.
Sierra Thomas is a Research Associate with a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology. She specializes in qualitative research focusing on criminal justice and substance use disorder.
Edward C. Jauch, MD, MS, MBA
Traci Carson, PhD, MPH
Kim Wood, MA
Chelsea Atkins, MS, MPH
Hannah Billington, BS
Courtney Coules, MPH
Gwyneth DeHart, MHA, BS
Jackie Domanico, LCSW
Sarah Friedman, MPH, MA
Phillip Hughes, MS
Al Kopak, PhD
Julianne Power, PhD
Sierra Thomas, MA
Anna Windham, MPH