Sarah Lindley McKune, PhD, MPH
1225 Center Drive, Rm 4137
P.O. Box 100182
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL 32611
352-294-5495
General Overview of Qualifications
Research, project design, implementation, training facilitation, monitoring and evaluation
Expertise in health-based community needs and vulnerability assessment and grant writing
Extensive experience in participatory research, including qualitative and quantitative research methods
Academic expertise: public health; one health; adaptation, resilience, and linking environmental and social systems
Practice expertise: global health, food security, climate change, gender, pastoralism, nutrition, reproductive health
Education
2008 – 2012 PhD University of Florida
School of Natural Resources and the Environment, Interdisciplinary Ecology
Dissertation research: Perceived Risk of Climate Change, Adaptation and Livelihood Resilience in Eastern Niger
2000 – 2002 MPH Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health
International Health: Reproductive Health and Population Studies
1995 – 1999 BA Wofford College
Sociology & French, Latin American Studies Certificate, Suma Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa
Work Experience
2016 – Present Research Assistant Professor
Dept. of Environmental and Global Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Jointly appointed with the College of Liberal Arts and Science, Center for African Studies
2013 – Present Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology (Gainesville, FL)
College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida
Director of Public Health Programs, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Health Sciences Faculty Liaison, International Center
2012 – 2013 Gender PostDoc (Gainesville, FL)
Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security Program (CCAFS) of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), located at University of Florida’s International Center
Evaluate the appropriate integration of participatory action research at CCAFS sites in East Africa, West Africa, and South Asia so to ensure that gender integration and social equity are measurable at the end of CCAFS project.
2007 – 2009 Public Health Consultant (Gainesville, FL)
Eastside Community Practice, WellFlorida Council, and University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Performance, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Contract work through various community and university groups, including grant writing, workshop facilitation, strategic planning, project design, and project monitoring and evaluation.
2007 Health Evaluation Consultant (Darfur, Sudan)
CAFOD (NCA/ACT-Caritas)
Review and assess the Darfur Emergency Response Operation’s (DERO’s) health and nutrition activities implemented since 2004. Assess DERO partners’ technical and organizational management capacity through key informant interviews, beneficiary focus groups, and site visits to field locations. Assess programmatic alignment with Strategic Plan and original MOU mandate. Make recommendations for improved performance and enhanced alignment.
2007 Nutrition Evaluation Consultant (Niger)
CAFOD
Assess and evaluate CAFOD’s response to the 2005 Niger food crisis. Examine CAFOD’s response management process and CAFOD’s implementing partners’ response in relation to OECD/DAC criteria. Present findings: successes and limitations of CAFOD programs. Use mix-method approach of document review, qualitative data collection and secondary quantitative data review to draw conclusions.
2005 – 2006 Monitoring & Evaluation Project Manager (Tanout, Niger)
University of Arizona, Bureau for Applied Research in Anthropology and the British Red Cross
Principal Investigator: Dr. Mamadou Baro
Coordinate and orchestrate all field activities for four phases of Monitoring and Evaluation of the 2005 Tanout Cash Distribution Project, including training of all local staff, orchestration of coordination with all partners, qualitative and quantitative data collection, analysis, and reporting.
2004 – 2005 Project Manager
University of Florida, The Public Health of Caregiving
Principal Investigator: Dr. Elena Andresen, Chairperson Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Develop survey instrument, oversee data collection and analysis for CDC funded grant to determine prevalence and burden of caregiving, and orchestrate all supporting administrative functions, including correspondences with funding agencies and all IRB approval and maintenance.
2002 – 2005 Public Health Consultant
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Research, write, and edit books and speeches of Dr. William Foege on global health issues.
2003 – 2004 Director, Community Initiatives
North Central Florida Health Planning Council
Senior health planner charged with management and implementation of contracts in a 16 county area including planning, development, monitoring and evaluations of federal programs, writing federal grant applications, conducting community health and HIV/AIDS Needs Assessments (qualitative and quantitative research and analysis), and providing technical assistance to local health advisory boards.
2002 – 2003 HIV/AIDS Research Coordinator (Guinea-Bissau)
Population Services International (PSI) Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, West Africa
Manage national KAP study on HIV/AIDS, train local volunteers and HIV/AIDS peer educators, establish Country Coordinating Mechanism for Global Fund, initiate and manage PSI collaborative efforts with UNICEF for iodized salt project, write project proposals, coordinate and implement current research projects, assist in orchestrating events for PSI-GB mass media projects
2002 Reproductive Health Research Assistant
CARE International, Division of Reproductive Health and Population Studies
Coordinated strategic planning conference for regional program directors; edited annual reports; worked with Division of Reproductive Health on constructing divisional strategic plan.
2001 Health Dept. HIV/AIDS Intern (Côte d’Ivoire)
International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies Regional Delegation, Côte d’Ivoire
Worked with Regional AIDS Taskforce on drafting and compilation of IFRC’s 2001 HIV/AIDS Appeal. Aided in the evaluation of the Regional AIDS Network.
2000 – 2001 HIV/AIDS Research/Lab Assistant
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
HIV/AIDS laboratory research, data entry, and analysis.
Service
2014 – present Center for Arts in Medicine Advisory Board
2014 – present International Outreach Advisory Council, Graduate School, UF
2014 – present International Council, PHHP Representative, UF
2013 – present Center for African Studies Advisory Board
2013 – present Faculty advisor, Global Health Case Competition, UF (inaugural)
2012 – present Global Health Council, Coordinator
Affiliate faculty status:
2013-present Affiliate faculty School of Natural Resources and the Environment
2012-present Affiliate faculty Masters in Sustainable Development Studies
Past student advisory committees:
Dan Stirling (MDP 2014): Health Barrier Analysis to Inform Community Outreach in Kitgum, Northern Uganda
Stephanie Chatfield (MDP 2013): Developing Tools for Impact: Sanitation Behavior Change among Women in Southern Ethiopia
Past MPH faculty advisor (chair):
Rachel Moscato, May 2016
Halima Abukabbos, May 2016
Stephen Pape, May 2016
Gabrielle Fraley, May 2015
E. Lynn Turner, August 2015
Brian McDaniel, December 2015
Daris Townsend, December 2015
Carlos Quijada, Decmeber 2015
Stephanie Ateuyi, May 2014
Darrin Hartley, August 2013
Courtney Grillo, August 2013
Current MPH faculty advisor (chair)
Kriti Yadav, MPH
Alice Liang, MPH
Healther Anderson, MPH
Matt Prebble, MPH
Erik Black, MPH
Amelia Rooks, MPH
Current student advisory committees:
Jacob Atem, PhD Candidate in Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Lindsay Laytner, PhD student in Public Health, College of Public Health and Health Professions
John Ruwe, PhD, Health Services Research, College of Public Health and Health Professions
Douglas Monroe, PhD student in Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts and Science
David Hanson, PhD Candidate in Geography, College of Liberal Arts and Science
Smrittee Patna, PhD Candidate in Tourism, Recreation and Sports Management, Health and Human Performance
Karen Bailey, PhD Candidate, Interdisciplinary Ecology, School of Natural Resources and the Environment
Megan Cogburn, MA student in Medical Anthropology, College of Liberal Arts and Science
Russ Anderson, MDP student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Eunmi Song, MDP student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
July Nelson, MDP student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Rachel Velez, MDP student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Teaching Experience
2014 - 2015 Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida
Instructor for PHC4101, Public Health Concepts, an online, upper-level, undergraduate course intended to introduce students in a variety of disciplines to the basic tenets and applications of public health, including integrating public health with other health professions. The course provides a history of public health, an overview of the five core disciplines (Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Social and Behavioral Health, and Health)
2012 (Spring) Lecturer, Department of Environmental & Global Health, University of Florida
Sole lecturer for PHC3440, Global Public Health, an undergraduate course that introduces students to the main concepts of the public health field and the critical links between global health and social and economic development.
2010 – 2012 Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology, University of Florida
Sole lecturer for PHC4101, Public Health Concepts. See course description above.
2009 (Spring) Graduate Teaching Assistant, Dep. of Environmental Engineering, University of Florida
Team-taught an undergraduate honors course, EES4932 Sect. 3655, Water, Environment, and Society, that examines key tensions in the human-environment nexus by focusing on issues related to water. Engaging research from across the physical sciences, social sciences and humanities, the course investigates a range of problems related to water quantity and quality, using field experiences, case studies, and expert lectures.
2005 (Fall) Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Florida
Co-taught (one of two lecturers) a masters level graduate course, PHC 6937, International Health, which provides an overview of international health, with special attention paid to less developed countries and areas affected by emerging and re-emerging diseases.
2005 (Summer) Lecturer, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Florida
Co-taught (one of two lecturers) a masters level graduate course, PHC 6002, Infectious Disease Epidemiology. The course investigates unique aspects of infectious disease and epidemiological methods used in their study, prevention and control.
2002 (Fall) Graduate Teaching Assistant, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Provided assistance to Dr. Stan Foster and Jim Setzer in their instruction of Strategies in International Public Health, a graduate level course that provides a hands-on introduction to working with low resource populations to assess health needs, develop programs, and implement strategies. Students were split into small groups of 8-12 students, each led by a graduate student.
2001-2002 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University
Provided assistance to Drs. William Foege and Mark Rosenberg in instruction of Approaches in Global Health, a graduate level course that examines key actors in global health through an analysis of institutions and players, both current and historic.
Grants
2015-2020 USAID. Feed the Future Livestock System Innovation Lab. One of eight faculty on a Leader with Associate Award to reduce stunting in children under five by increasing production and consumption of animal source foods in Mali, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Nepal, and Cambodia. Sub-award to lead the Human Health and Nutrition cross-cutting theme. Principal investigator Adesogan, A., ($49,000,000). Sub-award PI McKune, S.
2013-2015 Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security. Gender Integration into Climate Information Services in the CCAFS programs. Two years (2014 and 2015) of supplemental funds to a grant that originally funded my postdoc position to support ongoing research and training in East Africa, West Africa and South Asia. Russo, S. and McKune, S. ($86,788)
2014-2015 French Embassy, France-Florida Research Group, and the Sahel Research Group. Development, Security and Climate Change in the Sahel. Collaborative exchange of faculty and graduate students in the respective Masters of Development Practice (MDP) programs of the University of Florida, l’Université Cheikh Anta Diop in Dakar, Senegal, and l’Institut d’Etudes Politiques (“Sciences Po”) in Paris. Serra, R., Villalon, L., and McKune, S. ($25,000)
2014-2015 USAID’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab Collaborative Research Program. Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change: Climate Change, Pastoral Resources and Livestock in the Sahel: Developing a Community-Relevant Pastoral Prediction System. Sub-award to provide social science consultative support to the LCC-CRSP funded project team at South Dakota State University (PI Niall Hanan) working in West Africa to improve understanding of pastoral nutritional situation and make linkages to climate change. McKune, S. (Awarded $65,000)
2012-2015 USAID’s Feed the Future Innovation Lab Collaborative Research Program. Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change: Climate Change, Pastoral Resources and Livestock in the Sahel: Developing a Community-Relevant Pastoral Prediction System. Sub-award to provide social science consultative support to the LCC-CRSP funded project team at South Dakota State University (PI Niall Hanan) working in Senegal and Mali to ensure effective integration of gender and nutrition in their ongoing work with pastoralists in West Africa. McKune, S. (Awarded $45,000).
2010-2012 USAID’s Collaborative Research Support Program on Livestock and Climate Change. Risk, perception, resilience and adaptation to climate change in Niger and Tanzania. Russo, S., McKune, S., Young, A., & Mayer, B. (Awarded $80,000).
2009 CDC BodyWorks: A Toolkit for Healthy Teens and Strong Families. Eastside Community Practice’s Application for Reducing Health Disparities in Women. McKune, S. (Awarded $2,000).
2007 CDC, State Implementation Projects for Preventing Secondary Conditions and Promoting the Health of People with Disabilities (RFA CDC-RFA-DD07-702). Proposal for the Creation of a Florica Office on Disability and Health. Andresen, E. & McKune, S. (Awarded $2.37 million)
2005 US Bureau of Primary Health Care. Hernando County Federally Qualified Health Center. Callaghan, E., Feller, J. & McKune, S. (Awarded $1.9 million)
2004 US Department of Health and Human Services. Lake County Healthy Communities Access Program. Feller, J. & McKune, S. (Awarded $2.4 million)
Publications (peer reviewed)
McKune, S., Poulsen, L., Devereux, T., Russo, S., Faas, S., McOmber, and C. Ryley, T. (under internal review, special edition accepted and due August 1, 2016 to editor). Reaching the end goal: Do interventions to improve climate information services lead to greater food security? Climate Risk Management.
Abramowitz, S., McKune, S., Fallah, M., and Omidian, P. (2016) The Opposite of Denial: Social Learning at the Onset of the Ebola Emergency in Liberia. Journal of Health Communication.
McLean, K., Abramowitz, S., Ball, J., McKune, S., Omidian, P. (2016) Community-based Reports of Morbidity, Mortality, and Health-Seeking Behaviors in Four Monrovia Communities During the West African Ebola Epidemic. Global Public Health: An International Journal for Research, Policy, and Practice.
McKune, S. and Hood, N. (2016) Impact of Food Aid on two communities in Niger. Emergency Nutrition Network Field Exchange. Issue 51, pp. 68-71.
McKune, S., Borresen, E., Young, A., Ryley, T., Russo, S., Camara, A.D., Coleman, M. and Ryan, E. (2015) Climate change through a gendered lens: Examining livestock holder food security. Global Food Security, 6, pp.1-8.
Abramowitz, S., McLean, K., McKune, S., Bardosh, K., Fallah, M., Monger, J., Tehoungue, K., and Omidian, P. (2015) Community-Centered Responses to Ebola in Urban Liberia: The View from Below. PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0003706
McKune, S. & Silva, J. (2013) Pastoralists under pressure: Double exposure to economic and environmental change in Niger. September 5, 2013. The Journal of Development Studies. DOI: 10.1080/00220388.2013.822067