Jody joined the staff of the Life Sciences and Society program and the Kardia Lab in 2006. She received her Master’s in Public Health from the University of Michigan in 2005.

Recently at the Michigan Public Health Training Center (MPHTC), Jody has worked in the evaluation of the Center, the design and coordination of a monitoring system for the Center’s activities, coordinating research activities, and in the development of trainings, especially a tool to assist public health professionals in understanding and measuring health disparities. 

Before coming to Michigan, Jody traveled on numerous occasions with a non-profit organization, Interplast, which provides free reconstructive surgery for children, as the trip coordinator and translator. She stayed on in Peru for several years teaching English as a Second Language through the university system.

At a local health department in California, Jody participated in multiple programs in the Communicable Disease Division, Immunizations, Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, Epidemiology and Surveillance. In her outreach activities, she worked with local community based organizations to provide TB and HIV testing services and education and assisted families eligible for the state health insurance program to enroll. She also provided Spanish translation, education, and counseling and referral services on the county's mobile primary care, Sexually Transmitted Disease/HIV, and needle exchange clinics.  

When not working, Jody enjoys reading, painting, and the occasional movie.