Current PARC-PH Staff
Executive Director - PARCPH: Andrea Kriska, PhD, MS
kriskaA@edc.pitt.edu
Dr. Andrea Kriska is the Executive Director of the Physical Activity Resource Center for Public Health and an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Graduate School of Public Health. She is internationally known for her work in activity assessment and intervention, having served as an investigator for numerous local and multi-center clinical trials, and as an invited member of many key national committees and organizations in the areas of physical activity, diabetes, and minority health. Dr. Kriska has participated in several of the national public health efforts involving physical activity over the past decade such as the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health, the American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand on Physical Activity and Type 2 Diabetes, the NIH Consensus Development Conference on Physical Activity and Cardiovascular Health, and the expert panel organized by the CDC and the American College of Sports Medicine to develop the national physical activity recommendations. She is known for her work in minority health since much of her research has focused on minority populations and developing countries and continues to serve in an advisory capacity in this area.
Dr Kriska oversees the physical activity assessment and/or the physical activity intervention efforts for many multi-center and single center clinical trails and prospective studies. She is part of the lifestyle core of the multicenter NIDDK Diabetes Prevention Program, guiding both the national assessment of activity and the activity intervention portion of that clinical trial. More recently, she maintains a similar role in the STOPP- T2D TODAY trial (NIDDK) guiding both the physical activity assessment and intervention portion of this multi-center clinical trial examining the treatment of Type 2 diabetes in youth. As a Co-Investigator, she is also involved in the lifestyle intervention portion of several other epidemiological studies such as LOOK AHEAD multi-center clinical trial (NIDDK funded), the WOMAN local clinical trial (Women on the Move thru Activity and Nutrition; NHLBI funded), and the SAVE local clinical trial (Study to Slow Adverse Vascular Effects; NHLBI funded). She has been involved for years with observational (and more recently intervention) studies involving Native Americans (such as the Pima Indian Study, the Strong Heart Study, and the Cherokee Youth Lifestyle intervention effort) with responsibility ranging from the assessment of physical activity in these unique populations to guiding physical activity intervention efforts.
Co-Director - PARCPH: Kristi Storti, PhD, MPH
stortik@edc.pitt.edu
Dr. Kristi Storti is a Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and serves as the Co-Director of the Physical Activity Resource Center for Public Health since 2007. Dr. Storti received her Doctoral degree in physical activity epidemiology and her Master of Public Health degree in chronic disease epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public Health. She also holds a Master’s degree in exercise physiology from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Slippery Rock University. Additionally, she is certified as a Health Fitness Specialist by the American College of Sports Medicine and prior to returning to school for her graduate studies, worked as a certified personal trainer.
Dr. Storti’s expertise is in the assessment of physical activity and the use of objective physical activity monitors. At the University of Pittsburgh, Dr. Storti oversees accelerometer and pedometer usage in several research efforts involving individuals with a variety of chronic diseases and/or from a variety of ethnic/racial groups. Nationally, Dr. Storti has assisted in the implementation of objective activity monitors (pedometers) and data analysis in the Strong Heart Family Study, a multicenter trial of cardiovascular disease among 3800 American Indian individuals. In addition, she has assisted with the implementation of the accelerometer in the STOPP-T2d TODAY trial (NIDDK). Most recently, Dr. Storti has been directing the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study (DPPOS) Accelerometer Ancillary Study. The purpose of this ancillary study is to objectively assess physical activity levels with the use of an accelerometer in all DPPOS participants from across the United States.
Co-Director - PARCPH, Graduate Student Researcher: Marquis Hawkins
hawkinsm@edc.pitt.edu
Marquis Hawkins is a graduate student researcher in the Department of Epidemiology and serves as the Co-Direct for the PARC-PH. Marquis Hawkins received his Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2005. Currently, he is pursuing a doctoral degree in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh with an interest in the relationship between physical activity and chronic disease. Marquis’ dissertation is on the relationship between physical activity and chronic kidney disease/renal function. Marquis has also is recognized preventionists in the Group Lifestyle Balance, which is a program based off of the lifestyle intervention of the Diabetes Prevention Program. Marquis has also facilitated strength training workshops for numerous trials including the Study to Slow Adverse Vascular Effects (NHLBI funded) and the TODAY trial (NIDDK).
Research Specialist: Marie Berger, MPH
mab139@pitt.edu
Marie got here bachelors degree in Kinesiology from the University of Texas at Austin and received here MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Pittsburgh. She has been involved in the Health and Fitness industry professionally since 2001. She holds a certification in Personal Training from the American Council on Exercise and has worked with clients from all walks of life: from 16 to 75 years of age; those diagnosed with chronic diseases such as osteoporosis and diabetes, those with limited mobility due to an accident, those with severe obesity, and those who just want to be in better shape. Her main interest in research is intervention through lifestyle behavior change (healthy eating and being physically active). Marie is passionate about living a healthy lifestyle and sharing those benefits with others.
Web Development:
Epidemiology Data Center
webservices@edc.pitt.edu
The Epidemiology Data Center's Web and Media Services has been building website systems for the University community for over ten years. The EDC assists with all aspects of web design, development and administration. As the Internet community evolves, the EDC’s primary function is to ensure that the PARC-PH website stays current with respect to emerging web technologies and new concepts.
Previous PARC-PH Staff
Web Development: Luke Ling
linglc@upmc.edu
Public Health Librarian: Barbara L Folb, MM, MLS
folb@pitt.edu