Category: Bios

Scott Kelley, PhD

Scott Kelley, PhD

Scott Kelley, PhD

Leader, Biomedical MethodsΩGroup

Dr. Scott Kelley is a Professor in the Department of Biology at SDSU. His research focuses on the study of environmental microbiology. He has extensive experience analyzing microbial and viral diversity, including that of humans as part of the Human Microbiome Project, a research initiative to improve understanding of the microbial flora involved in human health and disease. Among other subjects, Dr. Kelley has investigated the role of the gut microbiome in polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), the relationship between heart disease and periodontal disease and whether saliva bacterial profiles may be useful as biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. For the SDSU HealthLINK Center, Dr. Kelley leads biomedical research methods, bioinformatics data analysis, and provides direction to the Center’s biomedical laboratory.

Hee-Jin Jun, PhD

Jee-Jin Jun, MPH, ScD

Hee-Jin Jun, PhD

Co-Investigator, Health Data Analytics Group

Dr. Hee-Jin Jun is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health at SDSU, an affiliated Investigator at the Institute of Behavior and Community Health, and a participating scholar of the SDSU Center for Research on Sexuality and Sexual Health. She is a social and behavioral epidemiologist with expertise in population health, health behavior, including weight-related outcomes, substance use, child and adolescent health. She also has expertise in methods for designing and analyzing large representative health surveys and intervention studies. She provides statistical support to the Research Infrastructure Team investigators at the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

Noe Crespo, MPH, PhD

Noe Crespo, MPH, PhD

Co-Investigator, Biomedical Methods Group

Dr. Noe Crespo is an Associate Professor in the Division of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science in the School of Public Health at SDSU. His research focuses on reducing health disparities and prevention of chronic disease through large scale community-based interventions that promote physical fitness, physical activity and healthy eating in schools and recreation centers. He also studies the health consequences of sedentary behaviors and conducts behavioral interventions to increase physical activity in the workplace. He is a Co-Investigator at the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

 

Jose Castillo, PhD

Jose Castillo, PhD

Co-Investigator, Health Data Analytics Group

Dr. Jose Castillo is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and Director of the Computational Science Research Center (CSRC) at SDSU. He leads several initiatives of CSRC to provide computational infrastructure for the SDSU community and to bring together researchers in different disciplines who have a common interest in modern scientific computation. Dr. Castillo has an extensive experience in applied mathematics and has received numerous grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy and other various agencies and foundations. He serves as a Co-Investigator on the SDSU HealthLINK Center’s Research Infrastructure Team and responds to computational infrastructure needs at the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

 

Jerel Calzo, PhD, MPH

Jerel Calzo, PhD, MPH

Co-Investigator, Measurement Methods Group

Dr. Jerel Calzo in an Associate Professor of Health Promotion and Behavioral Science in the School of Public Health at SDSU. He is a developmental psychologist with postdoctoral training in social epidemiology.  He is a Co-Investigator at the SDSU HealthLINK Center studying health behaviors through the use of ecological momentary assessment technology and CBPR.


Elva Arredondo, PhD

Elva Arredondo, PhD

Co-Leader, Intervention Methods Group

Dr. Elva Arredondo is a Professor in the School of Public Health at SDSU. She is the Co-Leader of the Intervention Methods Group. Dr. Arredondo’s research is in the area of health disparities. Her research focuses on the development, implementation and evaluation of community-based interventions that improve the health of various communities.  She has served as an investigator in studies that promoted healthy eating and physical activity behaviors in youth and in adult populations and in studies that identified effective and sustainable methods to prevent and control cancer in specific populations. She is a Co-Investigator for research projects at the SDSU HealthLINK Center.

Karla Armenta, MPH

Karla Armenta, MPH

Coordinator, Community Engagement Team

Ms. Karla Armenta is the Coordinator of the Community Engagement Team at the SDSU HealthLINK Center. She earned a bachelor’s degree in public health promotion from Purdue University and a Master of Public Health from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She facilitates new project development for community academic partnerships, manages community-engaged research and practice activities, and assists in establishing bidirectional communication processes with community partner organizations, Center Cores, and projects.

Kristen “Kristi” Wells, MPH, PhD

Photo of Dr. Kristen Wells

Kristen “Kristi” Wells, MPH, MPI, PhD

Co-Director, SDSU HealthLINK Center
Leader, Research Infrastructure Team
Co-Leader, Measurement Methods Group

Dr. Kristen “Kristi” Wells is a Professor of Psychology at SDSU. She is also Director of the Cancer Disparities and Cancer Communication Lab. Her graduate training was in clinical psychology and public health, followed by post-doctoral training in behavioral oncology. Her research focuses on improving the quality of healthcare delivered to various populations, with a specific specialty in patient navigation. Since 2006, Dr. Wells has led or contributed to five studies which have developed and evaluated patient navigation interventions to improve quality of care. She also leads studies developing technological solutions to improve adherence to recommended cancer care and oral medications for cancer.

In addition to her leadership as a Co-Director, Dr. Wells oversees the operations of the SDSU HealthLINK Center’s Research Infrastructure Team including five specialized research groups concentrating on measurement methods, health sensor methods, intervention methods, biomedical methods, and health data analytics.

Fernando Sing

Fernando Sing

Computer Systems Administrator

Mr. Fernando Sing is the Computer Systems Administrator at the SDSU HealthLINK Center and Institute for Behavioral and Community Health. He plans, implements, directs, and maintains applications and the use of technology. He also evaluates and provides recommendations regarding complementing research activities with software applications and computer technology.

Mariaelena “Elena” Concha

Mariaelena Concha

Mariaelena “Elena” Concha

Budget and Finance Director

Mariaelena Concha serves as the Budget & Finance Manager for the SDSU HealthLINK Center, where she leads strategic financial planning and oversees the full spectrum of fiscal operations for the $22M NIH-funded cooperative agreement. In this executive role, she supports the Center’s mission to advance health research by ensuring financial accountability, operational efficiency, and long-term sustainability through effective budget management, cost recovery systems, and compliance oversight.

Previously serving as the Center’s Administrative Director, Ms. Concha played a key role in its foundational development, managing high-level administrative functions, guiding infrastructure growth, and directing facilities planning efforts. Her transition into the Budget & Finance Manager role reflects her deep expertise in financial strategy and operational leadership.

Ms. Concha collaborates closely with SDSU and SDSU Research Foundation departments to optimize resource use, align institutional processes, and identify cross-functional synergies. She also supports junior investigators with training and guidance on budget development, post-award management, and closeout procedures.

Bilingual and bicultural, Ms. Concha brings over 15 years of experience in administrative and financial management within the academic and nonprofit sectors. Before her Center roles, she served as Administrative Coordinator of the SDSU HealthLINK Endowment and Institute Manager at the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health (IBACH), where she supported multi-institutional public health initiatives and managed institute-wide budgets, including the $10M endowment from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities.

1 … 4 5 6 7