Certificates in
Public Health

Marisa Hastie, EdD, MS, ACSM-EP, PN-1, FACSM is the Dean of the College of Graduate Health Studies at AT Still University. Dr. Hastie received her doctor of education from George Fox University (2013), her master of science in exercise and sport science with an emphasis in biomechanics from the University of Oregon (2003), and her bachelor of science in exercise science from Gonzaga University (2001). She is a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and is a certified Exercise Physiologist.

Prior to joining ATSU, she was a Professor of Exercise Science and Program Chair for the Exercise Science Program at Lasell University (Newton, MA). Dr. Hastie also served as the Faculty Fellow for the Fuss Center for Research on Intergenerational Education and Aging and received the deWitt Excellence in Educational Leadership Award from Lasell University. Dr. Hastie served as Faculty Chair of the University’s governance system.

Dr. Hastie has served in several leadership roles at the regional and national level of the ACSM, which include her current roles on the Professional Education Committee at the national level and as the President-Elect for the New England chapter. Her research interests have included exploring the connection between lifelong physical activity and long-term health outcomes, the relationship between exercise training and cognition, and the effects of discrimination experiences on health-related coping behaviors.

Dr. Hastie has extensive experience in online program development, teaching, and assessment. She developed an online Master of Science in Nutrition for Human Performance program and has 18 years of experience in both synchronous and asynchronous teaching formats. She became an educator because she strongly believes in the development of the whole student as a crucial responsibility of higher education institutions.

Jaana Gold, DDS, PhD, MPH, CPH, is a professor at A.T. Still University College of Graduate MPH program, and an adjunct clinical associate professor at the University of Florida College of Dentistry, in the Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Gold received her DDS degree from the University of Oulu, Finland in 1992; a doctorate degree in preventive dentistry in 2005; and completed advanced education program in dental public health at NYU Langone Hospitals in NYU in 2019. She brings over 25 years of experience in teaching, research, and practice in dentistry.

Dr. Gold’s research interests include caries management and prevention, oral health promotion, dental education, and dental public health. She has published original research in peer-reviewed journals and presented in several international and national conferences. She is teaching dental epidemiology, evidence-based dentistry, dental research, global health issues, and dental public health, and she serves as an advisor for MPH students and dental public health residents. Dr. Gold is a member of several national and international professional organizations; serves in several national and institutional leadership roles and continue to conduct research and promote and advocate for oral health in underserved populations.

Jeff Chaffin, DDS, MPH, MBA, MHA, is an assistant professor in the Master of Public Health – Dental Emphasis program at A.T. Still University. Dr. Chaffin graduated from the University of Tampa in 1988, and received a doctor of dental surgery from the University of Nebraska in 1992, a master’s in public health from the University of Michigan in 2000, a master’s in business administration from the University of Texas at San Antonio in 2006, and a master’s in healthcare administration from Baylor University in 2006. Dr. Chaffin is a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Public Health, currently serves as the immediate past president of the American Board of Dental Public Health, a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives, a Fellow of the International College of Dentistry, a member of the Official Order of Military Medical Merit (O2M3), and he holds the Surgeon General’s “A” designator for excellence in Dental Public Health.

Dr. Chaffin spent 21 years on active duty in the US Army serving as the chief of dental for TRICARE. His research interests focused on dental patient satisfaction and military dental readiness. Current research work is focused on dental sealants and factors associated with dental care utilization.

Gregory Loeben, PhD, MPH, MA, is an associate professor and the MPH practicum coordinator in A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies. Previously, Dr. Loeben served as an associate professor and coordinator of bioethics at Midwestern University in Glendale, Ariz., where he created and ran a master’s degree program in medical ethics. Prior to Midwestern, he was coordinator of the Outreach Program at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics. He received a bachelor’s in both philosophy and environmental studies from the University of Vermont, and a master’s and doctorate in philosophy from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Loeben has served as a consultant or advisor on medical ethics issues to numerous healthcare institutions. He is on the board of the Arizona Bioethics Network and serves as a consultant He has an extensive experience in clinical ethics consultations, working with healthcare ethics committees, and research institutional review boards. His current research interests include a variety of issues in public health ethics, clinical ethics consultation, and online ethics education. More specifically, Dr. Loeben is interested in how professional and conscience based refusals to participate in an apparent medical activity should be understood. He is also interested in developing tools to measure the effectiveness of animal therapy programs for special needs populations.

Daniel J. Smith, PhD, MBA is an Associate Professor in the College of Graduate Health Studies in the Public Health Department. He has experience teaching online and in-person biostatistics, doctoral research methods, health care administration, statistics, and data analytics courses since 2002 for both public and private institutions. His most recent industry role was Director of Analytics for Bon Secours Mercy Health, in which he reported to the Chief Clinical Officer of one of the largest health care systems in the United States. He has also been an analytics consultant for several large health care organizations and universities, worked as an actuary for a workers’ compensation insurance company, and has also served as the Director of Research Quality and Analytics for a large (>100k students) HLC-accredited institution. Although he has extensive experience in industry, his real passion is serving students in building their knowledge of health care administration and biostatistics. His research interests align with the whole person health care model of ATSU, and he enjoys researching any topic related to improving the “Quadruple Aim.” Daniel has an MBA and PhD from Arizona State University and currently resides in San Diego, California with his wife, who is a bariatric physician, and his three-year-old son, Reznor. He enjoys winter backpacking and mountaineering in the Sierras and spending time at Legoland, Disneyland, and the beach with his family.

Julie Frantsve-Hawley, PhD, CAE, is an assistant professor at the AT Still College of Graduate Health Studies. Her areas of scholarly activities include evidence-based medicine, public health, implementation science, clinical trials, and medical-dental integration. Dr. Hawley has served as the Executive Director of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. She has also held leadership roles with the CareQuest Institute, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the American Dental Association. Dr. Hawley has served in volunteer leadership roles with the Friends of NIDCR, the American Association of Dental, Oral, and Craniofacial Research, the International Association of Dental Research, the American Association of Public Health Dentistry, and the American Public Health Association’s Oral Health Section. She is currently a member of the Advocacy Committee and Board of Directors at the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder, the treasurer of the American Association of Dental, Oral & Craniofacial Research, the treasurer of the Illinois Oral Health Coalition, and the vice-chair of the American Dental Association Foundation. She is also on the editorial boards of the Journal of Evidence-Based Dental Practice, Journal of Public Health Dentistry, and the Journal of the American Dental Association. In recognition of her service and expertise, Dr. Hawley received the American Association of Public Health Dentistry 2021 President’s Award.

Dr. Hawley received her PhD from Harvard University’s Biological and Biomedical Sciences program and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. She is an executive scholar of the Nonprofit Management Program at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and is a Certified Association Executive.

Eiman Alghamdi, DrPH, CHES, is an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Department at A.T. Still University’s College of Graduate Health Studies (ATSU-CGHS). She has over a decade of experience in academia, public health practice, clinical care, and community health. Before joining ATSU, she held leadership roles with the American Diabetes Association’s Education Recognition Program, supporting diabetes self-management education program development and quality improvement. She has also worked in population health, preventive care, health education, and higher education, teaching online and in-person public health courses. Dr. Alghamdi earned a DrPH in Preventive Care from Loma Linda University, an MS in Health Administration from the University of La Verne, and a BS in Applied Health Sciences (Physical Therapy) from King Saud University. Her teaching and research focus on preventive care, health promotion, chronic disease prevention and management, lifestyle medicine, and health education. As a Certified Health Education Specialist, she prepares future public health professionals to improve population health through evidence-based practice, collaboration, and community engagement. She lives in Tustin, California, with her husband and two children and enjoys hiking and playing piano.