AIDPH has always understood the power in data. It’s the backbone of our Research and Impact team output, a central component of our blossoming advocacy efforts, and consistently informs our educational and communications content.
For our organization, data isn’t just about the numbers. It’s about telling authentic, important stories and empowering our impacted communities with knowledge grounded in evidence and scientific rigor.
AIDPH’s new Research and Impact Director Keri Eason, MA, PhD, learned the magic of data during her seven-year career in research. She’s an accomplished academic, sociologist, and statistician with a passion for driving positive and sustainable change for marginalized communities, and we’re pleased to introduce her to the dental public health community.
After earning an MA in English from Northern Kentucky University, Keri became an advisor and adjunct professor at the University of Cincinnati.
Working closely with students, she gained a firsthand appreciation for the structural barriers, power imbalances, and hardships many students face.
Witnessing these issues solidified Keri’s passion for Sociology, in which she went on to obtain an MA and PhD.
“I like it because you’re not telling stories about things. You’re telling stories about people, emphasizing or highlighting voices that often can’t be heard,” Keri said.
Much of Keri’s work at this time focused on student recruitment: primarily through the lens of race, while also touching on issues of gender and sexuality, including members of the LGBTQIA+ community. At the University of Cincinnati, she’s performed analyses for the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Office of Inclusive Excellence and Community Engagement, the Charles Phelps Taft Research Center, and the Health Pathways Grant, along with acting as a grant writer for The Gaskins Foundation/Disrupt Art and the CEAS.
Following her time at the University of Cincinnati, Keri’s most recent position was as a Research Analyst for HARDI, an industry leader in Heating, Ventilation, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration (HVACR) distribution. She utilized many of the same skills, with a research focus on industry recruitment and retention.
At AIDPH, Keri is looking forward to building upon our existing body of research that’s already been done. She hopes to make our research output more robust, and is interested in seeing what further opportunities our organization can pursue in engaging communities in need of equitable, just oral health treatment, prevention, and maintenance.
“I am really doing it because I think that human interaction is so nuanced,” Keri said. “Communities and people’s voices should always be centered. So then combining the voices of the people who are experts on their communities with advanced regression techniques and qualitative methodologies…It feels like a collaboration, working together for the collective.”
AIDPH will continue to update readers on our latest data and research.
In the meantime, you can connect with Keri on LinkedIn and view some of her prior publications on ResearchGate.
Keri Eason, MA, PhD
Director of Research & Impact
About
Keri Eason, MA, PhD works as the Research and Impact Director for AIDPH. Keri brings over seven years of research experience to the table, specializing in research methodologies (quantitative and qualitative) and design. She is committed to working with and leveraging data with the ever-present goal of creating positive and sustainable change for marginalized communities. In her current role at AIDPH, Keri will oversee research projects, data collection, analysis, and reporting.
Keri holds a MA in English from Northern Kentucky University. She earned a MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of Cincinnati. In her spare time, she enjoys herding her two cats and rooting for the Cleveland CAVS.