Our Team
Directors
Betsy Risendal PhD
Professor, Investigator
- Department of Community & Behavioral Health
- Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center
Dr. Risendal's research is focused on cancer survivorship with an emphasis on health disparities. She currently serves as Principal Investigator on a grant to study health and quality of life in long-term colon cancer survivors, and as the lead evaluator for Lance Armstrong Center of Excellence in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Promoting physical activity and other health-related behavior interventions after cancer among underserved populations is a particular area of interest. Dr. Risendal also serves on national and state projects related to patient navigation, including both training and research.
Areas of Expertise
- Cancer Survivorship
- Health Disparities
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- University of Arizona, PhD, Epidemiology, Pharmacology/Toxicology, 1998
- University of Arizona, BS, Microbiology, Chemistry, 1984
Core directors and advisors
Betsy Risendal PhD
Professor, Investigator
- Department of Community & Behavioral Health
- Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center
Dr. Risendal's research is focused on cancer survivorship with an emphasis on health disparities. She currently serves as Principal Investigator on a grant to study health and quality of life in long-term colon cancer survivors, and as the lead evaluator for Lance Armstrong Center of Excellence in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Promoting physical activity and other health-related behavior interventions after cancer among underserved populations is a particular area of interest. Dr. Risendal also serves on national and state projects related to patient navigation, including both training and research.
Areas of Expertise
- Cancer Survivorship
- Health Disparities
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- University of Arizona, PhD, Epidemiology, Pharmacology/Toxicology, 1998
- University of Arizona, BS, Microbiology, Chemistry, 1984
Affiliated faculty
Betsy Risendal PhD
Professor, Investigator
- Department of Community & Behavioral Health
- Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center
Dr. Risendal's research is focused on cancer survivorship with an emphasis on health disparities. She currently serves as Principal Investigator on a grant to study health and quality of life in long-term colon cancer survivors, and as the lead evaluator for Lance Armstrong Center of Excellence in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Promoting physical activity and other health-related behavior interventions after cancer among underserved populations is a particular area of interest. Dr. Risendal also serves on national and state projects related to patient navigation, including both training and research.
Areas of Expertise
- Cancer Survivorship
- Health Disparities
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- University of Arizona, PhD, Epidemiology, Pharmacology/Toxicology, 1998
- University of Arizona, BS, Microbiology, Chemistry, 1984
Center administration and project staff
Betsy Risendal PhD
Professor, Investigator
- Department of Community & Behavioral Health
- Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center
Dr. Risendal's research is focused on cancer survivorship with an emphasis on health disparities. She currently serves as Principal Investigator on a grant to study health and quality of life in long-term colon cancer survivors, and as the lead evaluator for Lance Armstrong Center of Excellence in Cancer Survivorship at the University of Colorado Cancer Center. Promoting physical activity and other health-related behavior interventions after cancer among underserved populations is a particular area of interest. Dr. Risendal also serves on national and state projects related to patient navigation, including both training and research.
Areas of Expertise
- Cancer Survivorship
- Health Disparities
Education, Licensure & Certifications
- University of Arizona, PhD, Epidemiology, Pharmacology/Toxicology, 1998
- University of Arizona, BS, Microbiology, Chemistry, 1984
Visit the directory for all members of our team, including affiliated staff. To find out more about our local and academic partnerships, check out our partners page.
Denver Team Member Highlight
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Charlotte Farewell, PhD, MPH, Assistant Professor - Research, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Tell me a little about your background and previous experience.
I am an Assistant Professor with the Rocky Mountain Prevention Research Center and Director of the Population Mental Health and Well-being concentration at the Colorado School of Public Health. After receiving my MPH from the Tulane School of Global Health and Tropical Medicine with a focus on maternal and child health.
Why did you decide to work at CU and with the RMPRC?
I started working with the RMPRC as a Professional Research Assistant because of their focus on community-based participatory research and well-being promotion.
What are you currently working on?
I am now a Principal Investigator/Co-Principal Investigator on intervention projects which seek to promote the well-being of low-resourced populations (e.g., pregnant and postpartum individuals, early care and education caregivers). I am currently PI of a training grant funded by the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (Mothers Optimizing Resources Everyday (MORE)) where the primary research objective is to integrate advanced analytical modeling with qualitative data to inform the timing, duration, content and delivery modalities of a multi-level psychological capital intervention rooted in mindfulness-based best practices to promote perinatal well-being among specific low-resourced sub-groups. Her research experience, to date, is centered around three overarching goals: (1) to build expertise related to the analysis of developmental research questions using quantitative and qualitative methods, with specific focus on mental health (depression, stress, and anxiety) during sensitive periods (prenatal, postpartum, early childhood), (2) to investigate non-pharmacological methods (e.g. mindfulness and positive psychology interventions) that can be targeted and/or mobilized to optimize population mental health and resilience, and (3) to advance research in the field of dissemination science to identify core constructs that are most critical to enhance the uptake of evidence-based behavioral interventions into community and clinical settings. She enjoys collaborating with, and learning from, the excellent interdisciplinary researchers at the RMPRC, using mixed methods to investigate novel research questions, and partnering with local, national, and international communities.