Directory

Dr. James is an epidemiologist and engineer who specializes in environmental and climate risk factors and health in vulnerable populations. She has experience in leading and conducting community-based research projects including NIEHS funded studies investigating exposure to metals (arsenic and cadmium) and cardiometabolic and kidney diseases. Her research was one of the first to show associations with low-level arsenic exposure (<50 µg/L) with direct relevance to the exposure range of the US population. Dr. James also completed a Faculty Development Investigator Award through the Denver Children’s Environmental Health Center at National Jewish Health investigating the association between air quality and respiratory burden in the San Luis Valley and recently led a CDC funded biomonitoring tracking grant in a pediatric population in the San Luis Valley measuring exposures to 17 metals, pyrethroids, phthalates, and other pesticides through urine and water samples. Dr. James is also the PI for The Attitudes and Behaviors Study a repeated population-based survey of tobacco and marijuana use and other public health issues.

Jon Andrus is an Adjoint Professor of Family Medicine and Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Infectious Disease in the CU School of Medicine and Adjunct Professor of Epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.   

Dr. Andrus is based at the Center for Global Health's Washington DC office and leads the University of Colorado’s efforts to advocate for the evidence-based use of life-saving vaccines in the world’s poorest communities. He has more than 30 years of experience working in global health at all levels of the health system.   

Dr. Andrus has served as Deputy Director at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). At PAHO, among several duties, he oversaw departments of Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief; and Knowledge Management and Communication. Prior to that, he was the lead technical advisor for PAHO’s immunization program, providing oversight and guidance for PAHO’s technical cooperation to member countries. He also served as polio focal point for polio eradication in Southeast Asia and regional advisor for immunization during the 1990s.   

Dr. Andrus also holds faculty appointments at the University of California, San Francisco and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health. He began his global health career as a Peace Corps volunteer, serving as a district medical officer in Malawi and has since held positions in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) Global Immunization Division, as head of the Vaccinology and Immunization Program at the Institute for Global Health at the Universities of California at San Francisco and Berkeley, and as director and professor of the Global Health MPH Program at George Washington University. Currently, Dr. Andrus is the co-Chair of the Global Polio Partners Group and a member of the Independent Monitoring Board for the Polio Transition. He serves on numerous WHO advisory committees, including PAHO’s Technical Advisory Group for Vaccine Preventable Diseases, and SEARO’s Verification Commission for Measles and Rubella Elimination. He also has been an active member of the ROTA Council.   

Dr. Andrus has published more than 100 scientific peer-reviewed papers on topics covering disease eradication, the introduction of new vaccines and primary care. He has received numerous awards, including the 2013 Transformational Leadership Award of the University of California, the 2011 Global Leadership Award of the Pneumococcal Awareness Council of Experts, and the 2000 Distinguished Service Medal—the highest award of the United States Public Health Service—for his leadership in working to eradicate polio in Southeast Asia. He has received awards for his leadership in the eradication of measles, rubella and congenital rubella syndrome, as well as the introduction of new vaccines in developing countries. Dr. Andrus holds a Bachelor of Science from Stanford University, obtained a medical degree from the University of California, Davis and completed his residencies in family medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, and preventive medicine at the CDC.

Vladka Kovar is a board-certified preventive medicine physician and epidemiologist with a background in psychiatry and a “side” degree in art history, theory, and criticism. Vladka’s unique background allows her to conduct research and evaluation in a variety of areas including public health, behavioral health, medical education, and systems design and implementation evaluation. Vladka brings a breadth of practical theory-driven knowledge and experience to her evaluation work.

Current efforts are focused on partnering with local public health agencies to pilot test standardized process and evaluation measures for project monitoring and quality improvement. She is also leading the comprehensive evaluation of the All-patient Cancer Center Expansion of Supportive Services (ACCESS) for Tobacco Cessation Treatment at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, a multi-site program development and implementation study. Vladka is part of CEPEG’s Evaluation Training and Technical Assistance Team where she provides tailored training for local public health agencies, non-profits, government agencies, foundations, and community organizations to build research and evaluation capacity. Vladka’s professional interests stem from her extensive volunteer efforts in Africa working in health care system design and quality improvement projects as well as disease prevention and health promotion campaigns.

Before joining CEPEG, Vladka acted as a consultant for the Pediatric Injury Prevention, Education and Research Program conducting qualitative research related to mental health services, and as an assistant program director in the Preventive Medicine Residency Program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.