New faces at the School of Population Health

The John D. Bower School of Population Health continues to grow and strengthen its academic, research, and instructional capacity with the addition of several new faculty and staff members this fall. These talented professionals bring diverse expertise across education, research, and applied analytics, further advancing the school’s mission to improve health outcomes through innovation, collaboration, and excellence in population health science.

Department of Population Health Science

• Julie Locher, PhD – Professor - Education
  
  Dr. Julie Locher joins the John D. Bower School of Population Health as Professor - Education in the Department of Population Health Science. With a distinguished career bridging behavioral science, nutrition, and public health, Dr. Locher’s research focuses on how eating behaviors and food environments influence health outcomes across the lifespan. She has published extensively on the role of social support and digital technologies in dietary adherence and chronic disease prevention. Dr. Locher holds a PhD in Nutrition and Behavioral Sciences and brings over 20 years of experience in academic, clinical, and community-based settings.

Department of Data Science

• Pratim Guha Niyogi, PhD – Assistant Professor - Research
  
  

  Dr. Guha Niyogi completed his postdoctoral fellowship in biostatistics. He earned his PhD in statistics from Michigan State University, where his dissertation explored novel methods for functional data analysis with applications to neuroimaging studies. His research spans a dynamic range of topics, including distributional data analysis, wearable and implantable technologies, and statistical modeling of massive health datasets—work that aligns well with our mission to leverage data science to improve population health outcomes. With a publication record that reflects both methodological innovation and applied rigor, Dr. Guha Niyogi brings to our community an impressive blend of academic excellence and interdisciplinary insight. 

Please join us in welcoming these outstanding new colleagues to the Bower School of Population Health community!