Starr Kelly Sage, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, CLI
Specialty: Public Health
Phone: 507-258-8208
Fax: 507-258-8066
Office: Broadway Hall
Email: sage0005@r.umn.edu

Education

Ph.D., Environmental Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 2008
M.P.H., Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 2004
B.S., Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, 2001

Background

Starr Sage earned a Ph.D. in Environmental Health from the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Prior to coming to UMR, she worked as a postdoctoral fellow for two years at the University’s Twin Cities campus. In this capacity, she developed and taught several courses, and advised undergraduate students regarding graduate and professional school opportunities. Most recently, she worked as a research scientist on a project that sought to improve the effectiveness of education and training programs for public health professionals.

Teaching

At UMR, Dr. Sage is responsible for the design and teaching of courses in public health, including ‘Introduction to Public Health: A Global Perspective.’ At the Twin Cities campus she previously taught ‘Violence Prevention and Control: Theory, Research, and Application,’ ‘Health Disparities: How Inequality Can Make Us Sick,’ ‘Orientation to Health Careers,’ and ‘Graduate and Professional School: Success Strategies for Preparation, Admission, and Beyond.’

Estimates suggest that roughly three-quarters of the current public health workforce has little or no formal training or education in public health, and one-quarter of them are set to retire within two years. In order to effectively confront our public health problems in the coming decades we will have to rely on a new cadre of diverse, trained, committed individuals with fresh ideas and perspectives. Dr. Sage enjoys teaching and working with undergraduates as they begin to discover what their future roles in developing public health solutions might be.

Research

Dr. Sage’s public health research involves exploring the relationship between disparate environmental conditions and various health outcomes, including violence. Her current research interest areas include social determinants of health and the impact of various environmental factors (i.e., unequal working and living conditions) on health. Further, her education research is concerned with understanding the unique factors that promote academic success and the pursuit of post-baccalaureate education for students from historically under-represented backgrounds.

Select Publications and Abstracts

Sage, S., Gerberich, S., Nachreiner, N., Ryan, A., Church, T., McGovern, P., Geisser, M., Mongin, S. (2010). School resources, resource allocation and risk of physical assault against Minnesota educators. Accident Analysis and Prevention, 42, 1-9. DOI: 10.1016/j.aap.2009.04.019

Gerberich, S., Nachreiner, N., Ryan, A., Church, T., McGovern, P., Geisser, M., Mongin, S., Watt, G., Feda, D., Sage, S., Pinder, E. (2011). Violence Against Teachers: A Population-Based Study. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 53(3), 294-302. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0b013e31820c3fa1