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Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway, Ph.D.
Faculty Associate

Academic Background and Work Experience

Dr. Watanabe-Galloway was born in the western part of Japan and lived in a suburb of Tokyo until 1988 when she moved to Iowa to attend University of Northern Iowa (UNI). She received her B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from UNI. Because of her interest in public health research, specifically with quantitative research, she decided to obtain further training in epidemiology. In 2003, upon receiving PhD in epidemiology from University of Iowa, she took an Assistant Professor position within the Epidemiology Division of the Department of Preventive and Societal Medicine, which is now known as the Epidemiology Department, College of Public Health.

Dr. Watanabe-Galloway’s primary research interests include health disparities research and psychiatric services research. She has been referred to as a “Collaborative Leader” who brings people from different professional and personal backgrounds together to facilitate the efforts to address health issues faced by underserved populations. In the past three years, she has been involved with the development and/or implementation of numerous projects covering a wide range of topics including breast cancer patient navigation, cultural competency training for public health professionals and health care providers, community health assessment, and examination of geographic variations in cancer diagnosis and treatment.

In 2003, she was appointed to become Associate Director of the Cancer Disparities, which was newly created by UNMC Eppley Cancer Center to address cancer disparities related problems in Nebraska and the region. Also, as Co-Chair of the Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program which focuses on improving the current knowledge base for promoting overall reductions in cancer incidence, morbidity, and mortality, as well as conducting research on reducing cancer risk and incidence, reducing complications secondary to cancer, managing symptoms and improving quality of life and survivorship.

Dr. Watanabe-Galloway has successfully obtained funding to conduct several health disparities related projects including two collaborative projects with the Aberdeen Area Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board - Northern Plains Comprehensive Cancer Control Program funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Northern Plains Tribal Cancer Data Initiative funded by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She also has received funding from the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services to conduct health disparities projects.

As Associate Director of Research for the Center for Reducing Health Disparities (CRHD), she will lead an initiative to build an infrastructure to facilitate health disparities research at UNMC. Specifically, she will focus her efforts on increasing the number of collaborative research studies across UNMC colleges and University of Nebraska campuses and to build partnerships with other academic institutions in the state and the region. Also, she will work closely with CRHD Community Engagement and UNMC/UNO Masters of Public Health Program to prepare faculty, staff and students to promote community-based participatory research.