Griese Research

COBRE Project Leader
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Primary Research Focus

The Griese Lab is committed to utilizing innovative data analytics and community-based collaboration to better understand the unique social determinants of health facing our communities, specifically among our rural populations.

With a shifting health care climate driven by value, including decreased costs and increased quality, it is crucial to have innovative approaches to understanding and addressing the health of our populations, both those who touch health care and those who do not.

Primary Research Group

Behavioral Science

(605) 312-6235

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About the Griese Lab

About Emily Griese, Assistant Scientist

Dr. Emily Griese’s research focuses on population health outcomes among various populations, including at-risk youth and rural populations. She holds a Ph.D. in psychological research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and completed her postdoctoral work in population health at Sanford Research. Dr. Griese is committed to translational research for health care delivery, working closely with the Sanford Health enterprise to leverage integrated health care data to impact patient care delivery.

Academic Affiliations and Training

Academic Affiliations

  • Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Sanford School of Medicine at USD (2015-present)
  • Governing Board Member, Cosmos, EPIC

Professional Memberships

  • American Public Health Association
  • Society for Research in Child Development
  • Society for Research in Adolescent Development
  • American Psychological Association
  • South Dakota Public Health Association

Awards

  • Patient Centered Outcomes Fellow, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Program, NIH (2017-2019)
  • Loan Repayment Awardee, National Institutes of Health, Pediatric Division (2016-2018)
  • Runner-Up, Sanford Research Postdoctoral Research Symposium (2014)
  • Preparing Future Faculty Fellow, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2012)
  • Recognized Professor, Kappa Alpha Theta and Chi Delta, UNL (2012)
  • Outstanding Psychology Student, Northwestern College (2008)
  • Outstanding Research Paper, Siouxland Social Sciences Conference (2008)
  • Honors Fellow, Northwestern College (2008)
  • Research Fellow, National Science Foundation (2007)

Lab Projects and News

Transdisciplinary Center for Population Health Grant

Project Title: Exploring Trajectories of Social-Emotional Risk and Resilience for Rural Youth
Role: Project Primary Investigator

The purpose of this project is to examine the longitudinal impact of peer victimization on mental health outcomes among rural youth. The project collaborates with four rural school districts to identify rates of peer victimization and important sources of resilience that may assist to offset unwanted maladjustment for rural youth.

National Cancer Institute Grant

Title: A New Prospective U.S. Cohort set within the Health Care System Institutions to Study Cancer
Role: Co-Investigator

This project is an epidemiological, longitudinal cohort study examining the precursors to cancer leveraging health care data from various integrated health care systems.

Risk and Resilience Among Rural Youth

Youth in rural communities face various disparities including heightened rates of suicide and mental health outcomes. However, these youth are also situated within communities and educational systems that may provide unique protective factors. The goal of this project is to investigate longitudinal trajectories of peer victimization and associated mental health outcomes alongside potential unique, buffering protective factors present for youth in rural communities.

Food Deserts

Food deserts are an important public health issue facing our communities. Lack of access to quality food and/or transportation to access quality food can play a significant role in health outcomes, specifically among those already facing chronic conditions with recommendations to eat better and live a healthier lifestyle. This project examines locations of food deserts in our communities, linking important health outcomes and various other social determinants to begin understanding and intervening through policy to improve health outcomes.

Shifting Rural Health Care

The health care needs of rural communities continue to shift. Understanding and examining the unique community factors and economic variables impacting these shifting needs is crucial to providing the best care to our rural populations. This project will examine the various predictors impacting health care utilization including shifting populations, economic developments and closures, and various social determinants of health impacting our rural communities and patients.

Meet the Griese Lab Team

Jaymi Russo, M.E.d.

Senior Research Specialist

Jaymi Russo joined the Sanford Research in 2010 and then joined the Griese Lab in 2016 where she currently works on the peer victimization and rural health project. Russo manages daily operations of the study, handles compliance and regulatory submissions, collects and analyzes survey data, and shares findings with stakeholders and the research community.

Russo has previous Sanford Research experience in cardiology and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Russo earned a BA from St. Olaf College, an M.Ed. from the College of St. Scholastica, and a clinical research coordinator certificate from the Mayo School of Health Sciences.

Drake Anshutz, MPH

Senior Research Specialist

Drake Anshutz serves as the statistician for Dr. Griese’s research lab. Anshutz provides numerous support and analyses for various projects within the Sanford Health system. Drake specializes in advanced statistical methods, machine learning and big data analyses.

Prior to Sanford, Drake worked as a graduate research assistant while completing his Master of Public Health in Health Management and Policy at the University of North Dakota. Drake’s previous research has focused on health policy for population health interventions with a large emphasis in data science.

Cheryl Stansbury, MS

Research Project Manager

Cheryl Stansbury manages and supports activities within the data collaborative and supports population health research projects. She joined the Griese Lab in 2017.

She manages projects including Food Deserts and the Impact on Health Care Utilization, and Hypertension Among Young Adults within the Sanford System. She completed Patient Centered Outcomes Research Partnership Scholar Training and earned an MS in health care administration from the University of South Dakota.