Our Team

Dr. Poston has graduate degrees in the behavioral sciences (University of California, Santa Barbara) and epidemiology (University of Texas Houston Health Science Center, School of Public Health). Dr. Poston completed postdoctoral fellowships in Behavioral Health Psychology (Wilford Hall Medical Center) and in Cardiovascular Health (American Hospital Association Health Forum). His research focuses primarily in the areas of obesity, tobacco control, and cardiovascular disease prevention with an emphasis on minority populations and military and first-responder health. He has been a principal investigator or co-investigator on grants from the American Heart Association (AHA), the American Legacy Foundation, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National Institute of Digestive Disorders and Kidney Diseases, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Department of Defense US Army Medical Research and Material Command, and the Department of Homeland Security/FEMA. He also has been the recipient of a Minority Scientist Development award from AHA.

Marco McKithen is a Juris Doctorate (JD) Candidate at Purdue Global University School of Law. He received his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Complex Health Systems from Nova Southeastern University and his Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from Robert Morris University. Mr. McKithen is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) and is certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt. He is a published author in leadership development, a highly decorated military veteran, an advisor, and a thought leader with over 18 years of success across corporate industries, including healthcare, financial, and business consulting services. Mr. McKithen’s broad areas of expertise are leadership, team building, crisis management, operations, business development, process improvement, strategic planning, data analysis, marketing, finance, and establishing new business units. He has helped propel numerous companies and healthcare facilities to generate massive profits. Marco is an exemplary leader, a visionary, and a master at business expansion; He is an executor at heart.

Dr. Jahnke has over a decade of research experience on firefighter health, she has been the Principal Investigator on ten national studies as well as dozens of studies as a co-investigator. Her work has focused on a range of health concerns including the health of women firefighters, behavioral health, risk of injury, cancer, cardiovascular risk factors, and substance use with funding from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant R&D Program, the National Institutes of Health and other foundations. She has more than 100 publications in peer-reviewed medical literature.

Dr. Haddock completed graduate work in both Clinical Psychology and Statistics and Research Methodology at the University of Memphis and the Pennsylvania State University as well as Fellowships in Clinical Health Psychology from the United States Air Force and Cardiovascular Health from the Health Forum of the American Hospital Association. His professional background also includes training in data science and strength and conditioning. Dr. Haddock is an Accredited Professional Statistician (PStat®) with the American Statistical Association, a Fellow with The Obesity Society, and a Certified Personal Trainer with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA-CPT®). He has served as the Principal, Co-Investigator, or Biostatistician on a large number of National Institutes of Health, Department of Defense, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and American Cancer Society grants as well as foundation and private industry-sponsored grants and contracts. His current research is diverse, ranging from evaluating detection methods for toxic exposures among firefighters, PTSD treatment for military personnel, best methods to promote fitness and health among military and first response personnel, tobacco control research, and the impact of the opioid epidemic on veterans. Dr. Haddock has published over 200 scientific articles, most focused on first responder, military, and veteran’s issues. He is a decorated military veteran having served both on active duty in the U.S. Air Force and as an active Reserve officer.

Dr. Jitnarin received her doctorate in Health Psychology with a Health Behavioral Science Emphasis at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Behavioral Sciences Training Program in Drug Abuse Research at the National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. in New York City. She also completed graduate certificates in Applied Statistics (Pennsylvania State University) and Occupational Health and Safety (Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health). Dr. Jitnarin’s research primarily focuses on health behavior (e.g., diet, exercise) and addictive behavior research, particularly tobacco use. She has a strong background in study coordination and experience in health outcomes research, specifically in statistics, epidemiology, and food and nutrition, as well as health-related behaviors. She has also been involved in the conduct and analysis of a number of large studies including cohort/observational studies and randomized controlled trials. Dr. Jitnarin currently serves as the Principal Investigator of the American Cancer Society-funded study focusing on developing and evaluating an occupationally-tailored smokeless tobacco cessation program in the U.S. Fire Service.

Jeanne Barnhill is a Senior Graphic Design Specialist with 25+ years of successful experience in the complete design process. She specializes in taking ideas from conceptualization to finished products. Software mastery includes; Adobe Creative Suite – Illustrator, Photoshop, Indesign, Acrobat Pro. Corel Draw, Microsoft Office

Jeanne enjoys the outdoors (particularly kayaking), comic book art, and pet rescue. She has lived with her wife in Kansas City, MO for the last three decades.

Deputy Fire Chief Laurie VandeSchoot (Retired) consistently advocates for diverse communities and the change initiatives necessary to shift culture. She is an executive-level change agent who is known for building inclusive and high-performing cultures that strengthen communities while working in municipal government (32 years) and consulting internationally (25 years). Laurie holds several interdisciplinary degrees, including an MSc in Sustainable Development; leads numerous international fire service programs and committees on diversity, executive leadership, and human relations; and has delivered over 500 training and development programs to emergency service, public service, and post-secondary institutions on Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, Gender, Cultural Competency, LGBTQ+ Awareness, Leadership Development, Strategic Planning, and Mission Focused Transformation. In recognition of her passion for diversity and inclusion, she received an Immigrants of Distinction, an Organizational Diversity Award for outstanding achievements in implementing cultural diversity initiatives, and a Federation of Canadian Municipalities Award for outstanding contributions to international cooperation.

Blake Skola currently manages the social media pages for the Center for Military & Veterans Health Research and the Center for Fire, Rescue & EMS Health Research. He has assisted with many other projects, including leading the Army PRT group for the ATHIS study at the Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. He joined the fire service in 2009 and currently works as a Firefighter/EMT for the Central Jackson County Fire Protection District, where he is a member of the Health & Safety and Professional Development committees. He is also an instructor at the fire academy and is a certified Peer Fitness Trainer. He enlisted in the Army Reserves in 2001, and currently holds the rank of Sergeant First Class. SFC Skola spent 15 months in Iraq in 2004-2005 with the 428th Transportation Company, whose mission was providing security escorts for supply convoys. His current duty assignment is Senior Drill Sergeant with A Company, 3/378th Battalion. Awards and decorations include Warrior Leaders Course Honor Graduate, Drill Sergeant School Honor Graduate, Fort Knox Iron Professional, 1/354th Battalion Best Warrior, 95th Division Drill Sergeant Of The Year, Gold German Armed Forces Proficiency Badge, Bronze Excellence in Competition Rifleman's Badge, Iraq Campaign Medal, Combat Action Badge, and Basic Parachutist Badge.

Carrie Sutherland graduated with her Master’s in Psychology with a research concentration from Avila University. Her prior research focused on replication work and stereotyping, discrimination, and prejudice against women and individuals who identify as transgender. While at Avila, she was the lab manager of the Wagge Lab and was a CREP Assistant, a collaborative project that aims to open science and provide research opportunities to students and professors. Carrie served as a teaching assistant during her graduate work in psychology classes at the graduate and undergraduate levels, leading to her current part-time role as an adjunct professor of psychology for psychological methods and statistics. Currently, Carrie serves as the Project Coordinator for NDRI-USA and actively maintains responsibilities as a qualitative research associate.