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I’m a population health researcher passionate about eliminating “sick care” and ensuring equitable access to the social determinants of health.

Bobbie Johannes, PhD MPH

Education & Training

Bobbie Johannes is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Geisinger. Prior to joining Geisinger, she was a Postdoctoral Fellow at The University of Michigan in the Population Studies Center within the Institute for Social Research. Her fellowship is funded through an NIH training grant sponsored by the National Institute on Aging. Bobbie Johannes received her PhD from The Pennsylvania State University in Health Policy and Administration and Demography in August 2020. She received her MPH from Penn State College of Medicine May 2015, where she studied Health Systems Organization and Policy and her BS in Biology and Spanish from Albright College in 2013.

Research Interests

Bobbie’s primary research interest aims to improve access and financial barriers to care among poor, underserved, and rural populations, in order to improve population health. She is specifically interested in the effect of innovative models of care delivery on access to preventive care (e.g., cancer screenings and tobacco/nicotine screening) and the effect of Medicaid expansion on financial barriers to care. Second, Bobbie researches the social determinants of health, and focuses specifically on housing affordability among other determinants. Her third area of research focuses on the use of social media among the online vape community to proliferate misinformation, build an exclusive community, and acquire new young adult users. Finally, Bobbie researches patient perspectives on models of primary care delivery and the collection of patient-reported outcomes for research purposes. 

Employment

  • Assistant Professor Geisinger, Department of Population Health Sciences 2022-
  • Postdoctoral Fellow University of Michigan 2020-2022
  • Research Assistant Penn State University, Department of Health Policy & Administration 2015-2020
  • Research Support Penn State College of Medicine, Department of Public Health Sciences 2014-2015

Awards & Honors

  • American Public Health Association Barbara Starfield Medical Care Scholar 2019
  • College Health and Human Development Limited Endowed Funds for Dissertation Research and/or Professional Development Endowment 2019
  • AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting Best Student Poster Nomination 2019                  
  • Gary Chase Award for Excellence in the Master of Public Health                                                 
    Graduate Program, Penn State College of Medicine 2015
  • Highest Ranked Student Abstract, Penn State Public Health Day Symposium 2015
  • College Honors, Cum Laude, Albright College 2013                                                                             
  • Departmental Distinctions in Biology, Albright College 2013                                                          
  • Marcus H. Green Pre-Professional Award, Albright College 2013

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.“

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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