Associate Research Professor
Frances McClelland Institute
Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences
McClelland Park RM 235G
(520) 621-8739
mwalsh@email.arizona.edu
Curriculum Vitae

 

Michele Walsh is a program evaluator and health services researcher with considerable experience in the design and implementation of community-based studies of social and health-related issues.  She has a particular interest in identifying and measuring social and cultural factors that impact health and well-being.

Dr. Walsh and the Community Research Evaluations & Development (CRED) team work together with community partners to examine a wide range of topics that affect children and families across Arizona. Her projects, among many others, have included assessing the effectiveness of the statewide tobacco control effort; documenting indicators of childhood oral health and childhood obesity in Arizona; evaluating outcomes of substance abuse treatment for justice-involved youth; and working closely with tribal and rural communities to assess the health and educational needs of families with children from birth to five.  

In addition to maintaining her own research program, Dr. Walsh provides consultation on a broad array of local, national, and international research proposals and projects. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Child Language Center, and on the Scientific Advisory Council for the Ben’s Bells Project.

Dr. Walsh received her Ph.D. in Program Evaluation and Research Methodology, and in Developmental Psychology, from the Department of Psychology at the University of Arizona. She was also a Marshall Scholar at Oxford University, England. Dr. Walsh has served as the Director of the Health Services Research Center at the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System and as Visiting Professor at the University of Mannheim, Germany, where she taught courses in program evaluation and applied social measurement.

 

Areas of Expertise and Interest:

  • Social and cultural factors that impact health and well-being
  • Community-based research and evaluation
  • Applied social measurement

Selected Publications:

  • Duncan, B., Shen, K. Zou, L., Han, T. Lu, Z. Zheng, H., Walsh, M., Venker, C., Su, Y., Schnyer, R., Caspi, O. (2012). Evaluating intense rehabilitative therapies with and without acupuncture for children with cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 93(5), 808-815.
  • Herman, P., Rissi, J., & Walsh, M. (2011). Health insurance status, medical debt, and the impact of each on access to care.  American Journal of Public Health.  Published online ahead of print, American Journal of Public Health, 10.2105/AJPH.2010.300080
  • Herman, P. & Walsh M. (2011). Declines in hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction, angina, stroke, and asthma after implementation of Arizona’s comprehensive statewide smoking ban.  American Journal of Public Health, 101(3), 491-496.
  • Beck, C. J. A., Walsh, M., & Weston, R. (2009). The difficult balance of safety versus access: Mediation agreements of families with intimate partner abuse. Invited paper. Special Issue of Family Court Review, 47(3), 401-415.
  • Primack, B., Walsh, M., Bryce, C., &  Eissenberg, T. (2009).  Waterpipe tobacco smoking among middle and high school students. Pediatrics, 123, e282-e288.
  • Herman, P., Avery, D., Schemp, C. & Walsh, M. (2008).  Are cost-inclusive evaluations worth the effort?  Evaluation and Program Planning, 32, 55-61.
  • Walsh, M., Katz, M., Sechrest, L. (2002). Unpacking cultural factors in adaptation to Type II diabetes mellitus. Medical Care, 40(1 Supp), 129-139.
  • Walsh, M., Smith, R., Morales, A. & Sechrest, L. (2000). Ecocultural Research: A Mental Health Researcher’s Guide to the Study of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture. Human Services Research Institute: Cambridge, MA.

Selected Evaluation Reports:

  • Walsh, M., Dominguez, E.V., Daws, J., Avery, D., Kaplan, D., & Tanoue, K. (2014).  First Things First Community Needs and Assets Reports.  Prepared for the following First Things First Regional Partnership Councils: Tribal: Cocopah Indian Tribe; Colorado River Indian Tribes; Gila River Indian Community; Hualapai Tribe; Navajo Nation; Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community; San Carlos Apache Tribe; Tohono O’odham Nation; White Mountain Apache Tribe; County-based: Coconino; East Maricopa; Gila; La Paz/Mohave; Northwest Maricopa; Santa Cruz; Southeast Maricopa; Southwest Maricopa; Yavapai; Yuma.
  • Kaplan, D., Tanoue, K., Dixon, A., Daws, J., & Walsh, M. (2014).  Evaluation of the Care1st Avondale Resource and Housing Center.  Prepared for the City of Avondale.
  • Avery, D., Tanoue, K., & Walsh, M. (2014).  Annual Evaluation of the Pima County Drug Treatment Alternative to Prison Program. Prepared for the Pima County Attorney’s Office.
  • Walsh, M. & Dominguez, E.V. (2013). Evaluation of the implementation of the El Rio Diabetes Self-Management Training & Education Program.  Prepared for the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Tobacco and Chronic Disease.              
  • Daws, J., Walsh, M., Kaplan, D., & Dominguez, E.V. (2013). Approaches to Public-Private Partnerships for Tobacco Cessation in Arizona:  Employer Coverage Study.  Prepared for the Arizona Department of Health Services Bureau of Tobacco and Chronic Disease.
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