Dr. Tara Zolnikov

Dr. Tara Rava Zolnikov is a professor at National University at the School of Health and Human Services, whose research focuses on aspects of culture in global health. Dr. Zolnikov teaches courses in both the BPH and MPH program; her primary courses are environmental health and global health. Dr. Zolnikov earned a Ph.D in Developmental Science from North Dakota State University and an M.S. in Environmental Health from Harvard School of Public Health and a second M.S. in Industrial Hygiene from Montana Tech of the University of Montana. She also earned a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences from Montana Tech of the University of Montana. Dr. Zolnikov's works internationally on issues in low- and middle-income countries, including Kenya, Ghana, India, Colombia, and Brazil. She has worked on a variety of public health projects, ranging from infectious diseases (e.g. Ebola and HIV/AIDS) to access to water projects. She is primarily a qualitative researcher and concentrates on providing vulnerable populations with a voice; she uses autoethnographic, ethnographic, and phenomenological perspectives to understand or live through these experiences in order to recreate them for a widespread audience. Additionally, Dr. Zolnikov is the vice president of a nonprofit organization, The Shepherd's Village, which focuses on providing access to water to Maasai communities around Narok, Kenya. Dr. Zolnikov has published extensively in some of the world's most renowned public health and global health journals, including the American Journal of Public Health, AIDS and Behavior, Science of the Total Environment, and many more. She has also written and published three books, which focus on qualitative research and environmental health. She is the editor of Elsevier's Dialogues in Health. Finally, she was accepted as a Fellow in The Explorers Club for her novel research in global health.

Publications

• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2019). Changing tradition in the humanitarian sector: Kenya Red Cross challenging socioeconomic conditions through a novel business model approach.. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2019). Autoethnographies on the environment and human health. Geneva, Switzerland: Springer. Pp. 1-157.


• Zolnikov, T.R. & Chambers, D. (January 01, 2019). Barriers to treatment for patients with breast cancer in Kenya. The Lancet, Oncology.


• Grammans, E. Zolnikov, T.R., Smet, E., Nguura, P.N., Leshore, L.C., Ten Have, Steven. (January 01, 2019). Lessons learned from implementing alternative rites in the fight against female genital mutilation/cutting. The Pan African Medical Journal.


• Zolnikov, T.R., Blodgett-Salafia, B., & Jones, M.E. (January 01, 2019). College student solutions to understanding and treating eating disorders. Spotlight on Public Health Research.


• Cruvinel, V.R.N., Zolnikov, T.R., Bashash, M., Marques, C.P., Simoes, A.S.R., & Scott, J. (January 01, 2019). Waterborne diseases in waste pickers of Structural, Brazil, the second largest open-air dumpsite in the world. Waste Management.


• Zolnikov, T.R., Ramos, H.M.P., Cruvinel, V.R.N., Guimaraes, A.D., Galato, D. (January 01, 2019). Medical waste disposal in Brasilia, Brazil: A Qualitative study on adverse health outcomes of recyclable waste collectors.. Journal of Environmental Health and Pollution.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2019). Suicide and resilience in rural Montana. American Journal of Public Health.


• Zolnikov, T.R., Ramirez Ortiz, D., Raymond, J., Chambers, D., Brears, R., Cook, D. (January 01, 2019). A scoping review on global climate change adaptation and resilience. Spotlight on Climate Change Research.


• Scarponi, C., Zolnikov, T.R., Mol, M. (January 01, 2019). Are waste pickers at risk for hepatitis B and C infections because of poverty or environmental exposures?. Journal of Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2019). Global health in action against a superbug. American Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). New targets for behavior change in Ebola outbreaks: Ideas for future interventions. Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychos.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). A systematic review on mercury in artisanal gold mining.. Science of the Total Environment.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). Formalizing gold mining under the Minamata Convention on mercury: Previewing the challenge in sub-Saharan Africa.. Environmental Science and Policy.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). AIDS-affected orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review on outcome differences in rural and urban environments. AIDS and Behavior.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). A humanitarian crisis: Lessons learned from Hurricane Irma.. American Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). Where your electronics go to die.. American Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2018). Climate change: Water and sanitation. In: Climate Resilient Water Resources Management,.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2017). My failed attempt to access small-scale gold miners.. American Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2017). Access to water provides economic relief through enhanced relationships in Kenya. Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2016). My Walk to Water.. American Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2016). Improved Relationships in Eastern Kenya From Water Interventions and Access to Water.. Health Psychology.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2014). Understanding the social effects of water intervention implementation in the developing world: A qualitative study in Kitui, Kenya. Annals of Global Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2014). Economic benefits of implemented water interventions in the developing world: A qualitative study in Kitui, Kenya. Annals of Global Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2014). Understanding cultural experiences: a qualitative study of Kenyans in America. African Identities.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (March 01, 2013). Prevalence, pathogenic capability, virulence genes, biofilm formation, and antibiotic resistance of Listeria in goat and sheep milk confirms need of hygienic milking. Pathogens and Global Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (March 01, 2013). Let's talk about culture! Experiencing a disco funeral in Western Kenya. Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (March 01, 2013). Confirmed low prevalence of Listeria mastitis in she-camel milk delivers a safe, alternative milk for human consumption. Acta Tropica.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2013). Isolation and characterization of Salmonella enterica in day-old ducklings in Egypt. Pathogens and Global Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2012). The Maladies of Water and War: Addressing Poor Water Quality in Iraq. American Journal of Public Health.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2012). Limitations in small artisanal gold mining addressed by educational components paired with alternative mining methods. Science of the Total Environment.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (January 01, 2007). Evaluation of asbestos exposures during firewood-harvesting simulations in Libby, MT, USA Preliminary data.


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2024). The global distribution of epidemiological studies involving waste pickers: A systematic review. Waste Management, 177, 95-105..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2024). A systematic review on the physical, mental, and occupational effects of exercise on pregnant women. Dialogues in Health, 100181..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2024). Demystifying male emotional development: Exploring the implications of forced gender roles on Black American males. Journal of Black Psychology, 50(1), 68-90..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2024). Understanding Emerging Adults’ Perspectives on Mental Health in Togo. Emerging Adulthood, 12(2), 214-223..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2024). TO EAT, OR NOT TO EAT? A PSYCHOANALYTIC VIEW ON THE FOOD‐PARENT. British Journal of Psychotherapy..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2023). “Look, it’sa dengue mosquito”: a qualitative study on living near open-air dumpsites and vector-borne diseases. Advances in Environmental and Engineering Research, 4(3), 1-25..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2023). Instrument-breast: A psychoanalytic view on musicians’ perception of instruments. European Journal of Psychotherapy & Counselling, 25(4), 388-404..


• Dr. Tara Zolnikov. (n.d.). (2021). A systematic review on informal waste picking: Occupational hazards and health outcomes. Waste Management, 126, 291-308..