Lisa H. Gren

Lisa H. Gren, PhD, MSPH

Languages spoken: English

Academic Information

Departments Primary - Family & Preventive Medicine

Divisions: Public Health

Lisa Gren, PhD, MSPH is a Professor in the Division of Public Health, Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah. Her research focuses on intervention implementation at the clinical and community levels, as well as public health workforce development. She has managed several large multi-site clinical trials that have changed national practice for cancer screening, and for hypertension management. She uses mixed methods to evaluate program implementation and dissemination. In workforce development, she is collaborating with a number of public health faculty to develop courses in maternal and child health, public health law and policy, and undergraduate public health. She is also involved in a national effort to develop a pathway for the Certified in Disease Intervention credential.

She earned her MSPH and PhD in Public Health at the University of Utah, and BS in Microbiology at Brigham Young University.

Research Statement

Dr. Lisa Gren leads a team working on public health workforce skill development. In collaboration with the Association of Schools and Programs in Public Health (ASPPH), the team is working on national credentialing for disease intervention professionals. The credential – Certified in Disease Intervention (CDI) – will be an important way to certify the skills used by professionals who manage routine infectious outbreaks, as well as those that arise emergently such as during the recent COVID-19 pandemic or due to physical disasters.

In 2025, Drs. Lisa Gren, Kimberly Shoaf, Jennifer Dailey-Provost, and doctoral student Kristina Gale evaluated Community College as a pathway to preparing for the CDI credential examination. They found broad support for this pathway among students, staff, and faculty at community colleges. The research included the development of a self-assessment that colleges can use to determine their readiness to add curriculum that supports acquisition of CDI skills. Forthcoming publications will provide more detail on the findings of this study. The team has recently applied for further funding that will support development of an apprenticeship for those interested in preparing for the CDI credential.

In related work, the team also develops graduate-level courses to strengthen public health workforce knowledge and skills. Dr. Jennifer Dailey-Provost is developing a course on Public Health Law. Drs. Lisa Gren, Shahpar Najmabadi, and Kimberly Shoaf are developing an interdisciplinary course in Maternal and Child Health; they are joined by doctoral student Sarah Mzee in this effort. Both courses will be offered for the first time in spring semester 2026.

Education History

Undergraduate Brigham Young University
 BS
Graduate Training University of Utah
 MSPH
Doctoral Training University of Utah
 PhD
Other Training Erasmus University
Certification University of Utah
 Certificate

Selected Publications

Journal Article

  1. Brunisholz KD, Joy EA, Hashibe M, Gren LH, Savitz LA, Hamilton S, Cannon W, Huynh K, Schafer TAN, Newman LM, Parker J, Musselman J, Kim (2017). Stepping Back to Move Forward: Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Diabetes Prevention Program Within a Large Integrated Healthcare Delivery System. Journal for healthcare quality, 39(5), 278-293. (Read full article)
  2. Jones KB, Gren LH, Backman (2014). Improving pediatric immunization rates: description of a resident-led clinical continuous quality improvement project. Family medicine, 46(8), 631-5. (Read full article)
  3. Pippitt K, Moloney-Johns A, Jalilibahabadi S, Gren L (2015). Collaboration versus competition: an interprofessional education experience. Family medicine, 47(4), 298-301. (Read full article)
  4. Van Hala S, Cochella S, Jaggi R, Frost CJ, Kiraly B, Pohl S, Gren (2018). Development and validation of the Foundational Healthcare Leadership Self-Assessment. Family medicine, 50(4), 262-8.
  5. Metos J, Gren L, Brusseau T Jr, Moric E, O'Toole K, Mokhtari T, Buys S, Frost (2018). Adolescent Girls¿ Reactions to Nutrition and Physical Activity Assessment Tools and Insight into Life Style Habits. Health education journal, 77(1), 85-95.
  6. Berlowitz DR, Breaux-Shropshire T, Foy CG, Gren LH, Kazis L, Lerner AJ, Newman JC, Powell JR, Riley WT, Rosman R, Wadley VG, Williams J (2016). Hypertension Treatment and Concern About Falling: Baseline Data from the Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial.LID - 10.1111/jgs.14441 [doi]. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, (Read full article)
  7. Parsons BG, Gren LH, Simonsen SE, Harding G, Grossman D, Wu Y (2017). Opportunities for Skin Cancer Prevention Education among Individuals Attending a Community Skin Cancer Screening in a High-Risk Catchment Area.LID - 10.1007/s10900-017-0406-8 [doi]. Journal of community health, 43(2), 212-219. (Read full article)
  8. Long KNG, Gren LH, Long PM, Jaggi R, Banik S, Mihalopoulos N (2017). A picture of Indian adolescent mental health: an analysis from three urban secondary schools, Epub ahead of print, DOI: 10.1515/ijamh-2017-0035. International journal of adolescent medicine and health,
  9. Brunisholz KD, Kim J, Savitz LA, Hashibe M, Gren LH, Hamilton S, Huynh K, Joy E (2017). A Formative Evaluation of a Diabetes Prevention Program Using the RE-AIM Framework in a Learning Health Care System, Utah, 2013-2015. Preventing chronic disease, 14, E58. (Read full article)
  10. Brunisholz KD, Joy EA, Hashibe M, Gren LH, Savitz LA, Hamilton S, Cannon W, Kim (2016). Incidental Risk of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among Patients with Confirmed and Unconfirmed Prediabetes. PloS one, 11(7), e0157729. (Read full article)
  11. Ball TJ, Joy EA, Gren LH, Cunningham R, Shaw J (2015). Predictive Validity of an Adult Physical Activity "Vital Sign" Recorded in Electronic Health Records. Journal of physical activity & health, (Read full article)
  12. Gohagan JK, O'Brien B, Hasson MA, Umbel KD, Bridgeman B, Kramer BS, Reding D, Gren L, Wright P, Riley T, Prorok P (2015). Comprehensive Quality Management (CQM) in the PLCO Trial. Reviews on recent clinical trials, 10(3), 223-32. (Read full article)
  13. Gren LH, Lamerato LE, Wright P, Marcus P (2015). Validation of Self-Report of Chest X-Ray Exam at a Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial Center. Reviews on recent clinical trials, 10(3), 194-9. (Read full article)
  14. Marcus PM, Broski KG, Buys SS, Childs J, Church TR, Gohagan JK, Gren LH, Higgins D, Jaggi R, Jenkins V, Johnson CC, Lappe K, O'Brien B, Ogden SL, Prorok PC, Reding D, Shambaugh V, Yokochi LA, Yurgalevitch (2015). Building Successful Relationships in the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial. Reviews on recent clinical trials, 10(3), 181-6. (Read full article)
  15. Gohagan JK, Broski K, Gren LH, Fouad MN, Higgins D, Lappe K, Ogden S, Shambaugh V, Pinsky PF, O'Brien B, Yurgalevich S, Riley T, Wright P, Prorok P (2015). Managing Multi-Center Recruitment in the PLCO Cancer Screening Trial. Reviews on recent clinical trials, 10(3), 187-93. (Read full article)
  16. Hawkins ML, Buys SS, Gren LH, Simonsen SE, Kirchhoff AC, Hashibe (2016). Do cancer survivors develop healthier lifestyle behaviors than the cancer-free population in the PLCO study?. Journal of cancer survivorship, 11(2), 233-245. (Read full article)
  17. Brown K, Fortenberry K, Gren L, Gunning K, McAdam-Marx (2017). Achievement of adequate glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes and comorbid mental health conditions treated in a primary care setting. Diabetes spectrum, 30(4), 277-87.
  18. Gren LH, Porucznik CA, Joy EA, Lyon JL, Staes CJ, Alder S (2013). Point-of-care testing as an influenza surveillance tool: Methodology and lessons learned from implementation. Influenza research and treatment, 2013(Art#242970),
  19. Talboys SL, Kaur M, VanDerslice J, Gren LH, Bhattacharya H, Alder S (2017). What Is Eve Teasing? A Mixed Methods Study of Sexual Harassment of Young Women in the Rural Indian Context. SAGE open,
  20. Viau KS, Jones JL, Murtaugh MA, Gren LH, Stanford JB, Bilder D (2016). Phone-based motivational interviewing to increase self-efficacy in individuals with phenylketonuria. Molecular genetics and metabolism reports, 6, 27-33.
  21. Gren LH, Jaggi R, Landward R, Benson LS, Frost C (2017). A community health coach-delivered mental wellness intervention: using Mind-Body Bridging to reduce health disparities in diverse communities. Pedagogy in health promotion, 3(3), 167-76.
  22. Schliep KC, Denhalter D, Gren LH, Panushka KA, Singh TP, Varner M (2019). Factors in the Hospital Experience Associated with Postpartum Breastfeeding Success. Breastfeeding medicine, 14(5), 334-341. (Read full article)
  23. Byun J, Post RH, Frost CJ, Self A, Glenn AB, Gren L (2019). Assessing the Approach to HIV Case Management. Social work in public health, 34(4), 307-317. (Read full article)
  24. McAdam-Marx C, Tak C, Petigara T, Jones NW, Yoo M, Briley MS, Gunning K, Gren (2019). Impact of a guideline-based best practice alert on pneumococcal vaccination rates in adults in a primary care setting. BMC health services research, 19(1), 474. (Read full article)
  25. Lee AK, Katz R, Jotwani V, Garimella PS, Ambrosius WT, Cheung AK, Gren LH, Neyra JA, Punzi H, Raphael KL, Shlipak MG, Ix J (2019). Distinct Dimensions of Kidney Health and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Failure, and Mortality. Hypertension (Dallas, Tex., 74(4), 872-879. (Read full article)
  26. Kawakita D, Lee YA, Gren LH, Buys SS, La Vecchia C, Hashibe (2019). Fiber intake and the risk of head and neck cancer in the prostate, lung, colorectal and ovarian (PLCO) cohort. International journal of cancer, 145(9), 2342-2348. (Read full article)
  27. Tamariz L, Gajardo M, Still CH, Gren LH, Clark E, Walsh S, Whittle J, Nord J, Ramsey T, Contreras G, SPRINT Research Grou (2019). The impact of central IRB's on informed consent readability and trial adherence in SPRINT. Contemporary clinical trials communications, 15, 100407. (Read full article)
  28. Chavez JL, Porucznik CA, Gren LH, Guan J, Joyce E, Brodke DS, Dailey AT, Mahan MA, Hood RS, Lawrence BD, Spiker WR, Spina NT, Bisson E (2020). The Impact of Preoperative Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Postoperative Outcomes in Lumbar Spine Degenerative Disease: 3-Month and 12-Month Results of a Pilot Study. World neurosurgery, 139, e230-e236. (Read full article)
  29. Thiesset HF, Schliep KC, Stokes SM, Valentin VL, Gren LH, Porucznik CA, Huang L (2020). Opioid Misuse and Dependence Screening Practices Prior to Surgery. The Journal of surgical research, 252, 200-205. (Read full article)
  30. Qeadan F, Honda T, Gren LH, Dailey-Provost J, Benson LS, VanDerslice JA, Porucznik CA, Waters AB, Lacey S, Shoaf (2020). Naive Forecast for COVID-19 in Utah Based on the South Korea and Italy Models-the Fluctuation between Two Extremes. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(8), (Read full article)
  31. Contreras G, Lu L, Tamariz L, Rocco MV, Papademetriou V, Kostis JB, Pisoni R, Glasser SP, Sweeney ME, Basile J, Gren LH, Zamanian S, Cushman WC, SPRINT Research Grou (2020). Outcomes in adults with systolic blood pressure between 130 and 139¿mmHg in Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Blood Pressure trial and Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial. Journal of hypertension, 38(8), 1567-1577. (Read full article)
  32. Hyde MA, Grossman D, Wu YP, Buys S, Gren LH, Hashibe (2020). Vitamin D, melanoma risk, and tumor thickness in PLCO cancer screening trial patients. JAAPA, 33(6), 35-41. (Read full article)
  33. Nagelhout ES, Lensink R, Zhu A, Parsons BG, Haaland B, Hashibe M, Grossman D, VanDerslice J, Gren LH, Jensen JD, Wu Y (2021). Higher Ultraviolet Radiation Exposure Among Rural-Dwelling Versus Urban-Dwelling Adults and Children: Implications for Skin Cancer Prevention. Journal of community health, 46(1), 147-155. (Read full article)
  34. Pfledderer CD, Gren LH, Metos J, Brusseau TA, O'Toole K, Buys SS, Daly MB, Frost C (2021). Mothers' Diet and Family Income Predict Daughters' Healthy Eating. Preventing chronic disease, 18, E24. (Read full article)
  35. Hu Q, Chang CP, Rowe K, Snyder J, Deshmukh V, Newman M, Fraser A, Smith K, Gren LH, Porucznik C, Stanford JB, Gaffney D, Henry NL, Lopez I, Hashibe (2021). Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Hispanic Breast Cancer Survivors in a Population-Based Cohort. JNCI cancer spectrum, 5(2), (Read full article)
  36. Williams AC, Martinez LI, Garrison A, Frost CJ, Gren L (2022). Factors leading to satisfaction with counseling for Labor after Cesarean among Latina women in the United States. Birth (Berkeley, Calif.), 49(1), 71-79. (Read full article)
  37. Waters AR, Gren LH, Rogers CR, Kirchhoff AC, Warner E (2021). Qualitative inquiry of cancer caregiving during young adulthood: responsibilities, challenges, teamwork, and social support. Journal of psychosocial oncology research and practice, 3(4), (Read full article)
  38. Palmer T, Benson LS, Porucznik C, Gren L (2022). Impact of COVID-19 Social Distancing Mandates on Gastrointestinal Pathogen Positivity: Secondary Data Analysis. JMIR public health and surveillance, 8(8), e34757. (Read full article)
  39. Koric A, Chang CP, Mark B, Rowe K, Snyder J, Dodson M, Deshmukh VG, Newman MG, Fraser AM, Smith KR, Date AP, Gren LH, Porucznik CA, Haaland BA, Henry NL, Hashibe (2022). Cardiovascular disease risk in long-term breast cancer survivors: A population-based cohort study. Cancer, 128(14), 2826-2835. (Read full article)
  40. Pfledderer CD, Gren LH, Frost CJ, Andrulis IL, Chung WK, Genkinger J, Glendon G, Hopper JL, John EM, Southey M, Terry MB, Daly M (2022). Women's thoughts on receiving and sharing genetic information: Considerations for genetic counseling. Journal of genetic counseling, 31(6), 1249-1260. (Read full article)
  41. Scoville J, Joyce E, Harper J, Hunsaker J, Gren L, Porucznik C, Kestle JR (2022). A survey and analysis of pediatric stroke protocols. Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases, 31(9), 106661. (Read full article)
  42. Andriole GL, Levin DL, Crawford ED, Gelmann EP, Pinsky PF, Chia D, Kramer BS, Reding D, Church TR, Grubb RL, Izmirlian G, Ragard LR, Clapp JD, Prorok PC, Gohagan JK, PLCO Project Tea (2005). Prostate Cancer Screening in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) Cancer Screening Trial: findings from the initial screening round of a randomized trial. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 97(6), 433-8. (Read full article)
  43. Weissfeld JL, Schoen RE, Pinsky PF, Bresalier RS, Church T, Yurgalevitch S, Austin JH, Prorok PC, Gohagan JK, PLCO Project Tea (2005). Flexible sigmoidoscopy in the PLCO cancer screening trial: results from the baseline screening examination of a randomized trial. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 97(13), 989-97. (Read full article)
  44. Buys SS, Partridge E, Greene MH, Prorok PC, Reding D, Riley TL, Hartge P, Fagerstrom RM, Ragard LR, Chia D, Izmirlian G, Fouad M, Johnson CC, Gohagan JK, PLCO Project Tea (2005). Ovarian cancer screening in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian (PLCO) cancer screening trial: findings from the initial screen of a randomized trial. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 193(5), 1630-9. (Read full article)
  45. Oken MM, Marcus PM, Hu P, Beck TM, Hocking W, Kvale PA, Cordes J, Riley TL, Winslow SD, Peace S, Levin DL, Prorok PC, Gohagan JK, PLCO Project Tea (2005). Baseline chest radiograph for lung cancer detection in the randomized Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 97(24), 1832-9. (Read full article)
  46. National Lung Screening Trial Research Team, Aberle DR, Berg CD, Black WC, Church TR, Fagerstrom RM, Galen B, Gareen IF, Gatsonis C, Goldin J, Gohagan JK, Hillman B, Jaffe C, Kramer BS, Lynch D, Marcus PM, Schnall M, Sullivan DC, Sullivan D, Zylak C (2011). The National Lung Screening Trial: overview and study design. Radiology, 258(1), 243-53. (Read full article)
  47. Berlowitz DR, Foy CG, Kazis LE, Bolin LP, Conroy MB, Fitzpatrick P, Gure TR, Kimmel PL, Kirchner K, Morisky DE, Newman J, Olney C, Oparil S, Pajewski NM, Powell J, Ramsey T, Simmons DL, Snyder J, Supiano MA, Weiner DE, Whittle J, SPRINT Research Grou (2017). Effect of Intensive Blood-Pressure Treatment on Patient-Reported Outcomes. The New England journal of medicine, 377(8), 733-744. (Read full article)
  48. Nasrallah IM, Gaussoin SA, Pomponio R, Dolui S, Erus G, Wright CB, Launer LJ, Detre JA, Wolk DA, Davatzikos C, Williamson JD, Pajewski NM, Bryan RN, SPRINT Research Grou (2021). Association of Intensive vs Standard Blood Pressure Control With Magnetic Resonance Imaging Biomarkers of Alzheimer Disease: Secondary Analysis of the SPRINT MIND Randomized Trial. JAMA neurology, 78(5), 568-577. (Read full article)
  49. SPRINT Research Group, Lewis CE, Fine LJ, Beddhu S, Cheung AK, Cushman WC, Cutler JA, Evans GW, Johnson KC, Kitzman DW, Oparil S, Rahman M, Reboussin DM, Rocco MV, Sink KM, Snyder JK, Whelton PK, Williamson JD, Wright JT Jr, Ambrosius W (2021). Final Report of a Trial of Intensive versus Standard Blood-Pressure Control. The New England journal of medicine, 384(20), 1921-1930. (Read full article)
  50. Kurella Tamura M, Gaussoin S, Pajewski NM, Zaharchuk G, Freedman BI, Rapp SR, Auchus AP, Haley WE, Oparil S, Kendrick J, Roumie CL, Beddhu S, Cheung AK, Williamson JD, Detre JA, Dolui S, Bryan RN, Nasrallah IM, SPRINT Research Grou (2022). Kidney Disease, Hypertension Treatment, and Cerebral Perfusion and Structure. American journal of kidney diseases, 79(5), 677-687.e1. (Read full article)
  51. Hu S, Chang CP, Snyder J, Deshmukh V, Newman M, Date A, Galvao C, Haaland B, Porucznik CA, Gren LH, Sanchez A, Lloyd S, O'Neil B, Hashibe (2024). Mental health outcomes in a population-based cohort of patients with prostate cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 116(3), 445-454. (Read full article)
  52. Koric A, Mark B, Chang CP, Lloyd S, Dodson M, Deshmukh VG, Newman M, Date A, Gren LH, Porucznik CA, Haaland B, Henry NL, Hashibe (2023). Adverse Health Outcomes among Rural and Urban Breast Cancer Survivors: A Population-Based Cohort Study. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention, 32(10), 1302-1311. (Read full article)
  53. Hu S, Chang CP, Snyder J, Deshmukh V, Newman M, Date A, Galvao C, Porucznik CA, Gren LH, Sanchez A, Lloyd S, Haaland B, O'Neil B, Hashibe (2023). Comparing Active Surveillance and Watchful Waiting With Radical Treatment Using Machine Learning Models Among Patients With Prostate Cancer. JCO clinical cancer informatics, 7, e2300083. (Read full article)
  54. Koric A, Chang CP, Mark B, Rowe K, Snyder J, Dodson M, Deshmukh VG, Newman MG, Fraser AM, Smith KR, Date AP, Gren LH, Porucznik CA, Haaland BA, Henry NL, Hashibe (2022). Cardiovascular disease risk in long-term breast cancer survivors: A population-based cohort study. Cancer, 128(14), 2826-2835. (Read full article)
  55. Hu Q, Chang CP, Rowe K, Snyder J, Deshmukh V, Newman M, Fraser A, Smith K, Gren LH, Porucznik C, Stanford JB, Gaffney D, Henry NL, Lopez I, Hashibe (2021). Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Hispanic Breast Cancer Survivors in a Population-Based Cohort. JNCI cancer spectrum, 5(2), (Read full article)
  56. Brewer SE, Zeidan AJ, Dawson-Hahn EE, Agrawal P, Talavlikar R, Barnett ED, DiVito BM, Hauck FR, Wieland ML, Gren LH, Karaki FM, Payton (2025). Development of a Refugee Health Research Agenda in North America. Journal of immigrant and minority health, 27(1), 53-61. (Read full article)
  57. Dominguez T, Pettit L, Garner C, Yamamoto DP, VanDerslice JA, Handy RG, Gren LH, Sleeth D (2025). Evaluating United States Air Force hearing conservation educational materials for compliance, readability, understandability, and actionability. Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene, 22(11), 889-902. (Read full article)

Review

  1. Nelson JR, Ess RH, Dickerson TT, Gren LH, Benson LS, Manortey SO, Alder S (2022). Strategies to increase rural maternal utilization of skilled health personnel for childbirth delivery in low- and middle-income countries: a narrative review. Global health action, 15(1), 2058170. (Read full article)