Isabelle Kusters, Ph.D., MPH

Biography

Dr. Isabelle Kusters is the director of the M.S. in Exercise & Health Sciences program and an associate professor of public health in the Department of Clinical, Health, and Applied Sciences at University of Houston-Clear Lake. She holds a secondary appointment as a Health Policy Scholar in the Center for Medical Ethics & Health Policy at Baylor College of Medicine and is a Co-Investigator in the Behavioral Health Program at the Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center.

Dr. Kusters' current research focuses on the impact of the social and political determinants of health on healthcare access and outcomes for underserved and marginalized populations. She is also interested in the ways in which translation and interpretation services affect access to, and quality of, care for patients with limited English proficiency. Her teaching and research interests include the social determinants of health and health disparities, epidemiology, health care access and quality, and health policy.

Dr. Kusters completed her postdoctoral research fellowship at the Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness, and Safety and at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. She earned her graduate degrees (Ph.D., MPH) at the University of Texas School of Public Health and an undergraduate diploma (BA) from the University of Texas at Austin.

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Areas of Expertise

• Public Health
• Social Determinants of Health and Health Disparities
• Cultural Competency in Healthcare
• Health Policy
• Healthcare Systems
• Health Services Research
• Healthcare Quality & Safety

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