Biography

Dr. Cowgill is the Center Project Director for the UCLA Center for Prevention Research and has extensive experience working with community-based organizations in the design, implementation, and evaluation of research projects following the principles of community-based participatory research (CBPR). Dr. Cowgill received his PhD from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in 2007 from the Department of Health Policy and Management in Health Care Outcomes Research. Dr. Cowgill’s research addresses adolescent risk behaviors, including tobacco and e-cigarette use, nutrition and physical activity, and HPV vaccine uptake. He is also interested in how federal, state, and local policies influence health behaviors. Dr. Cowgill teaches courses on Healthy Policy and Health Care Organization and Financing.

Prior to returning to academic research, Dr. Cowgill served as a fellow for Senator Edward Kennedy’s Health Committee staff, working on passage of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and as an analyst for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

During his time with CMS, Dr. Cowgill worked with state Medicaid agencies on child and adolescent immunization performance measurement and quality improvement projects and funding for immunization registries. He is experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research and analytical techniques.