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Julie Postma

Julie Postma
Associate Dean for Research, Spokane Professor DEI Advocate 509-324-7287 College of Nursing 103 E. Spokane Falls Blvd. https://nursing.wsu.edu/directory/directory-profile/?nid=jpostma

Dr. Julie Postma, PhD, RN is a Professor in the Department of Nursing and Systems Science and the Associate Dean for Research at Washington State University College of Nursing. She worked clinically as a cardiothoracic nurse before studying occupational and environmental health and earning a PhD in Nursing Science at the University of Washington. She continued there as a post-doctoral fellow, supported by the National Institute of Nursing Research. She has over 15 years of experience working alongside community partners to promote environmental health and justice in Hispanic communities, primarily in terms of the impact of housing on asthma.

With the arrival of significant, hazardous, and disruptive wildfire smoke in 2015, her program of research shifted to reducing risks from wildfire smoke exposure on outdoor workers in agricultural communities. Her scholarship reflects the importance of community engagement and cultural humility in assessing environmental health risks, designing and testing risk reduction interventions, and implementing locally relevant strategies to reduce risks.

Dr. Postma is the 2023-2024 Climate and Health Scholar for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institutes of Health. She serves on the 2023-2024 National Institute of Nursing Research’s (NINR) Climate Change and Health Working Group and advised the WA State Department of Health on the development of the WA Air Quality Guide for Children’s Activity. To see her recent NINR Director’s Lecture on Climate Change and Health, check out: https://www.ninr.nih.gov/newsandevents/events/ninr-directors-lecture-climate-change-and-health

Dr. Postma teaches graduate courses and mentors students within and outside of WSU in environmental health in her role as a Co-Investigator on the Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS), funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

Education

  • BSN, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor, MI
  • PhD, University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, WA
  • Post doctoral fellowship, University of Washington School of Nursing, Seattle, WA

Funded Research

  • “NRT: Rivers, Watersheds, Communities: Training an Innovative, Cross-Sector Workforce for Equitable, Multi-Scale Decision-Making Towards Human and Ecosystem Health.” (2021) Boll, J. et al. National Science Foundation Research Traineeship (NRT). $2,999,967 (direct and indirect costs) Project dates: 9/1/21-8/31/26) Role: Senior / Key personnel
  • “Environmental Health Research Institute for Nurse and Clinician Scientists (EHRI-NCS).” (Grants.gov Tracking #: GRANT13250074); Castner, J., Amiri, A.; Eldeirawi, K.; Huffling, K.; Huntington-Moskos, L.; Polivka, B.; Postma, J.; Rodriguez, J. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences; Sub award $108,000 (direct and indirect costs). Project period: 8/1/21-7/30/25 Role: Co-I
  • “Smoke hazards in the Agricultural Workplace: A bilingual survey for agricultural employers.” Postma, J. & Graves, J. UW Pacific Northwest Agriculture Safety and Health Center, Pilot Project Program, $32,088 (total costs). Project period: 9/30/23-9/29/24. Role: PI
  • “Smoke Hazards in the Agricultural Workplace: Survey transla” UW Pacific Northwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center’s Outreach Minigrant program, $5000, Project period: 6/1/23-9/30/23. Role: PI.
  • “Employer Perspectives on Wildfire Smoke Hazards in the Agricultural Workplace.” Postma, J. (mentor), Parker, Molly (PhD student). Professional Training Opportunities Program in Occupational Health, UW, 2022-2023, $9,977
  • “The association between maternal exposure to wildfire smoke and neonatal outcomes.” Marko, T., Postma, J. & Walden, V. National Research Service Award (F31), National Institute of Nursing Research, $91,040. 9/30/21-9/30/23, Sponsor (with co-sponsor Von Walden)
  • “Monitoring and Communicating Wildfire Smoke Hazards in the Agricultural Workplace.” Postma, J. Washington State University Institute for Research and Education to Advance Community Health, Faculty Seed Grant, $20,000. 1/22 – 6/23. Role: PI
  • “Building capacity to reduce agricultural worker exposure to smoke and heat during wildfires.” Postma, J. Seed grant, WSU Health Equity Research Center, $35,000, 7/1/21-6/30/22
  • “Promoting risk reduction among young adults with asthma during wildfire smoke events.” Postma, J., Rappold, A., Odom-Maryon, T., Amiri, S., Walden, V., Butterfield, P. (2020). National Institute of Nursing Research $382,500 (direct and indirect costs). 2020-2022

Research Interests

Adaptation to climate change; air quality; wildfire smoke; risk reduction interventions; risk communication

Methodological Strengths

Community based participatory research; intervention research; mixed methods

Areas of Expertise

Climate change and health; wildfire smoke; asthma; agricultural worker health; Hispanic health; social drivers of health, community health

Memberships

  • Member, Editorial board, Public Health Nursing, 2020-present
  • Member, Association of Community Health Nurse Educators, 2011-present
  • Member, Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing Delta Chi-at-large, 2010-present
  • Member, Western Institute of Nursing Research, 2008-present
  • Member, Washington State Public Health Association, 2006-present

Honors & Awards

  • Inducted into the Western Academy of Nursing, 2024
  • NIH Climate and Health Scholar, National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, 2023-2024
  • Excellence in Research Award, WSU College of Nursing, 2021
  • Faculty Mentor Award, WSU College of Nursing, 2020
  • Scholar Award, Sigma Theta Tau, Delta Chi Chapter-at-Large, 2019
  • Public Health Leadership Award, Washington State Public Health Association, 2017

Selected Publications

  1. Beese, S., Graves, J. Postma, J., Oneal, G. (2024). The Four Stages of Neighborhood Trust Model: A classic grounded theory. Public Health Nursing. doi: 10.1111/phn.13326. Online ahead of print
  2. Parker, M., Ybarra-Vega, M. J., & Postma, J. (2023). Agricultural Worker Perspectives on Climate Hazards and Risk Reduction Strategies. Journal of agromedicine, 1–11. Advance online publication. PMID: 38153099 https://doi.org/10.1080/1059924X.2023.2299378
  3. Beese, S., Drumm, K., Wells-Yoakum, K., Postma, J., Graves, J. (2023). Flexible resources key to neighborhood resilience: A scoping review. Children, 10 (11), 1791. PMCID: PMC10670030, https://doi.org/10.3390/children10111791
  4. Bindler, R., Haverkamp, H., O’Flanagan, H., Whicker, J., Rappold, A., Walden, V., Postma, J. (2023). Feasibility and acceptability of home monitoring with portable spirometry in young adults with asthma, The Journal of asthma: Official journal of the Association for the Care of Asthma, 60(7), 1474-1479. doi: 10.1080/02770903.2022.2160345
  5. Postma, J., Marko, T., Meyer, M., DeNike, A., Thomas, J., Walden, V., Butterfield, P. (2023). Assessing community response to wildfire smoke: A multi-method study using social media. Public Health Nursing, 40(1), 153-162. DOI:10.1111/phn.13140
  6. Beese, S., Postma, J., Graves, S. (2022). Allostatic Load Measurement: A systematic review of reviews, database inventory, and considerations for neighborhood research. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19(24), 17006. PMCID: PMC9779615, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192417006
  7. Beese, S., Amram, O., Corylus, A., Graves, J., Postma, J., Monsivais, P. (2022). Did Expansion of Grocery Delivery Improve Access for WA SNAP Participants Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic? Preventing Chronic Disease, 19, 210412. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd19.210412.
  8. Postma, J., Odom-Maryon, T., Rappold, A., Haverkamp, H., Amiri, S., Bindler, R., Whicker, J., Walden, V. (2022). Promoting risk reduction among young adults with asthma during wildfire smoke. Public Health Nursing. 39(2)405-414. doi: 10.1111/phn.12986. Epub 2021 Oct 11
  9. Evans-Agnew, R., Postma, J., Dinglasan-Panlilio, J., Yuwen, W., Reyes, D., Denney, S., Olsen, J. (2022). Is it good or bad for the air?”: Latino and Asian Pacific Islander youth led messaging and action for environmental justice through photovoice. Health Promotion Practice, 23(2): 305-316. PMID: 35285315
    DOI: 10.1177/15248399211045729
  10. Brown, F., Thrall, C., Postma, J., and Uriri-Glover, J. (2021). A culturally-tailored diabetes education program in an underserved community clinic. The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, 17(7), 879-882. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nurpra.2021.02.022

Link to Complete List of Published Work in MyNCBI
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/18IQ5ysOKEsAx/bibliography/public/

 

updated 05/01/2024