Joint PhD Program in Urban Systems
- New Jersey Institute of Technology
- Rutgers University Newark
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Biography
Dr. Gundersen is an assistant professor at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) - School of Nursing where he teaches applied statistics and research methods courses in the PhD program in Urban Health Systems, and participates in advisement of Doctor Nursing Practice students’ capstone projects. Additionally, he is a member of the school’s Research, Evaluation, and Grants Team where he serves as an internal consultant for the nursing faculty’s research and grants related activities.
Dr. Gundersen’s research interests are in the areas of survey methodology and surveillance of tobacco use and cessation behaviors. He has authored and co-authored peer reviewed papers on differences in smoking cessation prevalence between menthol and non-menthol cigarette smokers, physician perceptions of the effectiveness of smoking cessation treatments, and the impact of excluding cell phones from random digit dial health surveys. His dissertation examined heterogeneity in cigarette smoking cessation behaviors among Latinos, with a focus on factors related to acculturation.
Before joining the School of Nursing, Dr. Gundersen was a methodologist at the Center for Tobacco Surveillance & Evaluation Research at the UMDNJ - School of Public Health. In that position, he was responsible for ensuring proper survey methodology, conducting statistical analyses, and participated in writing evaluation reports and data briefs for the independent evaluation of the New Jersey Comprehensive Tobacco Control Program.
Dr. Gundersen has a PhD in Public Health with a focus in behavioral surveillance research from the UMDNJ-School of Public Health and Rutgers University (jointly conferred). He also has a M.A. in Survey Research and B.A. in Psychology, both from the University of Connecticut.