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John Beard

John Beard

Associate Professor
Public Health

2046 LSB - Brigham Young University
Provo, UT 84602

Biography

Dr. John D. Beard is an environmental and occupational epidemiologist and has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, UT, since 2017.

Dr. Beard was born and raised in Provo, UT, along with his three sisters. He was active in scouting and earned the Eagle Scout Award. He graduated from Provo High School in 2001 and served as an English-speaking missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Canada Vancouver Mission from 2002-2004. He is a two-time alumnus of BYU having earned a BS in Statistics in 2008 and a MPH in Public Health in 2010. He also earned a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015.

After graduating with his PhD, Dr. Beard spent two years (2015-2017) as a Lieutenant in the Commissioned Corps of the U.S. Public Health Service. During his time in the Commissioned Corps, he was assigned to be an Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer (essentially a field epidemiologist) and later a Research Officer at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Cincinnati, OH. Some of the highlights of Dr. Beard's time as an EIS Officer included investigating an outbreak of histoplasmosis, a fungal disease, among tunnel cleaning workers in the Dominican Republic and conducting industrial hygiene surveys of exposure to carbon nanotubes and nanofibers at five companies across the U.S. Dr. Beard previously spent six years (2009-2015) as a pre-doctoral fellow, special volunteer, and Summers of Discovery intern at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, U.S. National Institutes of Health, in Research Triangle Park, NC. He also spent nine months (2009-2010) as an environmental epidemiologist at the Utah Department of Health in Salt Lake City, UT.

Dr. Beard's research focuses on (1) environmental and occupational risk and prognostic factors for neurological (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease) and mental health diseases and (2) health effects of temperature inversions and air pollution in Utah.

Dr. Beard met his wife in a BYU Singles Ward. They were married in the Provo Temple in 2008, have five children, and live in Provo. In his spare time, Dr. Beard enjoys spending time with his family, playing board games, and following sports.

Research Interests

Environmental and occupational risk factors for neurological (e.g., amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's disease) and mental health diseases; health effects of temperature inversions and air pollution

Teaching Interests

Environmental Health, Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness, Epidemiologic Study Design and Analysis

Education

  • PhD, Epidemiology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2015)
  • MPH, Public Health , Brigham Young University (2010)
  • BS, Statistics , Brigham Young University (2008)

Courses Taught

Publications

John D Beard Scott C Collingwood James Derek LeCheminant Neil Edward Peterson Paul Rulon Reynolds Juan Alberto Arroyo Andrew J South Clifton B Farnsworth Gerardo Fong Taylor Cisneros Mariah Taylor Seshananda Sanjel James D Johnston John D Beard Mitchell G Greenhalgh Emily Hawkes Bailey M Jones Sarah C Hamner Steven M Thygerson James D Johnston Scott C Collingwood James Derek LeCheminant Neil Edward Peterson Paul Rulon Reynolds Juan Alberto Arroyo Andrew J South Clifton B Farnsworth Ryan T Chartier Lindsey N Layton James H Lu Marli S Penrod Seshananda Sanjel John D Beard John D Beard Steven M Thygerson Alisandra Olivares Jaxson E Tadje Selah Willis James D Johnston James D Johnston John D Beard Maria Lelinneth Lagman Beloy Novilla Frank X Weber Ryan T Chartier John D Beard Marco A Verdeja Dick A Bonsrah Susan D Westfall Andrea L Steege Mary K Schubauer-Berigan Morgan Roberts Steven M Thygerson John D Beard Camille Clark Emma Montague James D Johnston Siena F Davis Gabriel S Ghanadan Andrea M Jensen Bryce C Larsen John D Beard Maria Lelinneth Lagman Beloy Novilla James D Johnston John D Beard Lucas L. Pettit Siena F. Davis Claire E. Johnson James D Johnston John D Beard Emma J Montague Seshananda Sanjel James H Lu Haley McBride Frank X Weber Ryan T Chartier Isabella M. Errigo Benjamin Walter Abbott Daniel L. Mendoza Logan Mitchell Sayedeh Sara Sayedi Jeffrey Glenn Kerry E. Kelly John D Beard Samuel Bratsman Thom Carter Robert A Chaney Andrew Follett Andrew Freeman Rebecca J. Frei Mitchell Greenhalgh Heather A. Holmes Peter D. Howe James D Johnston Leslie Lange Randal Martin Audrey Stacey Trang Tran Derrek Wilson James D Johnston Megan E. Hawks Haley B. Johnston Laurel A. Johnson John D Beard Elizabeth A Davis Judy Y Ou Cheyenne Chausow Marco A Verdeja Eleanor Divver James D Johnston John D Beard Steven M Thygerson John D Beard Marion J House Rilee L Smith Hunter C Burbidge Kathryn N Andrus Frank X Weber Ryan Chartier James D Johnston James D Johnston Ashlin E. Cowger Robert J. Graul Ryan Nash Josie A. Tueller Nathan R. Hendrickson Daniel R. Robinson John D Beard Kelly Scott Weber Chantel D Sloan John D Beard John D Beard A Erdely M M Dahm M A de Perio M E Birch D E Evans J E Fernback T Eye V Kodali R R Mercer S J Bertke M K Schubauer-Berigan M K Schubauer-Berigan M M Dahm A Erdely John D Beard M E Birch D E Evans J E Fernback R R Mercer S J Bertke T Eye M A de Perio P A Armstrong John D Beard L Bonilla N Arboleda M D Lindsley S Chae D Castillo R Nuñez T Chiller M A de Perio R Pimentel S Vallabhaneni M M Dahm M K Schubauer-Berigan D E Evans M E Birch S Bertke John D Beard A Erdely J E Fernback R R Mercer S A Grinshpun F Fang T L Peters John D Beard D M Umbach J Keller D Mariosa K D Allen W Ye D P Sandler S Schmidt F Kamel John D Beard L S Engel D B Richardson M D Gammon C Baird D M Umbach K D Allen C L Stanwyck J Keller D P Sandler S Schmidt F Kamel J L Rinsky D B Richardson S Wing John D Beard M Alavanja L E Beane Freeman H Chen P K Henneberger F Kamel D P Sandler J A Hoppin John D Beard A L Steege J Ju J Lu S E Luckhaupt M K Schubauer-Berigan D Mariosa John D Beard D M Umbach R Bellocco J Keller T L Peters K D Allen W Ye D P Sandler S Schmidt F Fang F Kamel Tracy L. Peters John D Beard David M. Umbach Kelli Allen Jean Keller Daniela Mariosa Dale P. Sandler Silke Schmidt Fang Fang Weimin Ye Freya Kamel John D Beard L S Engel D B Richardson M D Gammon C Baird D M Umbach K D Allen C L Stanwyck J Keller D P Sandler S Schmidt F Kamel John D Beard F Kamel J Dong John D Beard D M Umbach Y Park X Huang A Blair F Kamel H Chen John D Beard D M Umbach J A Hoppin M Richards M C Alavanja A Blair D P Sandler F Kamel John D Beard J A Hoppin M Richards M C Alavanja A Blair D P Sandler F Kamel John D Beard Celeste Beck Randall Graham Steven C. Packham Monica Traphagan Rebecca T. Giles John G. Morgan John D Beard D M Umbach J A Hoppin M Richards M C Alavanja A Blair D P Sandler F Kamel Ray M Merrill John D Beard