Stephanie Bultema, PhD
Director of MERLIN (Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning Innovations)
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Get to know Stephanie:
Stephanie has been with PHIL since 2019. She serves as research Principal Investigator and directs the scientific vision and strategy for PHIL, including leading multiple research teams, designing research methodologies, and providing strategic guidance and oversite of research activities. She is also deeply involved with other aspects of PHIL’s research, including performing and supervising research activities, preparing reports, and authoring scholarly publications, and presenting research at national conferences. If that weren’t enough to keep her busy, she also provides PHIL staff with technical training, and provides direct supervision of research staff. When not addressing public health and its many challenges, you can find Stephanie spending quality time with her husband and cat–Kristoff and Speed Bump–going on walks to explore Denver, spending all the time she can outside hiking, biking, climbing, and kayaking, and playing strategy games at home with Kristoff. Speed Bump likes to think he’s playing, too.
Experience:
Before joining the PHIL team, Stephanie worked as Senior Researcher in the Center on Network Science (2017-2020) and principal consultant of Bultema Consulting LLC (2018-2020). She served as a public health professional from 2010-2017, most recently as Assessment Epidemiologist. Her recent community service includes acting as Co-President of the School of Public Affairs PhD Student Association (2019-2020), President of the School Health Care Association of Spokane County (2015-2017), and as Board Member for Communities in Schools of Spokane County (2015-2017). Stephanie earned an M.A. in Administrative Leadership from Whitworth University, with additional coursework completed through Washington State University’s Master of Health Policy and Administration program. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Colorado Denver’s School of Public Affairs, studying collaborative governance in Accountable Communities of/for Health.
Expertise:
Public Affairs; Collaborative Governance; Network Science
Languages:
English (native), French (rusty conversational), Turkish (basic conversational)
