Senior Research Specialist
Arizona State University-SIRC, United States
Mara de Luca Funke, MPH, Senior Research Specialist has been working at Arizona State University’s Southwest Interdisciplinary Research Center (SIRC) for eigth years, and working in public health for two decades.
In addition to performing research with SIRC and leading her own consulting projects, Ms. Funke also holds the position of Faculty Instructor at A.T. Still University, where she is working on her Doctorate of Health Sciences. Ms. Funke has extensive experience in strategic planning, prevention, education, and community-centered data collection methods. Ms. Funke is also a seasoned grant writer, earning organizational and government grants up to $26 million dollars and performing annual federal reviews.
She holds a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Sociology and Spanish from Michigan State University. Ms. Funke previously conducted physical activity promotion and nutrition education programs in community settings. Her background includes both academic research as well as the evaluation of ‘real-life’ service delivery programs in a range of health and social service fields, including food systems, access to health care, access to veterinary care, and community health improvement planning.
On a more personal level, Mara lives in Arizona with her family, two rescue cats, and two chickens. She maintains a YTT200 certification active and teaches yoga as volunteer. Mara serves on the Board of Directors for several agencies, including Chair of Phoenix Revitalization Corporation and Treasurer of the Southwest Center for HIV/AIDS. Ms. Funke is also an active volunteer in the Jewish community, at her own synagogue, and on the Board at the Women’s Leadership Institute. She is a second generation American and speaks Italian. In her free time, she likes hiking, cooking and eating local foods, traveling, and chanting Torah. Mara represents the fabric of many communities, including single parents, the neurodiverse, and LGBTQ.
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Friday, October 13, 2023
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET
Friday, October 13, 2023
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM ET