Heather Zook

Heather Zook is a Senior Evaluator at Professional Data Analysts Evaluation in Minneapolis and an Instructor at the University of St. Thomas, where she teaches the Evaluation session of the Mini MBA for Nonprofit Organizations certificate program. Her work focuses on program evaluation in public health, particularly in tobacco control, chronic disease, and health equity.

She earned a Master of Arts in Evaluation Studies from the University of Minnesota (2015) and a BA in Psychology with a Spanish minor from Taylor University (2010). Her educational journey began with aspirations in therapy but shifted toward research through undergraduate research team involvement at Taylor.

Dr. Zook's research centers on program evaluation methodologies for vulnerable populations, with expertise in tobacco cessation, health equity, and emergency department utilization disparities. She employs mixed-methods approaches to assess implementation challenges in public health programs, particularly addressing racial and socioeconomic barriers in healthcare access. Her work emphasizes stakeholder engagement and equitable evaluation practices to translate findings into actionable improvements.

Her publication portfolio reveals a dominant focus on tobacco control evaluation, especially for underserved groups including the uninsured and behavioral health patients. She has significantly contributed to understanding emergency department disparities for minority children, particularly American Indian and Asian American populations. Her research consistently bridges evaluation science with practical public health applications through state-level program assessments.

With over eight years at Professional Data Analysts, she has led statewide evaluations for health departments measuring program impact in tobacco control and chronic disease initiatives. Her professional approach integrates data analysis, visualization, and qualitative insights to provide evidence-based recommendations for program refinement and policy development.