Dr. Christine Wey Hockett is the Director of Community Research and Lead of the Data Management and Analysis Core at Avera Research Institute and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of South Dakota School of Medicine.  Her research examines how modifiable factors on an individual- and social-level may shift the trajectory of chronic disease risk throughout the lifecourse.  She uses both observational and intervention methods to identify and target health factors that can reduce the risk of disease, specifically obesity and diabetes, and improve the health of future generations.  She has been working with rural and underserved populations for over 15 years focusing on maternal & child health epidemiology, health disparities, and health informatics.