Dr. Kate Cartwright’s research focuses on health disparities including projects exploring healthcare access, healthcare experiences, health behaviors, and health outcomes. Her recent work includes team-science work with Zuni Pueblo on cancer screening and cancer prevention led by principal investigator Shiraz Mishra. She is currently leading research on rural New Mexican healthcare leadership shortages and opportunities. Cartwright has participated in multiple grant-funded team science research and evaluation projects in co-investigator and evaluator roles. Federally funded grant research projects include projects investigating racial and ethnic health disparities funded by the National Institute of Minority Health & Health Disparities, the National Cancer Institute, and the New Mexico IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence, which is funded by the Institutional Development Award (IDeA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) & National Institute of General Medical Sciences. Dr. Cartwright has participated in multiple community-engaged evaluation projects including 2 years as UNM EvalLab team lead for Mandy’s Farm and produced evaluation reports using inclusive and innovative strategies to engage residents with cognitive and intellectual disabilities in the evaluation process.

Dr. Cartwright is active in teaching and service. She received a UNM Outstanding New Teacher of the Year award in 2018 and was selected as a Remote Teaching Fellow with the UNM Center for Teaching Excellence in 2021. She is a board member of the New Mexico Healthcare Executives and co-chair of its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee since 2020. From 2019-2024, she served on the national Program, Products & Services Committee of the American College of Healthcare Executives Since 2018, she has served in a wide variety of leadership roles in the Health Administration Section of the American Public Health Association (including as the co-Chair of the Program Planning Committee and an elected Governing Councilor), received the Health Administration Section’s Chairperson’s Award in 2022, and is currently the chair-elect of the Health Administration Section.