Dr. Cowgill is an adjunct assistant professor who resides in the UCLA Kaiser Permanent Center for Health Equity and Center for Cancer Prevention and Control Research in the Jonson Comprehensive Cancer Center. He is also an active member of the UCLA Semel Healthy Campus Initiative. Dr. Cowgill has extensive experience working with community-based organizations in the design, implementation and evaluation of a wide variety of research projects. Dr. Cowgill received his PhD from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health in 2007 from the Department of Health Policy and Management in Health Care Outcomes Research. Dr. Cowgill's areas of interest include nutrition and physical activity policies and practices in schools and worksites, e-cigarette and tobacco prevention and control, HPV vaccination uptake, and health insurance trends.

Prior to returning to academic research, Dr. Cowgill served as a fellow for Senator Edward Kennedy's Health Committee staff and as an analyst for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). During his time with CMS, Dr. Cowgill worked with state Medicaid agencies on child and adolescent immunization performance measurement and quality improvement projects and funding for immunization registries. He is experienced in both quantitative and qualitative research and analytical techniques.