Social & Behavioral Determinants of Health

BIOGRAPHY

ACADEMIC POSITION:
Associate Professor, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of North Carolina

EDUCATION:
• 1999, ScD, Health & Social Behavior, Harvard University, School of Public Health
• 1983, MsEd, Public Health, University of Toledo
• 1981, BS, Health Education, Indiana State University

MEMBERSHIPS:
• American Public Health Association
• Society for Public Health Education
• Society for Behavioral Medicine
• American Academy of Health Behavior

HONORS AND AWARDS:
• 2003 American Public Health Association Public Health Education and Health Promotion – Outstanding Service Citation
• 2002 Society of Behavioral Medicine, Early Career Investigator Award
• 2002 Delta Omega Honor Society
• Harvard University (1995-1999) Graduate with Honors
• Cancer Prevention Fellowship (joint program with Dana Farber Cancer Institute)
• University of Toledo (1981-1983) Graduate with Highest Honors
• Indiana State University (1977-1981)
• Graduate Magna Cum Laude in Health Sciences, 1981
• Eta Sigma Gamma, Health Science Honor Society, 1980
• Alpha Lambda Delta, Education Honor Society, 1979-1981
• Deans List (all semesters enrolled)

RESEARCH INTERESTS:
Focused on addressing disparities in health, I conduct applied intervention research to prevent and control chronic diseases, especially cancer, CVD/stroke and diabetes. My work involves inter-disciplinary teams which utilize community-based participatory research principles to plan, deliver and evaluate interventions in collaboration with individuals from worksites, colleges/universities, beauty/barber shops, public libraries, and other settings. I enjoy designing/developing innovative process and outcome evaluations benefitting from both quantitative and qualitative methodological approaches. I am a member of the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Urban & Regional Planning, a fellow of the Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and have collaborated with colleagues at the Institute on Aging. I am Director of the Carolina Collaborative for Research on Work and Health (CCRWH) a new initiative which is bringing together faculty from many disciplines and partners from state/local goverment, health care organizations, and nonprofits to discuss common interests and stimulate new research on topics which intersect issues of work, health and life in the larger context of health care reform.