Health — ��ϲ��

Ellyn Riley

Daryl Lovell — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 15:34:55 +0000

Dr. Riley’s research lab focuses on improving treatments for aphasia, a language disorder primarily caused by stroke. In the Aphasia Lab, we use behavioral and physiological measures, applied linguistic theory, and neuromodulation techniques to study language and cognitive factors, changes in neurophysiology, and communicative barriers that can influence recovery for persons with aphasia. Our goal is to improve recovery outcomes and quality of life for persons with aphasia and their families.

Bernard Appiah

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:25:27 +0000

Bernard Appiah joined the Department of Public Health in Falk College as Assistant Professor in Fall 2020. Prior to joining ��ϲ��, Appiah was Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health in the Departments of Environmental and Occupational Health and Public Health Studies. He was the Founding Director of the Research Program on Public and International Engagement for Health. Previously, Appiah served as a Drug Information Pharmacist/Publications Manager at the National Drug Information Resource Centre (NDIRC) for the Ministry of Health in Ghana. He has taught courses such as environmental and occupational health communication, social context of population health, and comparative global health systems.

Appiah’s research interests lie in socio-behavioral approaches for exploring public health issues, global health and environmental health with emphasis on socio-behavioral change communication, public/community engagement interventions, and dissemination of information/knowledge through culturally appropriate communication channels. He is published in several journals, including Psychiatry Research, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR) mHealth and uHealth, and authored book chapters, technical reports, and many articles for mass media. He has presented at the International Workshop for Practitioners of Engagement Between Health Researchers and Schools in Kilifi, Kenya, the West African Society of Pharmacologists (WASOP) Conference in Ghana, and the Academy for Future International Leaders (AFIL) Open Session Seminar on Global Health Issues. Appiah’s research has received support from the Wellcome Trust, UK, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, USAID Ghana, and Texas A&M University.

Appiah earned his Dr.PH in Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences in 2013 and his M.S. in Science and Technology Journalism from Texas A&M University’s School of Public Health and College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, respectively. He earned his master’s in Development Communication from the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) and his B.Pharm in Pharmacy from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) in Ghana.

Sara Vasilenko

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:20:21 +0000

Dr. Vasilenko’s research focuses on adolescence and young adult health and well-being, with a focus on sexual behavior. Her work on this topic is inspired by both health risk and normative developmental perspectives. She is particularly interested in understanding what factors lead to better sexual health and well-being for individuals at different stages of the lifespan, as well as how sexual behavior is associated with physical, mental, and social health outcomes. In addition to these substantive interests, she also has a strong interest in developmental methodology, including longitudinal analysis and person-centered approaches. She has served as a Principal or Co-Investigator on multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and other sources. She currently is a consulting editor of the Journal of Research on Adolescence and on the editorial board of Applied Developmental Science.

Dr. Vasilenko holds a Ph.D. Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University, M.S. Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University, and BA. English (Writing Emphasis) from Kalamazoo College.

Stefanie Pilkay

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:18:12 +0000

Before joining ��ϲ��, Pilkay served as an adjunct lecturer at both Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work in New York, NY since 2018 and the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work in Knoxville, TN since 2015, teaching research methodology, trauma theory and practice, lifespan and neurophysiological development, and human behavior in the social environment. She was also a postdoctoral fellow at the Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics in Atlanta, GA since 2017. She has served as a court-appointed special advocate for Anderson County Tennessee Juvenile Court. In 2014, she was a forensic social worker for the Community Law Office, Knox County Public Defender’s Office. Specific to her research experience, Pilkay has served since 2018 as an early investigator trainee on “Developmental Origins of Health and Disease,” an international cross-discipline research study with collaborations between Canada and the U.S.

Pilkay’s research interests include trauma, early-life adversity, inter-generational transmission of adversity, adversity and trauma mechanisms for risk and resilience in human development. She is published in the Journal of Social Work Education, the Journal of Social Service Research, and has given several peer-reviewed presentations, most recently at the 64th Annual Program Meeting of the Council on Social Work Education in Orlando, FL, Connecting for Children’s Justice Conference in Murfreesboro, TN, the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect in Prague, Czech Republic, and the 73rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Biological Psychiatry in New York, NY. Pilkay’s work has been supported by the National Institute of Health/National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the University of Tennessee Health and Science Center.

Pilkay earned a Ph.D. in social work with a minor in graduate statistics from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2017. She holds a M.S. in social work, an evidence-based interpersonal practice major with trauma treatment graduate certification, and a B.S. in social work with majors in honor’s social work and psychology, earned in 2014 and 2013, respectively, from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

Miriam Mutambudzi

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:15:14 +0000

Miriam Mutambudzi joined the Department of Public Health in Falk College as Assistant Professor in Fall 2020. Prior to joining ��ϲ��, Mutambudzi served as a Research Associate in the MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow in Scotland, and a Guest Epidemiology Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Social Medicine at the University of Antwerp in Belgium. Previously, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch, and a Senior Research Program Coordinator at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Medicine.

Mutambudzi’s research focus is on chronic disease and occupational epidemiology. Much of her research has largely been directed towards the use of longitudinal data to assess disparities in morbidity, disability, and mortality, with particular interest in onset and progression of chronic diseases, work-related health outcomes, and social determinants of health in vulnerable populations and older adults in Europe and the U.S. She has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals including the European Journal of Ageing, Journal of Gerontology: Medical Science, and the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, among many others. She has presented at the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP), Epidemiology in Occupation Health Conference (EPICOH), and the Population Association of America (PAA).

Mutambudzi is the 2020 recipient of the Kammer Emmett Award from the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) for the most outstanding article published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2019. Past research support includes funding from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). She is an Editorial Board Member of the Journal of Aging and Health and has served as an editorial peer reviewer for many other journals. She is a member of the European Association for Population Studies.

She holds a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Connecticut, MPH from West Virginia University, and a B.A. in International Studies from West Virginia University.

Lisa Olson-Gugerty

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:12:27 +0000

Lisa Olson-Gugerty teaches undergraduate courses that focus on health promotion, health & disease, and healthcare administration. She is a family nurse practitioner and maintains an outside practice as an emergency healthcare provider at a regional community healthcare center.

Olson-Gugerty holds a D.HSc. from Nova Southeastern University, M.S. Nursing, Family Primary Care, from SUNY Upstate Medical University, as well as an MPH from the University of South Florida and B.S. Health Science from SUNY Cortland.

Catherine García

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:09:26 +0000

Catherine García joined the Department of Human Development and Family Science as an Assistant Professor in fall 2021 teaching classes in Midlife Development and Gerontology. Prior to joining ��ϲ��, García was an Assistant Professor of Sociology and core faculty member of the Minority Health Disparities Initiative (MHDI) at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln where she taught quantitative methods and served as a faculty mentor for the MHDI Summer Research Program.

García’s research focuses on Latina/o/x aging and health in the United States and Puerto Rico, applying multidisciplinary approaches to understand how the interaction of biological, environmental, and social factors influence the disease process among older Latina/o/x adults. Her research work has led to 15 peer-reviewed publications and two book chapters, including multiple manuscripts in The Gerontologist and The Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences.

Her research has been supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including an R36 Aging Research Dissertation Award to Increase Diversity from 2018-2020 and an R01 Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research from 2021-2023. Her research has led to several awards, including the Emerging Scholars and Professional Organization (ESPO) Interdisciplinary Paper Award, the ESPO Poster Award, and the Minority Issues in Gerontology Poster Award from the Gerontological Society of America.

Currently, she serves as a steering committee member for the Network for Data-Intensive Research on Aging (NDIRA) at the University of Minnesota and is a committee member of the Minority Issues in Gerontology Advisory Panel (MIGAP) of the Gerontological Society of America. In addition, she will serve on the editorial board for the Journal of Health and Social Behavior beginning in January 2022.

She earned a Ph.D. in Gerontology in 2020 from the University of Southern California, an M.S. in Sociology from Florida State University in 2014, and a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in Human Complex Systems from the University of California – Los Angeles (with college and departmental honors) in 2010.

Jessica Garay

Valerie Pietra — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 19:01:13 +0000

Jessica Garay joined the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies in 2018. Dr. Garay’s research interests center on the short- and long-term effects of adolescent and adult health behaviors, with a focus on dietary patterns (including dietary supplement use) and physical activity. Currently, Dr. Garay has two active areas of funded research: the effect of stress on health behaviors during pregnancy and the relationship between dietary intake, body composition, and exercise performance among female athletes. Dr. Garay’s work has been published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise, the American Journal of Human Biology, and Current Biomarker Findings, among others. She has presented at the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity Conference and the NYS Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (NYSAND) Annual Meeting. Dr. Garay teaches NSD 225: Nutrition in Health, NSD 343: Dietary Supplements, NSD 425/625: Nutrition for Fitness and Sports, and NSD 457: Research & Evaluation in Nutrition. Dr. Garay is the recipient a 2016 Emerging Dietetic Leader Award from the NYSAND and currently serves as its public policy coordinator. She also currently serves as a lead evidence analyst for the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics’ Evidence Analysis Library. Previously, Dr. Garay worked at Utica College as an assistant professor of biology: physiology & nutrition since 2016. From 2010-2016, she was an adjunct instructor at ��ϲ�� and has held positions at Onondaga Community College and George Washington University. She has worked as a practicing dietitian at the Washington Cancer Institute and Food Bank of Central New York.

Maria T. Brown

Michele Barrett — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 18:08:18 +0000

Maria T. Brown, Ph.D., LMSW, is an Assistant Research Professor in the David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, and a 2008-2010 John A. Hartford Foundation Doctoral Fellow in Geriatric Social Work. She earned her Ph.D. from ��ϲ��’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Her dissertation, entitled, “Psychiatric history and cognition trajectories in later life: variations by sex, race and ethnicity, and childhood disadvantage,” examined the relationship between psychiatric history and cognitive function in later life.

Brown is the Principal Investigator of Early Identification of Cognitive Impairment among Vulnerable Adults Living at Home, a community collaboration with SUNY Upstate Medical University’s Department of Geriatrics and Southwest Community Connections, which is funded by the Health Foundation of Western and Central New York. She is co-Investigator of the Genesis Health Project’s African American Dementia Caregiver Support Program (Principal Investigator: Luvenia W. Cowart), funded by a 2016-2021 grant from the New York State Department of Health. She has published her research in Supportive Care in Cancer, Women & Health, the Health Education Journal, Gerontology, Research on Aging, Children & Youth Services Review, the Journal of Family Issues, the Journal of Gerontological Social Work, The Gerontologist, and the Journal of Sexuality Research and Social Policy. Dr. Brown is the author of a chapter on LGBT Lives and Military Service, in Life Course Perspectives on Military Service, and co-author of chapters on Chronic Illnesses and Conditions in Gender and Sexual Minorities (with Jane. A McElroy) in LGBT Health: Meeting the Health Needs of Gender and Sexual Minorities, Addressing Behavioral Cancer Risks from a LGBT Health Equity Perspective (with Karen Fredriksen-Goldsen and Charles P. Hoy-Ellis) in Cancer and the LGBT Community: Unique Perspectives from Risk to Survivorship, and Gerontological Social Work (with Deborah J. Monahan), in Gerontology: Perspectives and Issues.

A social gerontologist who uses the life course perspective to research the later-life experiences of socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals, women, and racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities, Dr. Brown is also interested in dementia caregiving, the long-term care experiences of cognitively disabled older adults and their caregivers, and the treatment and survivorship experiences of breast cancer patients.

Peter A. Vanable

Keith Kobland — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 16:00:19 +0000

Professor Peter Vanable’s research focuses on psychological aspects of health and illness, with an emphasis on behavioral aspects of HIV/AIDS. Current projects include studies designed to characterize the coping challenges and experiences of men and women who are living with HIV disease, as well as studies that evaluate the effectiveness of interventions to reduce high risk sexual behavior. Professor Vanable’s interests also include the prevention and treatment of addictive behaviors.

Representative Publications

Vanable, P.A., Carey, M.P., Brown, J.L., Littlewood, R., & Blair, D.C. What HIV+ MSM Want from Sexual Risk Reduction Interventions: Findings from a Qualitative Study (2012). AIDS and Behavior, 16, 554-563.

Brown, J. & Vanable, P.A. (2008). Stress Management Interventions for Persons Living with HIV: A Review and Critique of the Literature. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 35, 26-40.

Littlewood, R.A., Vanable, P.A., Carey, M.P., & Blair, D.C. (2008). Impact of Benefit Finding on Psychological Adjustment and Health Behavior Adaptation among HIV+ Women. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 31, 145-155.

Vanable, P.A., McKirnan, D.J., MacQueen, K. Bartholow, B., Buchbinder, S, Douglas, J. & Judson, F. (2004). Alcohol use and high-risk sexual behavior among men who have sex with men: The effects of consumption level and partner type. Health Psychology, 23, 525-532.

Vanable, P.A., Carey, M.P., Blair, D., & Littlewood (2006). Impact of HIV-Related Stigma on Health Behaviors and Psychological Adjustment Among HIV-Positive Men and Women. AIDS and Behavior, 10, 473-482.

Vanable P.A., Carey, M.P. Bostwick, R.A., Romer, D. DiClemente, R., Stanton, B., Valois, R.F., & Brown, L. (2008). Community partnerships in HIV prevention research: The example of Project iMMPACS. Chapter in B. Stanton et al. (Eds)., The uncharted path from clinic-based to community-based research (pp. 155-174). Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science.

Vanable, P.A., Carey, M.P., Brown, J. L., DiClemente, R., Salazar, L., Brown, L., Romer, D., Valois, R. Hennessy, M., & Stanton, B. (2009). Test-Retest Reliability of Self-Reported HIV/STD-related Measures Among African-American Adolescents in Four U.S. Cities. Journal of Adolescent Health, 4, 214-221.

Dessa Bergen-Cico

Leibowitz Vendor Account — Mon, 28 Nov 2016 20:27:24 +0000

Public health professor and certified addiction specialist Dessa Bergen-Cico offers a wide-range of expertise in areas of addiction and mental health. Her research, teaching and writing has delved into behavioral addictions, mindfulness-based stress reduction for veterans and people affected by trauma and violence; PTSD, trauma, anxiety and addictions; the neurobiology of addiction; evidence based U.S. and international drug policies; and public health perspectives of drug policy.

She is the Director of the health promotion for senior military leaders and is the author of .��

Health — ���ϲ�����