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Faculty
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Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Barbara Curbow,
PhD, MA, BA (email: bcurbow@phhp.ufl.edu) Dr. Barbara Curbow is a social/health psychologist who received her
Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz. From 1987-2005
she was on the faculty at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School
of Public Health where she held appointments in the Departments of
Health Policy and Management, Environmental Health Sciences, and Health,
Behavior and Society. Currently, Dr. Curbow is professor and chair
of the Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health, in the
College of Public Health and Health Professions at the University
of Florida. Dr. Curbow’s research interests fall within three
general areas: psychosocial oncology, health psychology, and occupational
health psychology. Within these broad areas, she has largely explored
the following four research questions: (1) How do individuals make
medical decisions? In particular, what is the role of persuasive communication
theories in explaining how people conceptualize risk information and
respond to treatment information. (2) How do individuals respond to
life stressors? Her interests include both major life events such
as cancer and more chronic, ongoing events such as job stress. This
broad theme can encompass quality-of-life research (e.g., which life
domains are most affected by a specific medical event?) as well as
work and family research (e.g., does stress at work spillover to family
life?). (3) What are the social and psychological resources that are
important to adaptation to life stressors? She has a particular interest
in self-related variables (e.g., self-esteem, self-concept, personal
changes). (4) What is the process that people under go to form or
change attitudes (including their self-attitudes), beliefs, and behaviors?
This can include how they change due to intended events (such as a
health communication campaign or information concerning treatment
options) and to unintended events (such as an environmental hazard). |
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Tracey Barnett,
Ph.D. (email: tebarnett@phhp.ufl.edu) Tracey Barnett is a Medical Sociologist and an Assistant Professor in the Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration. Her research interests include health risks across the life course, including both risk and protective factors for health behaviors. She spent 5 years working at the University of Michigan as a Research Associate. During that time, she conducted research with employers that incorporated wellness programs for their employees. This research included assessing health risk appraisals of the employees and also an evaluation of both cost and outcomes measures of the wellness program. She also conducted research on a longitudinal study of adolescent risk, including substance use, violent behaviors, and mental health risks for a group of at-risk adolescents. Dr. Barnett accepted a post-doctoral fellowship with the Veterans Affairs Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center (RORC). She conducted an evaluation of the telehealth program that assists veterans with diabetes in managing their disease as prevention for more serious complications, such as stroke. She analyzed outcomes two years after the veterans enrolled in the program. She also conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of the program. She continues to work with outcomes research at the RORC by conducting an analysis of the rehabilitation units used for veterans who have had a stroke. Dr. Barnett’s current research interests also include adolescent
risk behaviors. She is studying hookah rates and trends among Florida
teens and college students; body image perception and smoking rates,
particularly for adolescent females; developing public service announcements
in tobacco prevention and cessation to be used for college students;
changes in tobacco use and other risk behaviors during the transition
from high school to college for young women. |
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Alba Burns, MD,
MS, CTM (email: aaburns@phhp.ufl.edu) Alba Amaya Burns, MD, MSc., CTM, works extensively in the areas of Tropical Medicine, Public Health, Health Program Administration, and Academia. She served for five years as the Infectious Disease Specialist for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in El Salvador, managing USAID’s HIV/AIDS $3.5 million portfolio, as well as TB $3.5 million portfolio, covering also other emerging diseases. She led HIV/AIDS prevention efforts in El Salvador and as a member of the Country Coordinated Mechanism; she designed and implemented a $27 million grant for the Global Fund to fight HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. As a result of her successes in disease control and prevention, she has served as a Technical Advisor to help guide USAID infectious disease activities in other countries in the Central American Region, as well as other Latin American countries as a member of PAHO’s Technical Advisor Group (TAG). An experienced health care leader, educator, and lecturer, she has applied her knowledge of public health practice to administer large scale health promotion efforts as well as train communities and leaders on how to manage disease and its impacts. Prior to her work at USAID/El Salvador, she served as Medical Director for a community health clinic provided by the Social Security Institute of El Salvador, and Director of refugee health centers in Nicaragua. She has also worked in universities as a Professor and Instructor in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the United States. She served as Director of International Affairs in two Universities in El Salvador, garnering international funding and representing them in international academia meetings. As part of that work, she was designated Coordinator of Latin America and European University network. She is Clinical Associate Professor at the College of Public Health and Health Profession in the University of Florida. She is teaching courses on Health Disparities, International Health as well as Program Planning and Evaluation for Public Health to graduate Public Health Students. Dr. Amaya-Burns also holds a courtesy appointment as Associate Professor of the College of Medicine, working as Director of the Latin American Tuberculosis Training Programs at the Southeastern National Tuberculosis Center. Currently Dr. Amaya-Burns is working with the National University of El Salvador and the Minister of Health of El Salvador and PAHO in designing a Latin American regional Center of Excellence for TB training. |
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Ellen D.S. Lopez,
PhD, MPH, BA (email: edslopez@phhp.ufl.edu) Dr. López is an Assistant Professor, and the coordinator of
the Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration for the University
of Florida’s Public Health Programs. Her research integrates
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) principles with innovative
research methods to gain perspectives on diverse public health issues.
Although Dr. López is involved in a diverse array of studies
(older driver safety, sexuality education), her main research focus
is dedicated to cancer prevention, control, and survivorship in rural
communities. During her doctoral training in Health Behavior and Health
Education at the University of North Carolina ~ Chapel Hill, Dr. López
worked with Eugenia Eng on the North Carolina Breast Cancer Screening
Program. Her dissertation used the participatory research method,
Photovoice, as a means for rural African American breast cancer survivors
to identify, voice, and begin to address their survivorship quality
of life needs. To gain training and experience in applying CBPR principals,
Dr. López completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship as
a W.K. Kellogg Community Health Scholar at the University of Michigan,
School of Public Health. As a CBPR investigator at the University
of Florida, Dr. López has developed relationships with several
community-based organizations and agencies in North Central Florida.
She is the founder of “Cancer Resource Connections”- a
community-academic group - that strives to increase community participation
in cancer research. Most significant has been the partnership she
has forged with the Center for Independent Living of North Central
Florida (CILNCF) that focuses on assessing and addressing cancer-related
issues faced by individuals with disabilities. During spring, 2006,
Dr. López and her CILNCF partners were awarded a Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation ~ Special Population Grant. This grant will
enable them to 1) elucidate the barriers and facilitators to breast
cancer screening via gaining perspectives of women with physical disabilities
and their health care providers; and 2) pilot test the feasibility
and benefits of using “Photo-Mapping” (a research method
that places cameras in the hands of participants enabling them to
visually document the factors that impact breast cancer screening)
as an empowering research and education tool. She is also the Principle
Investigator of a UF&Shands Cancer Center grant to develop a theoretical
model of quality of life for long-term breast cancer survivors in
rural areas. |
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Giselle Mann, PhD,
MPH, BAS, P.Grad.Dip (HSC), SLP-CCC (email: gmann@phhp.ufl.edu) Giselle Mann is a Research Associate Scientist in the Social Behavioral
Sciences concentration, of Public Health Programs at the University
of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions. Her research
integrates Health Survivorship principles with clinical research methods
to evaluate significant rehabilitation issues. Dr. Mann's research
focus lies in the rehabilitation of swallowing disorders following
stroke, and head/neck cancer. In addition, she specializes in research
epidemiology, and biostatistics. Dr Mann completed her Masters of
Public Health and doctoral training at the Curtin University of Western
Australia. From June 2000- 2006 she has been on faculty at the University
of Florida, College of Health Professions and College of Medicine,
and held appointments in the Departments of Communicative Disorders
and Psychiatry. She is funded via an American Cancer Society grant
to investigate “Muscle Composition and Function for Swallowing
in Head / Neck Cancer patients undergoing Radiotherapy” This
grant will enable her research group to evaluate home based intervention
strategies to maintain oral nutrition in patients who are undergoing
ablative medical treatments for cancer. Dr Mann has also been involved
with a range of community health projects in Florida including, Second
Hand Tobacco Smoke Awareness, and the Florida State Suicide Prevention
Initiative. |
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Dennis Thombs, PhD, FAAHB (email: dthombs@phhp.ufl.edu) Research Interests:
Dr. Thombs' research focuses on alcohol use in campus communities. He is the author or co-author of more than 60 peer-reviewed papers in national and international journals. His research has been supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Education. In addition, he is the author of Introduction to Addictive Behaviors, published by The Guilford Press, which is now in its third edition. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior and currently the Academy's President-Elect. |
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Bridgett Rahim-Williams,
MA, MPH, PhD (email: brwms@phhp.ufl.edu) Dr. Rahim-Williams is a Research Assistant Professor and Medical Anthropologist in the Department of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science at the University of Florida (UF) in Gainesville, Florida. She is also a Claude Pepper Scholar in the Institute on Aging (IOA), Department of Aging and Geriatric Research at UF. Dr. Rahim-Williams works as part of a multi-disciplinary team of faculty members. She completed the PhD in Applied Medical Anthropology, an MPH in Public Health Education, and a MA in Health Communication at the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa, Florida. As a researcher, Dr. Rahim-Williams' interests are in the areas of culturally competent, patient-centered health care, global health, and minority health disparities across the life span. She has a particular interest in minority health outcomes associated with chronic conditions such as pain, diabetes, arthritis and obesity. She is currently involved in three separate studies investigating diabetes, somatic and experimental pain in clinical and community-based populations. She teaches Medical Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Minority Health and Cross-Cultural Competence, Introduction to Anthropology and Culture, Health and the Humanities. Dr. Rahim-Williams has a professional public health background that includes management of public health education and prevention programs, evaluation of program services; review of grant proposals; and technical assistance to minority, non-governmental, (NGOs), community based organizations. She is a mentor with the UF Minority Mentoring Program (UMMP), and holds memberships in several professional organizations. Among these affiliations are the Network of Minority Research Investigators for the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Advisory Committee on Equity and Diversity for the UF Health Sciences Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. |
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Nancy Winterbauer, PhD (email: nancy_winterbauer@doh.state.fl.us) Dr. Nancy Winterbauer is a medical anthropologist and epidemiologist. She received a PhD in Biomedical Anthropology from Binghamton University (SUNY) and a MS in Epidemiology from the University at Albany (SUNY). She currently holds a joint position as Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health at the University of Florida and as Coordinator of the Center for Community Health Research, at the Institute for Health, Policy, and Evaluation Research, a Division of the Duval County Health Department (DCHD). Dr. Winterbauer is committed to academic-community health partnerships, particularly in the benefits these confer to public health practice. She is a founding member of the community-based participatory research (CBPR) group, Community Research Partners for Kids with Special Needs (Research Partners). The Research Partners just completed data collection on a two-year, NIH-funded CBPR intervention study, the Family Nurse Care Coordination Partnership (FNCCP). In addition to her work with the FNCCP, she has conducted mixed-method research addressing the development and diffusion of medical homes for special needs children. Dr. Winterbauer is committed to community-based health research and evaluation. She is currently the primary evaluator for the DCHD, Division of Institutional Medicine, which provides health services to inmates housed in county correctional facilities. This unique program offers exciting potential to improve the health and well-being of some of the most vulnerable individuals and communities in Jacksonville. She is also leading the Jacksonville Mental Health Coalition in planning and evaluation activities related to a criminal justice, mental health, and substance abuse diversion re-investment grant. |
Rehabilitation Counseling
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Mary L. Hennessey,
Ph.D., CRC University of Florida Licenses and Certifications Courses Dr. Hennessey joined the department of Behavioral Science and Community Health in 2006. She received her PhD in Special Education with an emphasis in Rehabilitation Counseling and her master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from Kent State University in Ohio. She has experience in vocational evaluation, job placement and grant administration. Research Interests: |
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Michael Moorhouse, PhD, CRC, Dr. Moorhouse is a graduate of the Rehabilitation Counseling Program and completed his PhD in Rehabilitation Science in 2008. Prior to returning for his PhD, he worked for the Alachua County Court Service Day Reporting Program as a substance abuse counselor. Dr. Moorhouse has been the recipient for both the John Muthard Research Award (2006) and the Ronald J. Spitznagel Outstanding Service Award (2007). Currently, he is identifying rehabilitation counseling clinical competencies to develop a Rasch based clinical supervision measure. |
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Jamie L. Pomeranz,
Ph.D., CRC, CLCP University of Florida Education Licenses and Certifications Courses Clinical/Research Interests |
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Laura J. Perry, Ph.D.,
CRC, CLCP, RMHCI University of Florida Education Licenses and Certifications Courses Clinical/Research Interests |
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Mary Ellen Young,
Ph.D., CRC University of Florida Education Licenses and Certifications Courses Clinical/Research Interests |
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