Yvonne Owens Ferguson, Ph.D.

Yvonne Owens Ferguson completed a PhD in Health Behavior and Health Education (HBHE), with a certificate in International Development, at the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill School of Public Health in 2006.  Dr. Ferguson also earned her MPH in the same department in1999 and holds a BS in Biology from Spelman College.  Her research examines HIV/AIDS related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors among people of African descent in sub-Saharan Africa and the United States.  For her dissertation research, Dr. Ferguson conducted a process evaluation to assess nurses’ implementation of an infant feeding counseling protocol delivered to HIV-infected mothers within the context of an HIV/AIDS clinical trial in Lilongwe, Malawi.  As a 2002 NIH Minority International Research Training Fellow, Dr. Ferguson conducted HIV/AIDS behavioral research in Cape Town, South Africa.  Using Critical Race Theory as a framework, Dr. Ferguson has published research examining the gender ratio imbalance and its relationship to HIV/AIDS risk among African American women at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  Prior to her doctoral studies, Dr. Ferguson worked on minority women’s health policy issues for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  She has received awards from the NIH, UNC University Center for International Studies, American Public Health Association and the Society for Public Health Education.  Dr. Ferguson’s community-based research experience spans over 10 years and her interests include public health disparities, HIV/AIDS and social theory.  Dr. Ferguson will continue to pursue her community-based research interests at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill site. Printable version

Keon L. Gilbert

Keon Gilbert will complete his Doctorate of Public Health (DrPH) in Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at the Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh in May 2008. After earning a B.S. in Biology from Wabash College (Crawfordsville, IN), he obtained a joint master’s degree in African American Studies and Public Affairs from Indiana University (Bloomington, Indiana).  His work experience includes a qualitative study to investigate the role of partnerships and its impact on community capacity at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Minority Health.  Additional experience has involved understanding the translation of clinical trials into community-based interventions that contribute to the elimination of racial/ethnic health disparities, and the role of community/university partnerships in maintaining these interventions to make sustainable changes.

Keon’s dissertation research is a meta-analysis of social capital and health promotion.  The results of his dissertation will help identify the precision of measurement of social capital and identify theoretical inconsistencies in measurement. This research will also advance the study of social capital by delineating the relationships between macro-to-micro-level factors influencing social capital. Additional aims will be to further our knowledge about how social capital can be used to empower individuals and communities to increase community control, political efficacy, improve the quality of life and social justice. Keon seeks to use quantitative and qualitative methods in his work on social capital, community capacity, and community based participatory research.  Keon will be a fellow at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Printable version

Betty Izumi

Betty Izumi will complete her PhD in 2008 from Michigan State University where she works and studies with the CS Mott Group for Sustainable Food Systems. She received her Master’s in Public Health and her Registered Dietitian credential at the University of California, Berkeley and her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics at the University of British Columbia. Betty’s research examines the complexity of farm to school programs, which collectively comprise a national and local effort to integrate locally grown foods into public K-12 schools, from the perspectives of farmers, food service professionals, and food distributors. Prior to moving to Michigan in 2004, Betty worked with the Oregon State University Extension Service in the Portland metro area where she collaborated with government agencies, schools, and non-profit organizations to address issues such as lack of access to healthful foods and barriers to farming among recent immigrants. Betty intends to apply community-based participatory research to her interests in nutrition, food access, community-based food systems, and sustainable agriculture. Betty will be a Kellogg Health Scholar at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Printable version

Caree Jackson

Caree Jackson will earn a PhD in Foods and Nutrition in August 2008 from the University of Georgia, where she also received a MS in nutrition in 2004.  Caree received a BS in biology from Howard University.  She is also a registered and licensed dietitian.  Currently, Caree’s research involves creating innovative interventions to combat the problem of obesity in the African-American community. Caree is the author of, Lil’ Red Ridin Thru ‘Da Hood, a childhood obesity prevention live theater show and follow-up program for low-income African-American children.  Her program has received funding from the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation and has been professionally produced for thousands of children in Atlanta, GA, Athens, GA, Boston, MA, and Philadelphia, PA. Caree’s dissertation research focuses on the development of a theater-based intervention that effectively conveys messages about healthy eating and physical activity to at-risk African-American adolescents.  Her research interests include community nutrition, health disparities, and disease prevention. She plans to focus on demonstrating the effectiveness of using novel approaches such as media and arts programs to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors. Caree will be a Kellogg Health Scholar at the Morgan State University School of Public Health site .Printable version

Latrice Pichon

Latrice Pichon is expected to complete requirements in August 2008 for her PhD in Public Health with a concentration in Health Behavior at San Diego State University and the University of California, San Diego. Latrice also holds a Masters in Public Health from San Diego State University and a BS in Psychology Pre-Medicine from Xavier University of Louisiana. During her doctoral training, Latrice’s research has focused on cancer prevention, health policy, and health behavior using ecological models. Her dissertation will assess the prevalence of sun protection behaviors and potential correlates, such as residential segregation and perceived skin cancer risk, among a community sample of Blacks in Southern California. Her general research interests include examining the social and physical environmental factors that contribute to health disparities among ethnic/racial minority populations using multi-level frameworks and a community-based participatory approach. Latrice will complete her postdoctoral research at the University of Michigan School of Public Health training site. Printable version

Amanda Tanner, Ph.D.

Amanda Tanner, PhD, completed a doctorate in Health Behavior with a minor in Sociology at Indiana University in 2007 in the Department of Applied Health Science, where she also received her MPH in 2003. She received her BA in Psychology and Women’s Studies from Saint Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota in 2000. Dr. Tanner is currently a research fellow at Indiana University School of Medicine, Section of Adolescent Health. Her dissertation research examined factors influencing young, urban, African American women’s use of a vaginal microbicide surrogate. Currently in clinical trials, microbicides are substances designed to reduce the transmission of sexually transmitted infections, including HIV. This focus on sexual and reproductive health has continued to inform her research where she considers how the intersection of multiple identities for young women—gender, ethnicity, age and socioeconomic status—impact the negotiation of their sexual and contraceptive behaviors. Dr. Tanner is excited to expand this research by partnering with community organizations to conduct community-based participatory research that considers the way in which social determinants and community norms impact sexual and reproductive health (for both women and men) to inform and influence community practice and health policy. Dr. Tanner will be joining the KHSP community track at the Johns Hopkins University site. Printable version

Taqi Tirmazi

Taqi Tirmazi will receive his PhD in Social Work from Howard University, School of Social Work in May, 2008. His dissertation research examined the impact of demographic, social, educational, and environmental factors on the acculturation and psychosocial adaptation of immigrant Muslim youth in the United States. Presently, Taqi is a research associate on a community-based participatory research study which examines the impact of social and physical determinants on the mental health of urban Black youth. Taqi’s previous research experiences pertain to maternal depression among African-American mothers, hip hop and youth development, elderly Muslims and mental health, socialization of adolescent Muslim girls, and acculturation of immigrant Muslim youth. In addition, Taqi was a Race, Ethnicity, and Migration Studies scholar at Utrecht University, in the Netherlands where he conducted a comparative study on the ethnic and religious identity of Muslim youth in the Netherlands and United States. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Studies from California State University Monterey Bay and a Master of Social Work from Howard University. His work experiences include early childhood education, social work case management, and sports and recreation. Taqi is the recipient of Howard University Graduate School 50th PhD Anniversary Fellowship (2007 – 2008) and the Council of Social Work Education Minority Fellowship (2007 – 2008). Taqi will be a Kellogg Health Scholar at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. Printable version