2004-2005 Scholars in Health Disparities

Beverly Araujo, PhD, Ms. Beverly Araujo will receive her Ph.D. from the Joint program in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Michigan. She received her Master’s of Social Work from the University of Michigan and a B.A. in Psychology from Hunter College. As a social worker, she has conducted individual and family counseling with Latino/a communities in New York City. Ms. Araujo’s research interests include mental health outcomes among Latino/a immigrants.

Ms. Araujo has worked extensively with immigrant Dominican women. She hopes to continue to develop policy and practice relevant research that will enhance the provision of services to the Latino/a community. Ms. Araujo will be researching the impact of maternal stress on the mental health of immigrant children.

Ms. Araujo will be at the Columbia University site. Ms. Araujo’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Rajni Banthia, PhD, Dr. Rajni Banthia graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. She received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology at the University of California, San Diego/ San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program. She completed her clinical internship at the Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. Dr. Banthia’s research interests are in behavioral medicine, health psychology and the prevention of chronic illness through health behavior change (e.g., weight loss, smoking cessation). Dr. Banthia is interested in ethnic and socio-economic disparities in health outcomes, tailored community prevention program development and healthcare policy reform.

Dr. Banthia is at the UCSF/Berkeley program site. Dr. Banthia’s scholarship is jointly funded by through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Sekai Chideya, MPH, MD, Sekai Chideya, MD graduated from Swarthmore College with an undergraduate degree in Biology, with Distinction, and additional work in English and History. She later received her Medical Doctorate at UCSF and a MPH in International Health from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She completed her residency training in Family Practice at the Georgetown University Family Practice Program in Washington, D.C.

Dr. Chideya’s research interest is in the area of HIV/AIDS prevention and care, both domestically and internationally. She is interested in examining and addressing the causes of diagnostic and treatment rate disparities for HIV/AIDS in low-income and non-white persons compared to their higher income, White peers. She will also be examining the role of neighborhoods and social environments on adolescent sexual behavior.

Dr. Chideya is at the UCSF/Berkeley program site. Dr. Chideya’s scholarship is funded by the UCSF Department of Family and Community Medicine.

Portia Lynne Cole, PhD, Dr. Portia Lynne Cole received her undergraduate degree in Sociology at George Washington University, a Master of Social Work degree at Catholic University of America and her Ph.D. in Sociology at American University. As a former American Sociological Association Minority Fellow, she specialized in mental health and social policy. Dr. Cole’s research interests include the role of doctor-patient communication on mental health outcomes, factors that promote utilization of mental health services among minorities, and the role of race and gender in the quality of mental health care for individuals affected by chronic illness. Prior to joining the Kellogg Scholars program, Dr. Cole worked as a policy analyst for work/family issues at the American Association of University Professors. She also has an extensive social work background in which she provided therapy to children and adolescents who were affected by emotional and behavioral disorders.

Dr. Cole is at the Morgan State University Program site. Dr. Cole’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Geetanjali Datta, ScD, Dr. Geetanjali Datta received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in biochemistry. She then went on to the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University where she completed her MPH. Dr. Datta received her ScD in epidemiology from Harvard School of Public Health. During her doctoral studies in cancer epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health she conducted research on individual- and community-level socioeconomic factors that influence smoking and cancer screening behaviors among African American women. As an epidemiologist, Dr. Datta is interested in studying racial and ethnic disparities in cancer incidence, screening and survival. She is also interested in access to health care, particularly among immigrants.

Dr. Datta is at the Harvard University site. Dr. Datta’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Flora Dallo, PhD, Ms. Flora Dallo completed a double major in Biology and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan. Ms. Dallo received her MPH in Epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Ms. Dallo will earn her PhD in Preventive and Community Health at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Ms. Dallo’s research interests include issues surrounding diabetes screening. Ms. Dallo’s focus is investigating health provider’s knowledge concerning diabetes risk factors, their tendency to screen for diabetes as well as the effects of interventions on increasing diabetes screening estimates.

Ms. Dallo is at the University of Michigan site. Ms. Dallo’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Tamara Dubowitz, PhD, (January 2005) Tamara Dubowitz, received her undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania in Urban Studies and Medical Anthropology. Ms. Dubowitz received her masters in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania. She is completing her ScD at Harvard School of Public Health. Ms. Dubowitz’s research interests include the social inequality of nutrition, diet-related disease, and obesity. Her research is focused on the contribution of neighborhood characteristics, immigrant status, acculturation, and the daily life contexts of new mothers on food choice and dietary intake. This work was funded by a Predoctoral Fellowship (F31) from the National Institutes of Health.
Ms. Dubowitz is at the University of Pittsburgh program site. Her scholarship is funded through the National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health.

Sonia Eden, MD, Dr. Sonia Eden received her bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Yale University. She received her MD from the University of Michigan. Dr. Eden completed her internship in general surgery at the University of Michigan Medical Center and is currently completing her residency in neurological surgery.

Dr. Eden's clinical experiences sparked her interest in disparities in subarachnoid hemorrhage and other types of intracranial hemorrhages. She is interested in researching the role that race and ethnicity play in the initial presentation and management of patients suffering from various forms of hemorrhagic stroke.

Dr. Eden is at the University of Michigan site. Dr. Eden’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Dionne Godette, PhD, Dr. Dionne Godette earned her BA in psychology from the University of Virginia. She received an MS in counseling from the Johns Hopkins University and received her PhD in Health Behavior & Health Education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health.

Dr. Godette’s research interests are focused on investigations of the etiology, prevention, and treatment of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug (ATOD) abuse and dependence. These experiences involve studies of: ATOD use and sexual behaviors on Historically Black College and University campuses, community drug use prevention, the role of Federal policy in improving ATOD prevention practice in school districts, adolescent tobacco use and prevention and group substance abuse treatment. Dr. Godette is also interested in continuing to study the influences of interpersonal, community and policy level factors on the continuum of substance use disorders among populations of African descent (i.e. African Americans, Black Africans, Afro-Caribbean and Black Hispanics) living in the United States.

Dr. Godette is at the Harvard University program site. Dr. Godette’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

German Hernandez, MD, Dr. German Hernandez is a native of Mexico and immigrated to the US in 1987. He received his undergraduate degree in biological sciences from Stanford University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He trained in internal medicine at the University of California, San Francisco and served as chief medical resident at San Francisco General Hospital.

Dr. Hernandez is currently a fellow in the division of nephrology at UCSF and his work is focused on disparities in kidney disease among Latinos and the potential impact of environmental exposures.

Dr. Hernandez is at the UCSF/Berkeley program site. Dr. Hernandez’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Soowon Kim, PhD, Dr. Soowon Kim received a BS and a MS in Foods and Nutrition from Yonsei University College of Human Ecology in Seoul, South Korea. She received a PhD in Nutrition with a minor in Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill School of Public Health. Upon completion of her degree, Dr. Kim joined the Stanford Prevention Research Center at Stanford University School of Medicine as a Visiting Scholar.

Dr. Kim’s current research interests include identifying who and why of health disparities issues. She is interested in understanding pathways by which biological, behavioral and contextual contributors (including social, economic, environmental, and political factors) affect individual and population health. Dr. Kim hopes to accomplish this by bridging concepts and methodologies from multiple disciplines. Through understanding of the mechanisms, she hopes to provide practical guidance for public policy and health promotion programs to reduce health disparities.

Dr. Kim is at the UCSF/Berkeley program site. Dr. Kim’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Denae W. King, PhD, Dr. Denae Waller King graduated from Texas Southern University with an undergraduate degree in chemistry. She completed her master’s and doctorate degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Toxicology at the University of Texas, Houston Health Science Center, School of Public Health. Dr. King is currently a postdoctoral fellow at MD Anderson Cancer Center working in the Center for Research on Minority Health. Dr. King’s research interests include biomarkers of genetic susceptibility to breast cancer associated with African-American women and breast cancer incidence, mortality, and recurrence. She is particularly interested in the etiology of the breast cancer disparity observed in pre-menopausal African-American women. Dr. King will be working on a project designed to examine a possible association between AIB1 protein expression and AIB1 polymorphic glutamine repeat length in African-American breast cancer survivors.

Dr. King is at the MD Anderson program site. Dr. King’s scholarship is funded through the National Institutes of Health.

Helen Lee Kwon, PhD, Dr. Helen Lee Kwon received her BS in biology at Yale University. She earned her MPH at Yale and her PhD in chronic disease epidemiology with a focus in perinatal epidemiology.

Dr. Kwon’s dissertation examined the effects of pregnancy and stage of pregnancy on maternal asthma severity. In addition to continuing to explore measurement issues related to asthma severity and the management of asthma during pregnancy, she hopes to research the social, environmental, and health care contexts for racial/ethnic, socioeconomic, and gender disparities in asthma morbidity in pregnant and non-pregnant asthmatics.

Dr. Kwon is also interested in addressing health inequalities through education and community development. She has served as a summer instructor in epidemiology and public health to pre-medical students of color, and helped initiate a faith-based health organization which partners with black churches in health promotion and clinical disease prevention.

Dr. Kwon is at the Columbia University site. Dr. Kwon’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Anne Foster-Rosales, MPH, MD
Dr. Anne Foster-Rosales received her A.B. in Linguistics from the University of California, Berkeley and her medical degree from the University of New Mexico. She completed her training in obstetrics and gynecology at UCSF, where she is an assistant clinical professor. Dr. Foster-Rosales was awarded a Women’s Health Policy fellowship from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and received her MPH in Health Policy and Management from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Foster-Rosales’ research interests include the prevention of maternal mortality and morbidity, the identification of health disparities in obstetric patients, and in reproductive health outcomes, especially in the Latina community, from multiple perspectives: socioeconomic, racial/ethnic, policy, gender and clinical.

Dr. Foster-Rosales is at the UCSF/Berkeley program site.

Lester Spence, PhD, Dr. Lester Spence received his bachelor’s degree and PhD in political science from the University of Michigan. Prior to being a Kellogg Scholar, Dr. Spence was an Assistant Professor at Washington University in St. Louis in the Department of Political Science, African and Afro-Americans Studies program.

Dr. Spence’s primary research interests include the ways that African Americans and Latinos mobilize (or are demobilized) specifically within urban spaces. His working projects include an attempt to study the impact of black mayors on African American political participation, the impact of media framing on coalitions between African Americans and Latinos, and a multi-tiered study of the political attitudes of urban youth. Dr. Spence is also interested in studying the ways that health impacts political outcomes, as well as in studying the ways that political processes impact public health. Dr. Spence also hopes to create a Public Health based model of Black Studies that can be used to both move social science scholarship forward and improve the lives of citizens.

Dr. Spence is at the Morgan State University site. Dr. Spence’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Cayla R. Teal, PhD, Dr. Cayla Ruth Teal received her undergraduate degree at William Jewell College in chemistry, with minors in psychology and math. She completed both her masters and doctoral degrees in Community/Clinical Psychology at Wichita State University, with emphases in applied research methods and psychometrics. She is currently a Health Services Research Instructor and Research Investigator at the Houston Center for Quality of Care and Utilization Studies with the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Administration Medical Center in Houston and Baylor College of Medicine. Her research interests include identifying the domains of culture that explain variability in health outcomes, that have utility in cross-cultural work, and that allow for the dynamic nature of acculturation and cultural assimilation, while developing measures that are valid and reliable. Dr. Teal’s appointment is through the Health Disparities Education, Awareness, Research & Training (HDEART) program.

Dr. Teal is at the MD Anderson program site. Dr. Teal’s scholarship is funded through the Centers for Disease Control, Baylor College of Medicine, and the Veterans Administration.

Pamela L Thornton, PhD, MSW, Dr. Pamela L. Thornton received her BS from Howard University in Psychology and English. She received her MSW from Catholic University in Clinical Social Work, after which time she was inspired to integrate practice with research. In 2003, Dr. Thornton received her PhD from the University of Maryland Baltimore in Social Work. During her doctoral training, Dr. Thornton received an NIMH funded fellowship from the Council on Social Work Education, a Maternal and Child Health dissertation award, and a scholarship to study health policy at the University of Bristol in England. Dr. Thornton is also a fellow in the Social Environment and Health Program at the University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research.

Dr. Thornton’s research focus has been on maternal and child health disparities, particularly among women raising children in intergenerational contexts. Her current research interests include identifying and understanding physical and mental health disparities in the U.S. with a special focus on coping assets.

Dr. Thornton is at the University of Michigan site. Dr. Thornton’s scholarship is funded through the National Institutes of Mental Health.

Edna Viruell-Fuentes, PhD, Ms. Edna Viruell-Fuentes received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics and psychology from Berea College. She received her MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health. She will receive her PhD from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Health Behavior and Health Education.

Ms. Viruell-Fuentes was a W.K. Kellogg Fellow in Health Policy Research and a Ford-MacArthur pre doctoral fellow. Ms. Viruell-Fuentes’ research interests include how gender, race/ethnicity, immigrant status and local and transnational social networks contribute to health status. She is also interested in researching how discrimination might impact the health of Latino/a immigrants and their children.

Ms. Viruell-Fuentes is at the Harvard University site. Ms. Viruell-Fuente’s scholarship is funded through the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Harvard Yerby Fellowship program.

Lisa Cacari-Stone is an Alonzo Yerby Public Health Fellow and WK Kellogg Scholar in Health Disparities Research at the Harvard School of Public Health in the Department of Society, Human Development and Health. In 2005, Dr. Cacari Stone served as an H. Jack Geiger Congressional Health Policy Fellow for Senator Edward M. Kennedy with the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions working on public health legislation including the reauthorizations of the Indian Health Care Improvement Act and Community Health Centers Act and other health disparities elimination policies including the Healthcare Equality and Accountability Act, Hispanic Health, and Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Access. Previously, she was Health Policy Visiting Faculty with the Department of Family and Community Medicine, School of Medicine and the Political Science Department at the University of New Mexico (UNM). Dr. Cacari-Stone, a member of the National Hispanic Science Network, was a national recipient of the WK Kellogg Doctoral Fellowship in Health Policy Research (1999-2004) and graduate of The Heller School of Social Policy and Management, Brandeis University (2004). Her research interests include: impact of public policies on health disparities (i.e. immigration, Medicaid, welfare reform, Title VI-language access); HIV and substance abuse prevention including environmental policy strategies; and mental health and primary care access for underserved communities in the Southwest.