Camille Barsukiewicz, Ph.D. (In Memoriam)

Dr. Barsukiewicz was an Associate Professor in the MHA Program. Dr. Barsukiewicz, was known to her students as "Dr. B." Dr. Barsukiewicz earned a PhD in Health Policy & Administration in 1998 from the Pennsylvania State University, and an MS in Health Services in 1994 from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia. She held various positions in health care administration including physician group practice management. Her areas of teaching were management, health care regulation, healthcare ethics, and leadership. Her research areas were organizational change, quality initiatives in healthcare, and community engagement, with an emphasis on qualitative research. Dr. Barsukiewicz was currently working on the 6th edition of The U.S. Health System, Origins and Functions, with Raffel & Raffel which is available through Cengage-Delmar Publications.

David Burchfield, Ph.D.

Dr. Burchfield is a United States Marine Corps veteran and a native Memphian who concentrated on healthcare economics during both his undergraduate and master’s education at The University of Memphis. He received his PhD in health economics from Cornell University in 1998 and taught in Cornell’s renowned Sloan Program in Health Administration before returning to The University of Memphis. His teaching and research interest centers on the financing and delivery of health services, and the provision of employer-sponsored health insurance. Dr. Burchfield earned designation as a Fellow from the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) in 2008. He is a past President and Treasurer of the Mid-South Health Care Executives, a Chapter of the American College of Health Care Executives, and past Treasurer and Board Member of the Tennessee chapter of HFMA. He also serves on the Board of Directors of The Navy League of the United States. He brings over 20 years experience in the insurance industry and 10 years of academia to the classroom, and his research has been published in Healthcare Financial Management, Revenue Cycle Strategist, Employee Benefit Plan Review, Compensation and Benefits Management, Journal of Healthcare Management, The Physician Executive, Business & Health, and Advancing the Consumer Interests.

Selected Recent Publications:

Burchfield D. Consumer-Directed Health Plans: Pot of Gold or Red Ink? Revenue Cycle Strategist, June 2006.

Burchfield D. and Averwater N. No Place Like Home: Telemonitoring Can Improve Home Care. Healthcare Financial Management, April, 2005.

Burchfield D and Battistella R. Consumer-Directed Health Care: Three Options, One Reality. Employee Benefit Plan Review 2003; 57:12.

Chunrong Jia, Ph.D.

Dr. Jia’s research and teaching interests focus on characterization of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and persistent organic compounds (POPs), innovative measurement techniques for air pollutants (VOCs, semi-VOCs, particulate matters, as well as criteria pollutants), statistical and modeling methods to interpret and extend available measurements, human exposure and risk assessment, and environmental impact assessment. He has worked on a number of research projects, many of which were sponsored by federal institutions and agencies. Select projects include a community based participatory research intervention for childhood asthma using air filters and air conditioners (National Institutes of Health grant), analysis of the NHANES VOC data (National Urban Air Toxics Research Center grant), emissions of PDBE's from industrial and residential environments in the Great Lakes Region (Environmental Protection Agency grants), characterization of VOCs in industrial, urban and suburban communities (American Chemistry Council grant), and health, pollution and economic development in South Durban, South Africa (National Institutes of Health grant). He has also worked in the field of environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental planning in China for 5 years, and was a China EPA certified EIA engineer.

Selected Recent Publications:

Batterman S, Chernyak S, Jia CR, Godwin C, Charles S. Concentrations and emissions of polybrominated diphenyl ethers from U.S. houses and garages. Environmental Science & Technology 2009;43(8):2693–2700.

D’Souza JC, Jia CR, Mukherjee B, Batterman S. Ethnicity, Housing and personal factors as determinants of VOC exposures. Atmospheric Environment 2009;43(18): 2884-2892.

Jia CR, D’Souza J, Batterman S. Distributions of personal VOC exposures: A population-based analysis. Environment International 2008;34:922-931.

La DonL. Jones, Ph.D. MSHA

Dr. Jones is the Director for the Master in Health Administration program. Dr. Jones has served as Vice Chancellor for Community Affairs at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center and prior to that as Vice President of Technology and Instructional Resources at Baptist College of Health Sciences in Memphis, TN. He was a fellow in the American Council on Education fellows program in 2001-2002, serving at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Colorado. He served on the faculty at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa where he taught students in health administration and coordinated the healthcare management internship program. Dr. Jones has held a number of administrative positions in health administration at Baptist Memorial Healthcare, and he is also a licensed registered nurse.

Selected Recent Publications:

Fuller, J.B., Morrison, R.S., Jones, L., Bridger, D. & Brown, V. The effects of psychological empowerment on the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction. Journal of Social Psychology 1999;139(3):389-391.

Morrison, R.S., Jones, L., & Fuller, J.B. The relation between leadership style and empowerment and its effect on nursing job satisfaction. Journal of Nursing Administration 1997;27(5):27-34.

Satish Kedia, Ph.D.

Dr. Satish Kedia is an Associate Professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health and an adjunct graduate faculty in College of Nursing at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. He has been directing the Institute for Substance Abuse Research and Evaluation (I-SARE) since 2000. Dr. Kedia is a medical anthropologist with a PhD in anthropology and a certificate in Medical Behavioral Sciences from the University of Kentucky. His research interests include alcohol and drug abuse treatment and prevention; sexuality and HIV/AIDS; caregiving and adherence; and program evaluation and impact assessment. Dr. Kedia has been working on a number of public health related projects in the Mid-South focusing on alcohol and drug abuse treatment, caregiving and adherence issues associated with HIV/AIDS and children with developmental disabilities. He has also conducted fieldwork internationally in India and Philippines studying health impacts of forced displacement and pesticide use. Over the last 10 years, Dr. Kedia has received upward of $9 million in research contracts and grants as principal or co- investigator. He has presented his work extensively, both nationally and internationally, and has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals and encyclopedias and has co-edited a book on Applied Anthropology. He was recognized with the Dunavant University Professorship in 2006 for his scholarly accomplishments and a Fellow by the Society for Applied Anthropology in 2002. Currently, Dr. Kedia is the Co-Editor of the National Association of Practicing Anthropology (NAPA) Bulletin, a flagship journal of a section of American Anthropological Association. Since taking on this position, he has co-edited and facilitated publication of six thematic volumes.

Selected Recent Publications:

Kedia, Satish. Health Consequences of Dam Construction and Involuntary Resettlement. In Development and Dispossession: The Crisis of Forced Displacement and Resettlement, edited by Anthony Oliver-Smith. Santa Fe: SAR Press, pp. 97-117, 2009.

Kedia, Satish and Florencia G. Palis. Health Effects of Pesticide Exposure among Filipino Rice Farmers. The Applied Anthropologist 2008;28(1):40-59.

Kedia, Satish, Marie Sell, and George Relyea. Mono-versus Polydrug Use Patterns among Publicly Funded Clients in Tennessee. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy 2007;2(33):1-9.

Lisa Klesges, Ph.D.

Dr. Klesges is a behavioral epidemiologist and her past research includes childhood obesity prevention, evaluation of community interventions to improve women's and children's health, and design and evaluation methods to enhance the translation of behavior change research into practice. Dr. Klesges has served as a principal investigator, co-investigator, or evaluator on over 40 funded projects supported by NIH, national philanthropic and local agencies. Her recent funding involves a community-based family-focused obesity prevention intervention for African American girls, interventions to improve adherence to preventive screening among children with chronic illness, and translational research methods to improve reporting of behavior change research. She has participated in national advisory and planning groups including workshops and consortia for NIH and Institute of Medicine, Robert Wood Johnson initiatives, American Association of Cancer Research, and CDC based on her work in childhood obesity prevention, health promotion, and translational research methods. Dr. Klesges has served on various review panels for NIH and CDC and is a past charter member of the NIH Community Influences on Health Behavior Study Section. She has served as a guest editor for supplement issues in Journal of Nutrition and Preventive Medicine related to behavioral intervention research, is a past editorial board member of Health Psychology and Associate Editor for the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. CLICK HERE to read Dr. Klesges current CV.

Selected Recent Publications:

Sherrill-Mittleman DA, Klesges LM, Lanctot JQ, Stockton ML, Klesges RC. Measurement characteristics of dietary psychosocial scales in a weight gain prevention study with 8-10 year old African American girls. Health Education Research 2009; 24: 586-595.

Stockton MB, Lanctot JQ, McClanahan BS, Klesges LM, Klesges RC, Kumanyika S, Sherrill-Mittleman D. Self-perception and body image associations with body mass index among 8- to 10-year-old African American girls. Journal of Pediatric Psychology (in press).

Wang MC, Horne SG, Levitt H, Klesges LM. Christian women in IPV relationships: An exploratory study in religious factors. Journal of Psychology and Christianity (in press).

Marian Levy, Dr.P.H., R.D.

Dr. Levy is an Associate Professor in the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences and is Director of the Master of Public Health Program. She has served as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator for several Latino health and nutrition initiatives. One project, Para los Niños, was recognized as a “Health Care Heroes” Community Outreach Finalist (2003). Other programs included cultural competence training for health care providers, a Health Care Interpreter Certificate Program, and prenatal education for Latinas. As a consultant to the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department, she coordinated the development of the Pandemic Influenza Response Plan for Memphis and Shelby County. Currently, she serves on the Crisis Management Team for the University of Memphis. She also collaborates with the Herff College of Engineering and serves as Associate Director of the Center for Biofuel Energy and Sustainable Technologies. Dr. Levy has held several leadership posts, including President of the Tennessee School Health Coalition (2000) and Chair of the Tennessee Healthy Weight Network (2006). She serves on the Advisory Committee, Division of Minority Health and Disparity Elimination, Tennessee Dept of Health; the Core Leadership Group for Shelby County’s Infant Mortality Reduction Initiative; and Memphis City Schools’ Wellness Policy Team. She regularly serves on NIH and CDC scientific review panels related to health disparities and community-based participatory research. In 2008, she received the Ruby R. C. Wharton Outstanding Woman Award for Race Relations.

Selected Recent Publications:

Levy Mand Royne M. The Impact of Consumers’ Health Literacy on Public Health. The Journal of Consumer Affairs 2009; 43(2):357-362.

Levy M and Royne M. (2009) Up for Sale: Consumer Medical Information. Journal of Consumer Marketing. (in press)

Levy M and Royne M. The Impact of Consumers’ Health Literacy on Public Health. The Journal of Consumer Affairs 2009;43(2):357-362,

Fawaz Mzayek, M.D., MPH, Ph.D.

Dr. Mzayek's research focuses on chronic disease epidemiology, especially cardiovascular disease and diabetes. He is also involved in research of smoking and tobacco control in developing countries. Dr. Mzayek has an extensive experience in research methodology, study design and clinical trials conduct. Other research interests include malaria control and treatment. Dr. Mzayek has won several international and national fellowships and awards and was principal investigator and co-investigator of several grants from American Heart Association, National Institutes of Health and Federal Drug Administration.

Selected Recent Publications:

Mzayek F, Sherwin R, Hughes J, Hassig S, Srinivasan SR, Chen W, Berenson GS. The association of birth weight with arterial stiffness in mid-adulthood: The Bogalusa Heart Study. J Epidemoil Comm Health 2009 (in press)

Mzayek F, Ylöstalo J, Krogstad DJ. Apoptosis of Endothelial Cells in Bacterial Sepsis and Severe P. falciparum Malaria: Do We Know Enough to Consider Clinical Trials? (editorial) Critical Care Medicine 2008;36:2690-92

Mzayek F, Hassig S, Sherwin R, Hughes J, Chen W, Srinivasan S, Berenson G. The Relationship of Birth Weight with the Developmental Trends of Blood Pressure from Childhood through Mid-adulthood. The Bogalusa Heart Study. American Journal of Epidemiology 2007;166:413–20

George Relyea, M.S.

George Relyea is an Assistant Research Professor at the Center for Community Health with 25 years experience as a statistician, programmer, and research consultant at the University of Memphis. Prior to joining the CCH, he served the university as Manager of Statistical Services and Manager of Academic Systems in Information Technology. Mr. Relyea has extensive experience in managing people and technologies in support of research, grants, and community projects. He has given many lectures and has taught courses on computer applications and research methodologies at U of M, and has trained many university faculty/staff as well as center support staff on statistical analyses, programming applications, and data management. He has consulted with students and researchers from various academic disciplines including statistics, psychology, business, nursing, and education. Mr. Relyea has contributed to over 200 doctorate dissertations and master's theses and has contributed to many research projects at the university. His current interests involve data mining, recurrent events, and spatial statistics in public health.

Selected Recent Publications:

Tabachnick, S, Miller, R, and Relyea, GE. The Relationship among Students’ Future-Oriented Goals & Subgoals Percieved Taks Instrumentality and Task-Oriented Self-Regulation Strategies in an Academic Environment. Journal of Educational Psychology 2008;100(3):629-654.

Tabachnick, S, Miller, R, and Relyea, G. The Relationship among Students’ Future-Oriented Goals & Subgoals Percieved Taks Instrumentality and Task-Oriented Self-Regulation Strategies in an Academic Environment. Journal of Educational Psychology 2008:100(3):629-654.

Kedia, S, and Relyea, G. Gender Effects on Client–Spousal Collateral Agreement LevelsAddiction Research & Theory 2008;16(1): 23-36.

David Rosenthal, Ph.D.

Dr. David Rosenthal is an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health and the Division of Health Administration. Dr. Rosenthal earned his Ph.D. in Technology Management from Indiana State University in 2002, and has over 20 years of Information Technology (IT) industry experience. Prior to joining the faculty at the School of Public Health, Dr. Rosenthal served as Director for Statewide e-Health Initiatives and Associate Professor of Health Informatics and Information Management at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. His research agenda includes studies identifying the existence of a digital divide and adoption levels of the Electronic Health Record in both North Carolina and Tennessee, and innovations in telemedicine/Telehealth technologies. Dr. Rosenthal is currently representing the University of Memphis as it partners with QSource – Tennessee’s physician Quality Improvement Organization (QIO) – in the development of Tennessee’s Health Information Technology Regional Extension Center project, as part of the HITECH Act’s Priority Grants Program Health Information Technology Extension Program.

Selected Recent Publications:

Abraham, C. & Rosenthal, D. Merging Home and Health via Contemporary Care Delivery: Program Management Insights of a V.A. Home Telehealth Project. Computers, Informatics, and Nursing 2008; 26(5):273-281.

Rosenthal, D. & Layman, E. Utilization of Information Technology in Eastern North Carolina Physician Practices: Determining the Existence of a Digital Divide. Perspectives in Health Information Management 2008;5:3.

Balch, D., Rosenthal, D., & Taylor, C. The 2005 “Last Chance Bravo” Bioterrorism Exercise Drill: A Case for the Efficacy of Communications Technologies and Telemedicine for Disaster Response. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare 2005;13(2):69-73.

Kenneth Ward, Ph.D.

Dr. Ward is Professor and Director of the Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences. He also serves as Director of the Center for Community Health and Adjunct Professor of Preventive Medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. Dr. Ward received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology with a specialty in behavioral medicine from the University of Memphis and was a clinical psychology resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior and a senior editor of the journal Addiction. Dr. Ward’s research focuses on chronic disease prevention, particularly tobacco use prevention and cessation. He is involved in international tobacco control efforts, and serves as Intervention Director of the Syrian Center for Tobacco Studies. Other research interests include bone health and osteoporosis prevention, and psychosocial aspects of heart disease. He has been the Principal Investigator of more than 15 grants from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American Legacy Foundation and The Urban Child Institute.

Dr. Ward’s current research projects include cigarette and waterpipe cessation trials in Syria, development of a self-report instrument to assess nicotine dependence among waterpipe smokers, a cohort study to assess the influence of disaster exposure on substance use, a trial of community-based physical activity programming to enhance smoking cessation rates, weight gain prevention among pre-diabetic smokers in primary care settings, and a pilot project to incorporate tobacco cessation and relapse prevention resources into Red Cross services for disaster survivors.

Selected Recent Publications:

Kilzieh, N., Rastam, S., Ward, K.D., & Maziak, W. Gender, depression, and physical impairment: an epidemiologic perspective from Aleppo, Syria. In press, Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Maziak, W., & Ward, K.D. From health as a rational choice to health as an affordable choice. In press, American Journal of Public Health.

Maziak, W., Rastam, S., Ibrahim, I., Ward, K.D., Shihadeh, A., & Eissenberg, T. Tobacco abstinence symptoms, CO exposure, and puff topography in waterpipe tobacco smokers. In press, Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Natalie Williams, Ph.D.

Dr. Williams is an Assistant Professor in the School of Public Health. She received a dual Ph.D. in clinical and developmental psychology from the University of Missouri in 2008. Prior to coming to the University of Memphis, Dr. Williams completed extensive specialty training in child health psychology, first as a pediatric psychology resident at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and subsequently as postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Broadly speaking, Dr. Williams’ research focuses on health promotion in childhood chronic illness. Her current research is in the area of food allergy, with an emphasis on identifying modifiable risk and protective factors for unintentional allergy exposures during childhood and adolescence. She is interested in developing evidence-based allergy exposure prevention programs, which may include support and education programs for families of newly diagnosed children, programs to raise public awareness of food allergy and reduce exposure risks in the community, and partnering with health care providers to improve the early identification of individuals who may be at greatest risk to experience adverse health outcomes. In addition to food allergy, Dr. Williams’ research interests involve childhood injury prevention, pediatric obesity intervention, and treatment adherence in chronic disease.

Selected Recent Publications:

Williams, N.A., Davis, G., Hancock, M., & Phipps, S. Optimism and pessimism in children with cancer and healthy controls: Confirmatory factor analysis of the Youth Life Orientation Test and relations with health-related quality of life. Journal of Pediatric Psychology (in press).

Williams, N.A., Parra, G.R. & Elkin, T.D. Parenting children with food allergy: Preliminary development of a measure assessing child-rearing behaviors in the context of pediatric food allergy. Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2009;103:140-145.

Williams, N.A., Parra, G.R. & Elkin, T.D. Subjective distress and emotional resources in parents of children with food allergy. Children’s Health Care 2009;38:213-227.