Current Doctoral Students and Alumni

According to our exit survey, most DrPH graduates are working fulltime (70%) and some are in post-doctoral positions (30%). We are proud to share that our graduates have established roles in a variety of organizations including the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Meals on Wheels, RTI International, University North Carolina, US Air Force, and East Tennessee State University, among others.  To update alumni information, please contact Dara Young at youngdc@etsu.edu.

• 2024

   

  Community Health

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  Lydia Hoskins

  CV

  Norbert Ogar

  CV

  Esther Osime

  CV

  Nicholas Swope

  CV

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  Epidemiology

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  Peter Adediji

  CV

  Chyanne Morrison

  CV

  Mustapha Muhammad

  CV

  Derrick Owusu

  CV

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Ifedolapo Aderibigbe

  CV

  Bless-me Ajani

  CV

  Sana Hasan

  CV

  Rachel Kellogg

  CV

  Cory Whitfield

  CV

   

   

• 2023

   

  Community Health

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  Oluwatamilayo "Tomi" Adeniji

  CV

  Rachel Dean

  CV

  Ronald Harding

  CV

  Harrison Ihrig

  CV

  Kilonzo Richard Mutua

  CV

  Aimee Rowe

  CV

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  Epidemiology

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  Nikita Cudjoe

  CV

  Heather Wingate

  CV

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Kailee Havrda

  CV

  Kusse Toitole

  CV

  Natasha Vernekar

  CV

  Rhonda Williams

  CV

   

   

• 2022

   

  Community Health

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  Nathaniel Sealover

  CV

  Aliyah Smith

  CV

  Olivia Sullivan

  CV

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  Epidemiology

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  Omodele Agbejimi

  CV

  Amanda (Kate) Goodin

  CV

  Emmanuel Angmorteh Mensah

  CV

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Whitney Carrier

  CV

  Kajol Dahal

  CV

  Haleigh Leslie

  CV

  Christianna Novakovic

  CV

  Jessica Snyder Muldowney

  CV

  Jewel Thomas

  CV

  Abdulrask Openyemi Ejiwumi

  CV

   

   

• 2021

   

  Community Health

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  Kawther Al Ksir

  Dissertation: Radon Environmental Health Literacy in Northeast Tennessee

  Mary Brannock

  Familial Sex Trafficking in East Tennessee

  Margaret Francisco

  CV

  Christen Minnick

  CV

  Sonja Pearson

  CV

  Hannah Warren

  CV

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  Epidemiology

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  Rakesh Adelli

  Influence of Medication Assisted Treatment Weaning on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and Outcomes Among Infants Born to Women with Opioid Use Disorder

  Matthew Beer

  CV

  Amanda Blackwelder

  Cost Saving and Resource Limited Public Health Interventions in Southeast Asia

  Vanessa Morman

  CV

  Charles Olomofe

  Exploring the Correlates and Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake Among People Living With HIV/AIDS in Tennessee

  Joel Reagan

  CV

  Amy Wahlquist

  CV

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Esther Adebayo-Abikoye

  The Association between Prenatal Care and Postpartum Depression: Current State and Future Directions

  Adeola Ayo

  Healthcare Providers’ Screening and Counseling for Tobacco Use Among Youth in the United States: Prevalence, Practices, and Providers’ Perspectives

  Opal Frye-Clark

  CV

  Nicole Galler

  An Assessment of the Current State of Nursing Homes in the United States, Southern Region, and Tennessee

  Benjamin Schoenberg

  CV

   

   

• 2020

  Community Health

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  Jordan Chase Harless

  Dissertation: Exploring Sexual and Reproductive Health Care in Central Appalachia Through the Experiences of Transgender and Gender Non-Binary People
  

  Marissa Kluk

  CV

  Phoebe Tchoua

  Dissertation: Exploring the Food Parenting Practices Among Black Immigrant Mothers in Metro Atlanta, GA

  Shahin "Ellie" Zare

  CV

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  Epidemiology

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  Gabriela Guerra Abrego

  COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake in the Hispanic and Latinx Communities of Northeast Tennessee
  

  Hopelyn Mooney

  CV

  Michael Prough

  CV

  Jacob Schultz

  Emerging Tick-Borne Diseases in Northeast Tennessee
  

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Johanna Cimilluca

  

  Currently: Fiscal Director, Southeast AIDS Education Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

  Dissertation Title: Key Determinants of Using Telehealth Technologies among Underserved Populations from the Perspective of Patients and Providers

  Chris Honeycutt

  

  Dissertation: Profitable, Alternative Income Generation and Improved Quality of Life Among Global Beekeepers 

  Kristen Surles

  

  Currently: Presidential Management Fellow, Health Specialist, National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institutes of Health (NIH)

  Dissertation: Youth-Friendly, Person-Centered Contraceptive Care for Adolescents: Exploring the Capacity of Safety-Net Clinics in Alabama and South Carolina

• 2019

  Community Health

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  Fenose Osedeme, DrPH

  

  Currently: Research Survey Scientist, RTI International, North Carolina

  Dissertation: Perceptions, Knowledge, and Attitudes about Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives (LARCs) among Women in Appalachian Tennessee
  

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  Epidemiology

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  Esther Adeniran, DrPH

  Dissertation: Examining the State of Substance Use Treatment among Youth and Adults in the United States

  Melissa White, DrPH

  

  Currently: Research Associate, CARE Women's Health

  Dissertation: Assessing Best Practices, Perceptions, and Barriers to Breastfeeding in the Appalachian Region

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Manul Awasthi, DrPH

  

  Dissertation: Overview of Transition Care Clinics and Patient No-Shows

  Adekunle Oke, DrPH

  

  Currently: Pediatric Resident, BronxCare Health System, New York

  Dissertation: Self-Measured Blood Pressure Monitoring in Hypertension Control: The Role of Social Determinants of Health, Current State in the United States, and Future Directions

  Kathleen Tatro, DrPH

  

  Currently: Postdoctoral Researcher, Kennesaw State University, Georgia 

  Dissertation: When the Costs Outweigh the Benefits: Examining Variations in Nulliparous, Term, Singleton, Vertex and Elective Cesarean Delivery Rates Across the United States, 2016-2020

• 2018

  Community Health

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  Christopher Dumas

  CV

  Leah Ferguson, DrPH

  

  Dissertation: Active Travel for Children and Youth: Lessons from Active Routes to Schools North Carolina

   

  Dumisa Nyarambi, DrPH

  

  Currently: Grants Coordinator, Northeast State Community College, Tennessee

  Dissertation: Shared Decision-Making for Contraceptive Counseling Among Women Seeking Services at Safety Net Clinics in South Carolina and Alabama

   

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  Epidemiology

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  Christian Nwabueze, DrPH

  

  Dissertation: Investigating the Association between Adolescent Polysubstance Use, Crime, and Violence in the United States

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Paezha McCartt

  

  CV

  Glory Okwori , DrPH

  

  Currently: CDC Adverse Childhood Experiences Surveillance Fellow

  
  Dissertation: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES): Assessing Their Impact on Mental Health Outcomes Among US Children and the Mitigating Role of Resilience

• 2017

  Community Health

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  Erin Mauck, DrPH

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University 
  

  Dissertation: A Qualitative Analysis of End-of-Life Healthcare in Tennessee: Politics, Principles, and Perceptions

  Anthony Peluso, DrPH

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, Midwestern University

  Dissertation: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Abortion Attitudes and Perceptions among Women Living in Alabama and South Carolina

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  Environmental Health

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  Mercy Aula, PhD

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama Birmingham
  
  

  Dissertation: Occupational Health Assessment of Tomato Farmworkers in East Tennessee

   

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  Epidemiology

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  Ogbebor Omoike, DrPH

  Dissertation: Association of Perfluorinated Chemicals with Endocrino-Carcinogenetic, Obesogenic and Metabolic Health and with Markers of Chronic Inflammation and Oxidative Stress 

   

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• 2016

   

  Community Health

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  Kiriinya Mwirigi, DrPH

  

  Currently: Child Nutrition Specialist, CN Resource

  Dissertation: Exploring the Role of Social Capital in the Implementation of Fruit and Vegetable Incentive Programs: A Case Study of the Appalachian Farmacy Program 

  Kristy Gagnon

  

  Dissertation: Cardiovascular Disease in Central Appalachia, an Exploratory Study of Behavioral, Community, and Patient-Centered Care Influences

• 2015

  Community Health

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  Gabrielle Caldara, DrPH 

  

  Dissertation: Exploration of Rape Myths Among Former Military Professionals

  Taylor Dula, DrPH

  

  Assistant Dean of Student Services, East Tennessee State University College of Public Health

  Dissertation: Correctional Career Pathways: A Reentry Program for Incarceration

  Olivia Egen, DrPH

  

  Dissertation: Positive and Negative Deviant Counties: Identification of Factors Associated with Health Outcomes
  
  

   

  Angela Hagaman, DrPH

  

  Operations Director, Addiction Science Center

  Dissertation: Peer Recovery Support Specialists: Role Clarification and Fit Within the Recovery Ecosystems of Central Appalachia

  Samuel Pettyjohn, DrPH

  

  Currently: Center for Rural Health and Research, East Tennessee State University College of Public Health

  Dissertation: The impact of structural level state laws on syringe service program access and risk environment of people who inject drugs (PWID)

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  Environmental Health

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  Emmanuel Odame, PhD

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, University of Alabama Birmingham

  Dissertation: Assessing Heat-Related Mortality and Morbidity Risks in Rural Populations and Sub-Populations

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  Epidemiology

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  Candice Collins, DrPH

  

  Currently: Allan Rosenfield HIV/AIDS Public Policy Fellow, amFAR, The Foundation for Aids Research 

  Dissertation: HIV-Related Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors in Two Low Resource Settings

  Ifeoma Ozodiegwu, DrPH

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, Health Informatics and Data Science, Loyola University

  Dissertation: The Prevalence and Context of Adult Female Overweight and Obesity in Sub-Saharan Africa

  
  
  

• 2014

  Community Health

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  Oluwatosin Ariyo, DrPH

  

  Currently: Health Scientist, Division of STD Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Dissertation: Correlates of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine Acceptance in Appalachian Tennessee

  Alexis Decosimo, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Executive Director and Art Therapist, Playing to Live!

  Dissertation: The Evaluation of a Psychosocial Expressive Arts Program in Liberia During the Ebola Epidemic

  Stephanie Mathis, DrPH

  

  Currently: Research Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University Center for Rural Health and Research

  Dissertation: Prescription Drug Abuse and Provider-Patient Communication: A Qualitative Analysis of the Perspectives of Prescribers and Patients

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  Environmental Health

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  Dennis Gilfillan, PhD

  

  Currently: Business Intelligence & Data Analyst, North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics

  Dissertation: 
  The Ecology of Fecal Indicators

  Joseph Kusi, PhD

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

  Dissertation: Potential Toxicity of Silver Nanoparticles to Microbial Communities and Macroinvertebrates

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  Epidemiology

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  Abraham Alhassan, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Resident Physician, New York City Health + Hospitals

  Dissertation: Assessment of Social, Dietary and Biochemical Correlates of Cardiometabolic Risk in Pre-adolescent Hispanic Children 

  Shaoqing Gong, DrPH

  

  Currently: Postdoctoral Fellow, Health Administration and Policy Institute, School of Public Policy and Administration, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, Shaanxi Province, China

  Dissertation: An Epidemiological Study of Obesity Among Asian Americans in California, United States 

  Julie Obenauer-Motley, DrPH

  

  Currently: Section Supervisor, National Security Analysis Department
  The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

  Dissertation: The Increasing Risk of Vector-Borne Diseases: Mapping the Effects of Climate Change and Human Population Density on Future Aedes aegypti Habitats

   Ruby Yadav, DrPH

  

  Currently: Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Surveillance Director, 
  Communicable and Environmental Disease and Emergency Preparedness Division, Tennessee Department of Health

  Dissertation: Context, Delivery, and Providers’ Perspectives of Family Life Education in TN, USA

• 2013

  Community Health

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  Carter Florence, DrPH

  

  Currently: Director, Strategy and Impact, Meals on Wheels America 

  Dissertation: Rural-Urban Variations in Meals on Wheels Programs

  Bethesda O'Connell, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, Community and Behavioral Health, East Tennessee State University College of Public Health

  Dissertation: Biosand Water Filter Evaluation: Meta-Evaluation and Pilot Study of Field Use Indicators

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  Epidemiology

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  Yang Chen, DrPH

  

  Currently: ORISE Fellow,
  Chronic Viral Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Dissertation: 
  An Epidemiological Study of Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among U.S. Population 

  Daniel Owusu, DrPH 

  

  Epidemic Intelligence Service, Class of 2019

  Currently: Senior Service Fellow, Influenza Division, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Dissertation:
  Assessing Adult Tobacco Smoking Cessation in Low-and-Middle Income Countries: Analysis of the Global Adult Tobacco Survey Data, 2009 – 2012

  
  
  

• 2012

  Community Health

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  Janice Greene, DrPH

  

  Currently: Decommissioning Program Manager, Babcock & Wilcox

  Dissertation: 
  Phenomenological Study of the Lived Experiences of Appalachian Spouses of Combat Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

  Megan Housenick-Lee, DrPH

  

  Currently: MRI Technologist, Ballad Health

  Dissertation: 
  Social-Ecological Factors Affecting Patient Shield Use Among Radiologic and Computed Tomography Technologists

  Paula Masters, DrPH

  

  Currently: Vice President of Health Programs, Ballad Health

  Dissertation: Evaluating Socially Determined Health in Rural Appalachia: Use of the Social Quality Theory

  Jenna Middlebrooks, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Quality and Performance Improvement Manager, WithHealth

  Dissertation: 
  Trends in Early Childhood Caries Rates in the Nashville Area Indian Health Services Tribes

  Natalie Walker, DrPH

  Dissertation:
  Factors Influencing Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Behaviors of Adolescents in Appalachia

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  Epidemiology

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  Bill Brooks, DrPH

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, East Tennessee State University College of Public Health Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology

  Dissertation:
  Rural Opioid and Other Drug Use Disorder Diagnosis: Assessing Measurement Invariance and Latent Classification of DSM-IV Abuse and Dependence Criteria

  Malendie Gaines, DrPH

  

  Currently: Clinical Research Coordinator, Emory University

  Dissertation: 
  The Influence of Race and Gender on HIV Risk Behaviors in High School Students in the Southern States of the United States 

• 2011

   

  Community Health

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  Cindy Phillips, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor/Academic Director, Undergraduate Programs, College of Nursing, East Tennessee State University (Sevierville)

  Dissertation:
  Psychological and Sociocultural Influences of Current and Historical Intimate Partner Violence in Pregnancy

  Michelle Reece, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, College of Health and Human Services, 
  Department of Public Health - Western Kentucky University

  Dissertation: 
  Prostate Cancer and PSA Testing: Implications of Provider-Patient Communication and Shared- Decision Making on National Screening Recommendations

  Colleen Scott, DrPH 

  

  Epidemic Intelligence Service, Class of 2014

  Currently: Behavioral Epidemiologist, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Global Immunization Division

  Dissertation:
  Evaluation of Key Components of Draft Guidelines for the National Weather Service TsunamiReadyTM Community Program

  Rachel Ward, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Adjunct Faculty, ETSU College of Public Health

  Dissertation:
  Examining the Influence of Farmers' Market Motivations on Access to Healthful Foods and Business Opportunities for Farms

  Christian Williams, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor and Director of Public Health Program, College of Health Sciences & Nursing, Belmont University

  Dissertation: 
  Assessing Health Department Readiness for Public Health Accreditation through Quality Improvement

  
  
  

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  Epidemiology

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  Kate Callahan-Myrick, DrPH

  

  Currently: Chronic Disease Epidemiologist, South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control

  Dissertation:
  Assessing the Social and Ecological Factors that Influence Childhood Overweight and Obesity

  
  

• 2010

   

  Community Health

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  Emma Apatu, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Program Director, MPH Program, Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University

  Dissertation: 
  Human Response during the September 29, 2009, South Pacific Earthquake and Tsunami in American Samoa

  Twanda Wadlington, DrPH

  

  Currently: Director of Grant Development, My Health My Resources of Tarrant County (Fort Worth, Texas)

  Dissertation: 
  Access to Healthy Foods: A Descriptive Analysis of Farmers’ Markets, Food Deserts & USDA Food Assistance Programs in Tennessee Census Tracts

  
  
  

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  Epidemiology

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  David Blackley, DrPH 

  

  Epidemic Intelligence Service, Class of 2013

  Currently: Research Epidemiologist, Surveillance Branch, Respiratory Health Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

  Dissertation: Examining Stage at Diagnosis and Survival in Three Cancers with Definitive Screening Guidelines for Average-risk Adults: The Role of Marital Status

  
  
  

  Nicole Holt, DrPH

  

  Currently: MPH Program Director, Virginia Tech

  Dissertation: An Investigation of the Relationship Between Child, Family, and Community Factors and Early Childhood Oral Health and the Utilization of Dental Health Services

  
  
  

  
  
  

• 2009

   

  Community Health

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  Katie Baker, DrPH

  

  Currently: Scientific Review Officer, National Institutes of Health

  Dissertation:
  Preventing Skin Cancer in Adolescent Girls Through Intervention with Their Mothers

  Kasie Richards, DrPH

  

  Currently: Senior Director, Situational Awareness & Decision Support, American Red Cross

  Dissertation:
  As the Crow Flies: An Underrepresentation of Food Deserts in the Rural Appalachian Mountains

  Jodi Southerland, DrPH 

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor, ETSU College of Public Health

  Dissertation:
  Health-Related Quality of Life and Future Care Planning Among Older Adults: Exploring the Role of Hope as a Moderator

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  Epidemiology

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  Megan Quinn, DrPH

  

  Currently: Associate Professor of Epidemiology, ETSU College of Public Health

  Dissertation: 
  Exploring the Unique Characteristics of Cancer in Adolescents and Young Adults in Tennessee

  
  
  

  Phani Veeranki, DrPH

  

  Currently: Director, Optum

  Dissertation:
  Advancing Global Tobacco Control: Exploring Worldwide Youth Attitudes and Behaviors toward Tobacco Use and Control

• 2008

   

  Community Health

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  Grace Tettey, DrPH

  

  Grace Tettey, DrPH (alumna)

  Currently: Adjunct Faculty, ETSU College of Public Health

  Dissertation: 
  Exploring the Role of Religiosity on Suicidal Ideation: A Study Among a Population-Based Sample of Adolescents in the United States

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  Environmental Health

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  Lok Pokhrel, PhD 

  

  Currently: Assistant Professor and Public Health Practice and Foundations Certificate Department of Public Health, East Carolina University

  Dissertation:
  Evaluation of Colloidal Stability and Ecotoxicity of Metal-based Nanoparticles in the Aquatic and Terrestrial Systems

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  Epidemiology

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  Liang Wang, DrPH

  

  Currently: Director of Epidemiology and Associate Professor, Baylor University

  Dissertation:
  Effects of Maternal Depression on Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Findings from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Study 

  
  
  

• 2007

  Community Health

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  Roger Blackwell, DrPH

  

  Currently: Clinical Instructor, Department of Community and Behavioral Health, ETSU College of Public Health

  Dissertation: 
  Health Service Utilization and Stigma among HIV-Positive Men-Who-Have-Sex-With Men (MSM) in Rural Appalachia

  Melissa Neal Stein, DrPH

  

  Currently: Senior Project Associate, Policy Research Associates, Inc.
  Adjunct Lecturer, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

  Dissertation: 
  Evaluating the School Performance of Elementary and Middle School Children of Incarcerated Parents.

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  Epidemiology

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  Nash Aragam, DrPH

  

  Currently: Statistical Research Specialist & Data Manager, Office of Policy & Data Management, Tennessee Department of Health

  Dissertation:
  Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Major Depressive Disorder and Its Related Phenotypes.

  La'Shan Taylor, DrPH   

  

  Epidemic Intelligence Service, Class of 2009

  Currently: Sadly, Dr. Taylor passed away in 2019.

  Dissertation:
  Assessing Health Status, Disease Burden, and Quality of Life in Appalachia Tennessee: The Importance of Using Multiple Data Sources in Health Research.

• 2006

   

  Environmental Health

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  Kimberlee Hall, PhD 

  

  Currently: Associate Professor and Program Director, Environmental Health Program, Western Carolina University

  Dissertation:
  Application of Multivariate Statistical Methodology to Model Factors Influencing Fate and Transport of Fecal Pollution in Surface Waters