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.

• 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

  Natashia Vernekar

  CV

  Rhonda Williams

  CV

   

   

• 2022

   

  Community Health

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  Naveen Ramzan

  CV

  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

  CV

  Mary Brannock

  CV

  Syeda Huda

  

  CV

  Margaret Melton

  CV

  Christen Minnick

  CV

  Sonja Pearson

  CV

  Hannah Warren

  CV

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  Epidemiology

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  Rakesh Adelli

  CV

  Matthew Beer

  CV

  Amanda Blackwelder

  CV

  Vanessa Morman

  CV

  Charles Olomofe

  CV

  Joel Reagan

  CV

  Amy Wahlquist

  CV

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  Health Management and Policy

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  Esther Adebayo-Abikoye

  CV

  Adeola Ayo

  CV

  Opal Frye-Clark

  CV

  Nicole Galler

  CV

  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

  CV

  Hopelyn Mooney

  CV

  Michael Prough

  CV

  Jacob Schultz

  CV

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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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  Abdullah Adamu

  CV

  Esther Adeniran, DrPH

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

  Somtochukwu Ojukwu

  CV

  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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  Sam Bailey

  

  CV

  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 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 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: Associate Professor, ETSU College of Public 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: Robert Wood Johnson Culture of Health Leader

  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