About Me
I am an Assistant Professor in the Department Social Sciences and Health Policy and a core faculty member of the Maya Angelou Research Center for Healthy Communities. I am also the Assistant Director of Metrics & Catchment Area Research in the Community Outreach and Engagement program of the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Comprehensive Cancer Center (AHWFBCCC). In this role, I develop and evaluate cancer prevention and control metrics from multiple data sources (e.g., electronic health records, Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results, community health assessments) to drive priorities and services to improve the impact and reach of AHWFBCCC within and across our catchment area.
As a geosocial health researcher, I use mixed methods (quantitative, qualitative, geographic information systems and mapping) to measure and investigate how health behaviors and health outcomes are related to the social and built environments in which people live, work, and interact. My research focuses on designing, implementing, and evaluating place-based interventions that can promote healthier neighborhoods through increasing access to resources (e.g., cancer screening) and decreasing access to harms (e.g., tobacco, alcohol, cannabis) to facilitate behavioral change and promote well-being for all people. A core component of my research program is focused on tobacco control and elucidating how policies can be designed to reduce retail tobacco product availability and exposure. My research centers community engaged methods and participatory dissemination and implementation science approaches.