I received an MPH (disease control) from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston, Texas, and earned my PhD in Health Education and Health Promotion from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). I worked for many years at the local level in public health: first, at the Houston Department of Health and Human Services as an Epidemiologist, and an Administrative Supervisor over the HIV Serosurveillance Family of Surveys. After moving to Columbus, Georgia, I worked in the Health district as the Tobacco Prevention Coordinator and then as the Executive Director of the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition. After completing my doctorate degree from UAB in 2006, I took a job in 2007 as an Assistant Professor at Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) Department of Community Medicine. I was named Director of the MPH program in 2009 and Associate Director of Research for the MUSM Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities (CRHHD). The CRHHD has entered into various contracts with the local health departments and communities to conduct needs assessments, evaluations and organize community coalitions around health issues. The AHD seems like a natural progression for current relationships with the local health district. The district director and I are currently engaged in discussion to formalize the relationship through shared resources.

 

I am very interested in reviewing any formal agreements (MOU, contracts) of existing AHDs.