RACDA/MERIT Postdoctoral Fellow in the Behavioral Pain Research Laboratory This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Dr. Allen Watts received a Bachelor of Science in Human Environmental Science from the University of Alabama (UA); a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Healthcare Organization and Policy from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB); and a Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion from UA. Her dissertation, entitled Determinants for the Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM): Results from a National Survey examined the use of eighteen CAM modalities among a national sample of adults. A key limitation to this study was the exclusion of culturally sensitive modalities, such as home remedies or folk remedies, in the national dataset. Therefore, after successfully defending her dissertation, Dr. Allen Watts expressed a desire to continue her research at UAB with the goal of exploring the use of culturally appropriate Complementary and Integrative Health approaches among racial and ethnic, seriously ill patients, under the guidance of Drs. Marie Bakitas and Ronit Elk in the School of Nursing and Medicine.

Dr. Allen Watts is currently completing postdoctoral training under the guidance of Dr. Burel Goodin in the Behavioral Pain Research Lab. Using data from the Examining Racial and SocioEconomic Disparities (ERASED), she is interested in examining treatment disparities on the basis of race and socioeconomic status (SES) with the type of provider seen (primary, tertiary, or no care) and medication use. Broadly, her research interests is managing chronic overlapping medical conditions among underserved groups. Specifically, Dr. Allen Watts is interested in conducting original research addressing the unique self-management needs of multifactorial chronic pain and type 2 diabetes mellitus among Southern, African American adults.

Dr. Allen Watts has years of teaching and mentoring experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels. As part of the IRACDA/MERIT program, she receives additional training in pedagogical practices that will help her become an effective, and more well-rounded, scholar.