MHERC Directors
Mona N. Fouad, MD, MPH
Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Senior Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Heersink School of Medicine
Professor, Division of Preventive Medicine
Edward E. Partridge , M.D., Endowed Chair for Cancer Disparity Research
Director, UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center
CEO, Live HealthSmart Alabama
Co-Leader, Community Engagement
Co-Leader, Live HealthSmart Alabama Employee Wellness
University of Alabama at Birmingham
James O. Hill, PhD
Co-Director, UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center
Professor and Chair of Nutrition
Director of Nutrition Obesity Research Center
School of Health Professions
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Committee Members
Wendy Demark Wahnefried, PhD, RD
Co-Leader, Research Program
Associate Director, Cancer Prevention and Control
O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Professor and Endowed Chair, Nutrition Sciences
School of Health Professions
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Isabel C. Scarinci, PhD, MPH
Co-Leader, Training Program
Professor and Vice-Chair for Global and Rural Health, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Interim Associate Professor for Community Outreach and Engagement
Senior Advisor for Globalization and Cancer, O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Michael Mugavero, MD, MHSc
Co-Leader, Training Program
Professor, Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
Professor, Health Behavior, School of Public Health
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Elizabeth Baker, PhD
Co-Leader, Social Determinants of Health Core
Associate Professor, Sociology
College of Arts & Sciences
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Gabriela Oates, PhD
Co-Leader, Social Determinants of Health Core
Assistant Professor, Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine, Pediatrics
Associate Scientist, Cystic Fibrosis Research Center
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Cynthia Y. Johnson
Co-Leader, Recruitment and Retention Core
Co-Leader, HealthSmart Employee Wellness
Director, Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility
Division of Preventive Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Julie Schach
Co-Leader, Recruitment and Retention Core
Co-Director, Recruitment and Retention Shared Facility
Division of Preventive Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
MHERC Management Team
Mona N. Fouad, MD, MPH
Director, UAB Minority Health & Health Equity Research Center
Research Program
William Anderson, PhD
Director of Research
Barbara Hansen, PhD
Scientist
Training Program
Ann S. Smith, MPH
Director of Training
Emily K. Hudson
Program Manager, Training
Joy R. Ledvina, MBA
Program Coordinator, Training
Community Engagement
Tiffany Osborne
Director, Community Engagement
Grace Okoro, MPH
Program Manager II, Community Engagement
Paramita Das
Educational Liaison, Community Engagement
Travae’ Hardaway-Griffith, BSW, MA
Education Liaison, Community Engagement
Trina Holmes
Manager, Community Engagement, Live HealthSmart Alabama
Mary Browning
Program Administrator II, Community Engagement
Kimberly Braden, MPPM
Program Administrator II, Community Engagement
Communications
Susan J. Driggers
Director, Communications
Jessica Snyder Rhinehart
Communications Manager
Sunasia Mims
Communications Specialist
Advancement and Fundraising
Christian N. Smith
Director of Development, UAB Heersink School of Medicine