Center for Social Medicine and Sexually-Transmitted Diseases
Co-Directors: William Cockerham, PhD and Edward W. Hook III, MD
Established: 1996

Mission and Demographics
The mission of the Center for Social Medicine and Sexually-Transmitted Diseases is to foster intellectual creativity and promote the growth of interdisciplinary research on the social determinants of health and disease, and on societal norms and values that influence the delivery of health care services. Sexually-transmitted diseases are the paradigm emphasized by the Center, but the mission is broadly-based to include the study of relationships between health and society generally. The Center currently has 63 appointed faculty representing 16 departments and 5 schools at UAB.

Center Research
Current research includes a community-based, CDC-funded effort to reduce syphilis in Montgomery, Alabama, using a diffusion of information approach; the development of a computer-generated assessment and intervention software program for STDs; and an STD intervention and risk reduction program in marginal populations utilizing emergency rooms and mental health clinics. Projected studies include the investigation of the role of stigma as a barrier to the treatment of STDs in the South and the study of health lifestyles contributing to the high rates of heart disease among African-Americans in Mississippi and Alabama. Recently completed projects include a survey of community needs associated with the destruction of chemical weapons in the geographical area of the Anniston Army Depot.

For additional information:

Co-Director: William Cockerham, PhD
Email: wcocker@uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-8679

Co-Director: Edward W. Hook III, MD
Email: ehook@uab.edu
Phone: 205-934-4204

Approved by: William Cockerham, PhD, Co-Director
Date: May 1, 2007

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