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