Research Teams
Healthcare Process Redesign Research
Lead Investigator: Rita Snyder, Ph.D., RN
Emphasis Area: Health Systems
Scientific Purpose: Create, implement and evaluate the impact of innovative methods, such as computer simulation modeling, to reduce the redesign risk of clinical care processes.
Team Members:
Rita Snyder, Ph.D., RN, professor and SmartState endowed chair in health informatics quality and safety evaluation
Nathan Huynh, Ph.D., assistant professor, College of Engineering and Computing, civil and environmental engineering
José Vidal, Ph.D., assistant professor, College of Engineering and Computing, computer science and engineering
Bo Cai, Ph.D., assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health, epidemiology and biostatistics
South Carolina campus-community partnerships for Hispanic health research
Lead Investigator: DeAnne Messias, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
Emphasis Area: Vulnerable Populations
Scientific Purpose: Federally qualified health centers and other health care agencies serving the growing Latino immigrant population must provide culturally and linguistically appropriate services to meet the needs of this emerging patient population. At the same time, Hispanics with limited English proficiency must become proficient in accessing and utilizing the local health care systems.
Team Members:
DeAnne Messias, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor, College of Nursing
Patricia A. Sharpe, Ph.D., MPH, research professor, Arnold School of Public Health, Prevention Research Center, exercise science
Heather Brant, Ph.D., CHES, assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health, health promotion, education and behavior
Elizabeth Fore, Ph.D., research assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health, Center for Health Services and Policy Research
Deborah Billings, Ph.D., assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health, health promotion, education and behavior
Deborah Parra-Medina, Ph.D., MPH, professor, University of Texas Health Sciences Center, epidemiology and biostatistics
Disaster preparedness and mass casualty research
Lead Investigator: Joan Culley, Ph.D., MS, MPH, RN, CWOCN
Emphasis Area: Health Systems
Scientific Purpose: Triage systems use an assessment process to sort patients into priority care categories. No consensus currently exists on data needed for effective mass casualty triage. This is the first outcomes-level study involving an actual mass causality chemical incident to determine whether triage data from four most frequently used triage systems correlate with patient outcomes.
Team Members:
Joan Culley, Ph.D., MS, MPH, RN, CWOCN, assistant professor, College of Nursing
Erik Svendsen, Ph.D., MS, assistant professor, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, environmental health sciences; adjunct assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health, epidemiology and biostatistics
Jean Craig, data warehouse specialist and biostatistician, Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC)
Abbas Tavakoli, DrPH, MPH, ME, director, College of Nursing, statistics laboratory
Chris Finney, program manager, South Carolina Office of Research and Statistics
Primary and tertiary prevention of mental health problems in children, adolescents and their families
Lead Investigator: Kathleen Scharer, Ph.D., RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN
Emphasis Area: Vulnerable Populations
Scientific Purpose: The purpose of the team’s research is primary and tertiary prevention of mental health problems in children, adolescents and their families. Technology has become an important tool for delivering services to families who have limited access to care.
Team Members:
Kathy Scharer, Ph.D., RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, professor, USC College of Nursing
Brad Smith, Ph.D., assistant professor, College of Arts & Sciences, psychology
Jim Hussey, Ph.D., graduate director for biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health
Marsha Dowda, Ph.D., MSPH, data manager and statistician, Arnold School of Public Health, exercise science
Abbas Tavakoli, DrPH, MPH, ME, Director, College of Nursing, statistics laboratory
STORY (Sister Tell Others and Revive Yourself) – interventions for African-American women with breast cancer research
Lead Investigator: Sue Heiney, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
Emphasis Area: Health Promotion and Risk Reduction
Scientific Purpose: The primary purpose of the research team is to develop and test interventions to improve quality of life and coping following a diagnosis of cancer in African-American women.
Team Members:
Sue Heiney, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, College of Nursing
Swann Arp Adams, Ph.D., MS, assistant professor, College of Nursing and Arnold School of Public Health
Abbas Tavakoli, DrPH, MPH, ME director, College of Nursing, statistics laboratory
Lisa Bryant, MD, psychiatrist and consultant, USC School of Medicine
Janis McWayne, Ph.D., MPH, CHES, assistant professor, Francis Marion University
Leepao Khang, doctoral candidate, Arnold School of Public Health
Consultants:
Sandra Underwood, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
Sally Weinrich, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, Medical College of Georgia
Healthcare workforce research
Lead Investigator: Peggy Hewlett, Ph.D., RN, FAAN
Emphasis Area: Health Systems
Scientific Purpose: The Office of Healthcare Workforce Research for Nursing (OHWRN), established in 2008, in collaboration with the South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium (AHEC), the South Carolina Center for Nursing Leadership and other partner organizations provides a neutral entity for coordinating the development and publication of workforce policy research.
Team Members:
Peggy Hewlett, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, professor, interim project director and senior nursing workforce consultant
Kim Hoover, Ph.D., RN, dean, University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) School of Nursing
Abbas Tavakoli, DrPH, MPH, ME, director, College of Nursing, statistics laboratory
Breast cancer disparities in minority and underserved populations research
Lead Investigator: Swann Arp Adams, Ph.D., MS
Emphasis Area: Health Promotion and Risk Reduction
Scientific Purpose: The focus of the research team is to understand why African-American women are less likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer yet more likely to die from the disease.
Team Members:
Swann Arp Adams, Ph.D., MS, assistant professor, College of Nursing and Arnold School of Public Health
Sue Heiney, Ph.D., RN, FAAN, research professor and Dunn-Shealy professor of Nursing, College of Nursing
Daniela Friedman, MSc, Ph.D., assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health
Heather M Brandt, Ph.D., CHES, assistant professor, Arnold School of Public Health
James R. Hébert, ScD, professor, Arnold School of Public Health and Director, cancer prevention and control program
Leepao Khang, doctoral candidate, Arnold School of Public Health.