Sally Wagoner, RN,BSN,  is a certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist. Until recent retirement, she was employed by Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital, Community Health & Wellness Department (Fremont, Michigan) where she provided SCRIPT counseling. She developed the tobacco cessation treatment and referral protocol for the OB Clinic, Triage and In Patient Units at Spectrum Health Gerber Memorial Hospital. 

After over 20 years working in tobacco control and cessation, I understand the special needs of pregnant smokers and have been instrumental in developing protocols for cessation services specific to this population.  I have worked with the SCRIPT® program and behavioral health organizations, in the state of Mississippi, to help reduce tobacco use among pregnant smokers for 8 years and was in the first Train the Trainer workshop offered through SOPHE in 2012.  I have worked to help pregnant smokers quit and realize how hard it can be to get past an addiction and deal with pregnancy at the same time.

Dr. Kelly Bentley received a BED from Va Tech (1989) and her Master’s of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health (1996) and completed her Interdisciplinary Ph.D. at the University of New Brunswick. Kelly’s work has focused on women’s health, mothering, intimate partner violence (IPV), and health policy. She has over 24 years of experience in community health and has worked internationally, nationally, and at state and local levels. She is sought to speak about her research on mothers and IPV and is actively involved in violence prevention in the state and local community. Kelly has received numerous awards to include the prestigious Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Canada Graduate Scholarship Award. She has had over 25 grants funded by federal, state, and philanthropic organizations for community-level interventions, evaluation, and academic research.

Since 2011, Dr. Liburd has served as the associate director for minority health and health equity for CDC/ATSDR. In this capacity, she leads and supports a wide range of critical functions in the agency’s work in minority health, health equity, and women’s health. She plays a critical leadership role in determining the agency’s vision for health equity, ensuring a rigorous and evidence-based approach to the practice of health equity, and promoting the ethical practice of public health in vulnerable communities. Dr. Liburd has been instrumental in building capacity across CDC and in public health agencies to address the social determinants of health, and in identifying and widely disseminating intervention strategies that reduce racial and ethnic health disparities. She has skillfully executed innovative models of collaboration that have greatly expanded the reach, influence, and impact of the Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) including the successful implementation of the CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars Program (CUPS) and the James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Graduate Fellowship. In May 2020, she assumed the role of Chief Health Equity Officer for CDC’s COVID-19 Response which was the first time in the agency’s history that this role and function was added to the leadership of the Incident Management Structure during the activation of CDC’s Emergency Operations Center. In 2021, she was tasked by the CDC director with co-leading the development of the agency’s first health equity science and intervention strategy known as CORE – an acronym for C-cultivate comprehensive health equity science, O-optimize interventions, R-reinforce and expand robust partnerships, and E-enhance capacity and workforce diversity and inclusion. This inaugural health equity strategy catalyzed commitments from all CDC centers, institutes, and offices resulting in over 150 health equity goals. When fully implemented, CDC’s CORE Commitment to Health Equity can transform how public health is practiced and accelerate achieving health equity. These and other accomplishments represent her tireless commitment to improve minority health and achieve health equity for all people. 

Dr. Liburd has received honors for her leadership and management accomplishments. She was the 2021 recipient of the Harriet Hylton Barr Distinguished Alumni Award, one of the highest honors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Gillings School of Global Public Health. She always received the CDC Honor Award for Health Equity (Group Award) in recognition of her role as Chief Health Equity Officer and contributions of the entire unit in the COVID-19 Response. Among her other awards, Jackson State University presented her with the John Ruffin Award of Excellence in Minority Health and Health Disparities (2016), and the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions and BlackDoctor.org named her one of the Top Blacks in Healthcare in 2014 for her outstanding and noteworthy achievements in the healthcare field. In 2010, the National REACH Coalition honored her with their Distinguished Service and Leadership Award, and in 2002, CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation presented her with their Excellence in Collaboration Award for her seminal role in developing local, national, and international partnerships.

Dr. Liburd holds a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, a master of public health in health education/health behavior from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master of arts in cultural anthropology, and a doctor of philosophy degree in medical anthropology from Emory University.

Roland J. Thorpe, Jr., Ph.D., MS, is a gerontologist and social epidemiologist with nationally-recognized expertise in minority aging, men’s health, and place-based disparities.

Dr. Roland J. Thorpe, Jr. joined the Office of the Provost in 2017 as a Provost’s Fellow. His Fellowship project involved a collaboration with the Offices of Faculty Affairs and Research to design skills training modules for undergraduate research and develop a mentoring program to train graduate students, postdoctoral students, and faculty in the art and science of mentoring undergraduate students. In 2018, Dr. Thorpe was tapped to lead the Provost’s Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship Program where he has emerged as a key thought leader equipped to address concerns and challenges associated with the diversification of the academic workforce. As the inaugural Associate Vice Provost of Faculty Diversity, he will dedicate more time to advancing key initiatives around faculty diversity.

In his new role, Dr. Thorpe will work closely with Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Andrew Douglas and Vice Provost for Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer Katrina Caldwell to advance the Faculty Diversity Initiative (FDI). This includes providing infrastructure support for the Target of Opportunity Program and the Cluster Faculty Initiative, working with all diversity and inclusion deans and deans of faculty on campus to enhance support for faculty development and mentoring, and leading an expanded Provost Postdoctoral Diversity Fellowship Program.

Dr. Thorpe is a Professor in the Department of Health, Behavior, and Society in the Bloomberg School of Public Health where he also serves as Deputy Director of the Hopkins Center for Health Disparities Solutions, Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer’s Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research, and Co-Director of the Health Equity and Social Justice Concentration of the DrPH Program. He holds joint appointments in the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology and the Department of Neurology in the School of Medicine, and the Department of Sociology in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences.

As a social epidemiologist and gerontologist, Dr. Thorpe's research focuses on how race, socioeconomic status, and segregation influence health and well-being for African Americans, particularly African American men. He is the recipient of numerous awards that recognize his commitment and valuable contributions to student and faculty mentoring, including the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Advising, Mentoring, and Teaching Recognition Award, the inaugural 2018 NHLBI OHD PRIDE Roland J. Thorpe, Jr. Mentoring Award, the 2020 JHBSPH Dean’s Award of Distinction in Faculty Mentoring, and the 2020 Minority Issues in Gerontology Outstanding Mentorship Award. Dr. Thorpe earned a bachelor’s in theoretical mathematics from Florida A&M University, a master’s in statistics, and a Ph.D. in clinical epidemiology with a graduate minor in gerontology from Purdue University.

Ms. Kai H. Young is the Senior Advisor on Strategy and Evaluation in the Office of Minority Health & Health Equity (OMHHE), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). She leads the evaluation of the CDC Undergraduate Public Health Scholars (CUPS) program and provides technical oversight of evaluation projects within the office.  

Prior to joining the OMHHE, Ms. Young was a senior program evaluator and the project officer for the National Tuberculosis Indicators Project (NTIP) at the Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), the National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. In this role, she led the development and implementation of NTIP, the national performance monitoring system for TB programs in the United States. Her work included the standardization of the national TB indicators across TB programs in the U.S., the establishment of the national performance targets, and enabling the use of the national surveillance data for routine monitoring and management of TB cooperative agreement recipients and ensuring patients’ standard of care in the United States. Through her work with the national indicators, Ms. Young helped strengthen the national TB surveillance system and ensured its data quality for program management and decision making. In addition to her role as the division’s lead and advisor on the national indicators, she played a key role in developing the formula for allocating resources to state and local grantees and implementing performance-based funding.
Ms. Young holds a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry with minors in health and social issues from the University of California at San Diego and a Master of Public Health in behavioral science and health education from the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University. 

Dr. Joe received her doctoral degree from UC Berkeley and San Francisco and joined the faculty at UCLA prior to coming to University of Arizona. Her academic background includes nursing, public health, anthropology, and medical anthropology. While at UA, she held an adjunct faculty position in American Indian Studies as well as serving as the director of the College of Medicine’s Native American Research and Training Center. Her research activity has and continues to focus on health disparities and its impact on native population, including health consequences due to chronic diseases, disabilities, cancer, etc. She has served on a number of state, national, and international committees, including the National Institute of Medicine and Canada’s Institute for Aboriginal Peoples’ Health Research.

Becky was born in the Territory of Alaska in King Cove, a fishing village of 700 people, located about 650 miles from anywhere. She lived in King Cove, happily subsisting on the plentiful Alaskan bounty over 40 years before moving to Washington State.

Becky is one of the creators of the Wisdom Warrior program, which was founded in 2010 through her work as a Tribal Specialist.

Working with the many tribal elders from many states across the nation has been a life’s dream and a great honor. Becky has increased her outreach to indigenous nations every year as Wisdom Warriors goes nationwide. Collaborating with tribes to implement Wisdom Warriors and share it throughout indigenous communities will always be one of her life’s greatest passions.

The Wisdom Warrior program is changing elders’ lives on a daily basis and she feels blessed to be one of the program’s creators. Embracing our Indigenous ways is a priority for our people, as we heal and become stronger in ways that honor our sovereignty.   

Ms. Roxanne Thomas (Dine’/Navajo & Numu/Paiute), serves as a Program Specialist II with the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona – Area Agency on Aging, Region 8 (ITCA-AAA).  She coordinates the following programs: A Matter of Balance, EnhanceFitness, Title III Advocacy, and assists with the Arizona Indian Council on Aging (AICOA) Advisory Board.  

 Ms. Thomas holds a Master of Social Work (MSW) from Arizona State University and a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University (MSPPM).  Prior to her employment with ITCA-AAA, she worked with the Indian Health Service (IHS) for six years providing an array of mental health services to children, adolescents, adults and families.  Ms. Thomas is passionate about improving the lifestyles and living conditions of urban and rural Native American populations.  She enjoys traveling, the company of her family and friends, and her role as a Mother to her wonderful son.

Leslie Tanoue is Title VI Director at ALU LIKE, Inc.  She has been the Title VI director since 2019 and with ALU LIKE, Inc. since 1999.

ALU LIKE, Inc. is a non-profit, Native Hawaiian serving organization whose mission is to assist Native Hawaiians who are committed to achieving their potential for themselves, their families, and communities.  We envision Hawaii, our special island home, as healthy, safe and productive, and guided by the shared values of all its people.

Leslie is currently a T-Trainer for the following Self-Management Resource Center Programs:  Chronic Disease Self-Management Program, Diabetes Self-Management Program, and Cancer Thrive and Survive

Alexis Williams is Team Lead for the Health Education and Promotion Team in the Translation, Health Education, and Evaluation Branch of the Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She manages a team charged with developing, disseminating, and evaluating science-based and culturally-relevant health education and behavior change marketing resources, strategies, and interventions with a focus on underserved populations. Since joining DDT in 2009, she has developed health promotion tools and resources and provided training and technical assistance to help strengthen the capacity of DDT partners to deliver effective diabetes management and type 2 diabetes prevention programs, particularly in the areas of health promotion, marketing, and health equity. 

Prior to joining CDC, Alexis spent 7 years managing the national dissemination of Body & Soul: A Celebration of Healthy Living and Eating for the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Body & Soul helped African American churches develop healthy eating programs for their congregations.  She was also a Public Health Advisor for the National 5 A Day for Better Health Campaign at NCI.  Before working with NCI, she was Manager of Nutrition and Physical Activity Promotion for the National Home Office of the American Cancer Society, where she helped develop and disseminate cancer prevention programs focused on healthy eating, increased physical activity, and obesity prevention.

Alexis is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist and National Board of Medicine Certified Health and Wellness Coach. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Mills College in Oakland, California, and a Master of Public Health in Behavioral Science and Health Education from Emory University in Atlanta. She also has a Master of Science in Instructional Design and Educational Technology from Walden University. A native of Chicago, IL, Alexis currently lives in the Atlanta area.

Dr. Nicolette Warren Powe is Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Department of Health Professions and the Department of Graduate Studies in Health & Rehabilitation Sciences at Youngstown State University. She received a DrPH in Health Education from the Loma Linda University, an MS in Health Promotion/Human Sciences from North Carolina Central University, and a BS in Community Health Education/Healthcare Ethics from Kent State University. Dr. Powe is a public health scientist whose primary interest is behavioral risk factors for chronic disease prevention. Dr. Powe’s research investigates racial/ethnic and sex differences in adherence to cardiometabolic self-management practices, specifically in young adults. Dr. Powe also studies applied health education theories to the implementation of health promotion programs and the dissemination of chronic disease program outcomes. 

Dr. Powe’s work has resulted in the publication of the Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) Minority National Organizations (MNO) Success Stories showcasing the health equity projects that worked towards closing the health disparity gap in at least one of the racial and ethnic minority groups. Dr. Powe serves on the Youngstown American Heart Association Board and the Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio Board. She is a member of The Links, Incorporated Youngstown Chapter. She was elected to the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) editorial board for Pedagogy in Health Promotion: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning journal.
 

Tricia Lenhart has spent over 20 years in the health care industry. After graduating from Baldwin-Wallace University with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology she became an award-winning pharmaceutical sales representative for various dermatology and podiatry companies. Currently, she is a registered pharmacy technician in the state of Ohio for Rite Aid Corporation. She is pursuing her Master of Public Health degree through the Consortium of Eastern Ohio.

An Educational Consultant and Adjunct Faculty in Public Health for over 15 years who has conducted research and developed trainings in collaboration with National Networks of Public Health Institutes, de Beaumont Foundation, and Regional Public Health Training Centers to develop and improve leadership capacity in professional workforce in public health.  Currently contracts with the CDC to provide continuing education to employees in Leadership and other topics in Public Health.

Davondra Brown is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES®) who specializes in sexual wellness. She serves on the Board of Commissioners and the Division Board of Professional Development for the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, in addition to many other volunteer efforts. Mrs. Brown has earned a Bachelor’s in Philosophy, a Master’s in Education, and an advanced certificate of Innovative Technologies in Health Science Education.

Michele is a second-year Doctor of Public Health Leadership student at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health and has a dozen years’ experience in health education, with 9 years as an M/CHES. She has worked across industries in the health sector, and her organizational leadership experience ranges from the governmental sector, private industry (health insurance, healthcare), higher education, community, research and evaluation consulting, and non-profit philanthropy as an individual contributor, team member, and administrator. Michele has worked with the older adult population, youth, college students, and peer-to-peer as a mentor within organizations, often responsible for developing and implementing training for adult learners, leveraging the three academic years she has committed to as adjunct faculty in an undergraduate health education and promotion program. She has focused largely on non-infectious/chronic disease and obesity prevention at the policy, system, and environmental levels as well as issues of environmental justice (demolitions, lead poisoning, eviction prevention, food insecurity) with strategies that address racism across sectors in a health in all policies or whole government framework.

Victoria A. Williams, PhD, MPH, MEd, MCHES is a behavioral research scientist and instructional designer. She is a public health expert specializing in developing, implementing, and evaluating technology-based programs for diverse audiences. 

Suzanne Miro, is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist with over 25 years of experience in both public and private health sectors.  Ms. Miro is currently the Senior Health Communication Specialist in the Communicable Disease Service of the New Jersey Department of Health focusing on infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, public health emergency response, health education, risk communication, quality improvement, and public health accreditation.  She played an integral role in the design and delivery of educational activities and materials for postal workers who were exposed to anthrax in the fall of 2001 and all major public health responses since that time including H1N1, Ebola, Zika, and SARS-CoV2.  Ms. Miro has spoken nationally on health education emergency preparedness and infectious disease topics and continues to work on issues related to health education capacity building and public information for health emergencies.  Additionally, Ms. Miro has served multiple terms on the Board of Trustees for the national SOPHE organization and held multiple positions in the state SOPHE chapter.            
 

For over 25 years, Sean Kaufman has worked to minimize human risk factors within workplace environments by controlling for the interactions between human behavior and environmental conditions. Before leading his own organization, Sean has served at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Emory University Rollins School o Pubic Health. During his tenure at both organizations, Sean responded to several emergency situations including 9/11, anthrax attacks, Ebola, H1N1, and both SARS CoV-1 and CoV-2. He has been awarded two Health and Human Distinguished Service Awards. Sean is a behavioral expert who understands the risk of being human. He has served many organizations and assisted in controlling for apathy, complacency, perceived mastery, and unconscious incompetence – all noted human risk factors regardless of where you are in the world and what industry you serve. Sean is also an expert in personality classifications and has encouraged organizations to hire the right person for the right job.

Kendra Wilson is an Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Fellow in the Epidemiology Workforce Branch (EWB) in the Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  In this role, she supports evaluation and selection projects of EWB’s fellowship programs including diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives related to public health workforce development.  Before coming to CDC, she served as program coordinator for several training and research grants in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Texas A&M College of Dentistry.  Here, she also served as an advisor to the Dental Public Health Residency Program.  While working in the Cancer Epidemiology and Surveillance Branch of the Texas Department of State Health Services, Kendra served in the role of public health and prevention specialist.  Prior to her public health career, she taught general college biology, nutrition and diet therapy, and middle school science.  She received her doctorate degree in public health practice from the University of North Texas Health Science Center and holds a Master of Science degree from Tulane University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the Xavier University of Louisiana.

Linda A. Baffo, DrPH, MPH, CHES has more than 12 years of experience conducting research and evaluation of public health programs funded by Federal agencies and national organizations. Her research and evaluation experiences address health equity through her work in chronic disease prevention and control, adolescent reproductive health, and school nutrition. She has drafted case studies, training materials, guidance documents, publicly available products, and reports in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. She has also facilitated guest lectures and presentations on culturally responsive and equitable evaluations with universities and professional organizations and in state and national conferences. Her passion for health equity stemmed from her own childhood experiences and from her pursuit of educational equity as a 5th-grade educator prior to her career in public health. Dr. Baffo earned a BA at Columbia University, MPH at Emory University, and DrPH at Georgia Southern University.

Dr. Christine Thorpe is the managing partner of Stronger Tomorrow, Inc. which serves to influence and reshape wellness in organizations through the lens of diversity, equity and inclusion to create optimized, refined workplaces that are poised for growth. Her expertise includes women’s health and wellness, program planning and evaluation, health disparities and historical traumas, holistic nutrition, patient navigation, motivational interviewing, health literacy, health policy and management. Dr. Thorpe is a certified wellness coach and health education specialist with over 20 years experience in higher education and the health and human services field. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in psychology from Syracuse University, a Master of Education degree in international educational development and a doctorate in health education from Teachers College Columbia University.  Dr. Thorpe is also the author of Living Beyond the Facade: Inside the Health and Wealth Practices of Successful Americans of African Descent

Dr. Diana Karczmarczyk received her PhD in Education with a minor in Public Health and a specialization in International Education from George Mason University. She obtained her Master’s degree in Public Health in Community Health Education from UNC Greensboro and is a certified Master Health Education Specialist (MCHES). Dr. Karczmarczyk has 20 years of teaching experience in higher education and working in the health education and promotion field. She is a Professional Lecturer at The George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health.

Prior to joining DC’s Metropolitan Police Department as the Director for Employee Well-Being Support, she worked at RAINN leading the development of educational content to support survivors of sexual violence. Prior to this role, she was an Assistant Professor at George Mason University teaching full time in the Department of Global and Community Health. She has also served as the Senior Analyst for Tobacco and Chronic Disease Prevention at the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) where she focused on health policy. Prior to her role at ASTHO, she worked at the American Diabetes Association. Her last role while she was there was as the Director of the Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Initiatives and the Women's Initiatives.

 Dr. Karczmarczyk has also taught courses in health education at George Mason University, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and at Randolph Community College. She has taught courses in Human Sexuality, Men's Health, Introduction to Behavior Change, Personal Health, Community Needs Assessments and Partnerships, Social Determinants of Health, Sexuality and Human Behavior, Program Planning and Evaluation, Health Education and Promotion, and Health Behavior Theory. She is a steering committee member of the Partnership for a Healthier Alexandria and a Commissioner for the Alexandria Commission for Women. Dr. Karczmarczyk is the co-editor of Men’s Health: An Introduction and co-authored two children’s books to promote positive mental health. The children’s books, It’s GREAT to be YOU! and It’s GREAT to be LOVED!, also promote messages of inclusion and celebrating diversity.

Elaine Auld, MPH, MCHES, has served as SOPHE’s Chief Executive Officer since 1995, where she oversees the organization’s portfolio in professional preparation, professional development, research, and advocacy/public policy.  Over her 30+ year career, Ms. Auld has published on more than 40 journal articles and book chapters on health education’s role in community/school health education competencies, health equity, national and international workforce development, and public policy.  For the last five years, she has been involved in quality assurance in school health education, promotion of the the WSCC model, and supported the National Task Force on the Future of School Health Education.  Ms. Auld holds her MPH from the University of Michigan School of Public Health with a concentration in health behavior and is a master certified health education specialist. 

Cindy Brach is a Senior Health Care Researcher at the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Cindy is the Co-Chair of the HHS Health Literacy WorkGroups and served on the HHS Language Access Steering Committee. As the lead for AHRQ’s health literacy activities, Cindy’s projects have included the development of the AHRQ Health Literacy UniversalPrecautions Toolkit, CAHPS® Item Sets for AddressingHealth Literacy, AHRQ Informed Consent and AuthorizationToolkit for Minimal Risk Research, Making Informed Consent an InformedChoice: Training Modules for Health Care Leaders and Professionals, and the Patient Education MaterialsAssessment Tool (PEMAT).

Cindy is also AHRQ’s point person for cultural and linguistic competence and served on the National Project Advisory Committee to enhance the National Standards for culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services. In addition to overseeing the development of the TeamSTEPPS Limited English Proficiency (LEP) Module, Cindy commissioned and co-authored the Re-engineered Discharge Toolkit to address the needs of diverse patients. Cindy served on the National Academy ofMedicine’s Roundtable on Health Literacy, where she led an effort to define the ten attributes of a health literate organization. Cindy is a founding Editorial Board member of the journal HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice. She is a frequent speaker at national conferences and on webinars and has published book chapters, blogs, and in journals such as Health Affairs, Journal of General internal medicine, Journal for Healthcare Quality, Journal of Health Communication, and medical care.

Sylvia Chou, PhD, MPH, is a Program Director in the Health Communication and Informatics Research Branch (HCIRB) at the National Cancer Institute (NCI).  Her research interests include social media, misinformation, vaccine communication, health literacy, and patient-provider communication in advanced cancer care. Dr. Chou has led a number of NIH initiatives on the role of technology and social media in health, including funding initiatives on using social media to address substance use and addiction and innovative approaches to cancer prevention and control communication.

Rhonda Conerly Holliday, PhD is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.  She is the Strategic Lead for the Communications and Dissemination Core of the National COVID-19 Resiliency Network (NCRN) at Morehouse School of Medicine.  Dr. Holliday is also involved in other COVID-19 health communication projects based in the community and on college campuses, that have a community-engaged focus. Her primary research includes HIV and substance use prevention, minority health issues, and community-based participatory research.  Dr. Holliday has served as the Principal Investigator for the Morehouse School of Medicine’s Prevention Research Center’s core research projects examining HIV prevention among people experiencing incarceration, adolescents, and emerging adults for the past nine years. She has conducted research in the United States, South Africa, and Swaziland and her work has been funded by NIH, CDC, and SAMSHA. She co-chairs the Racial and Social Justice Workgroup for the Academic Consortium for Criminal Justice Health and the Anti-Racism Workgroup for the Prevention Research Centers Network.  Dr. Holliday is also the chair of the Social and Behavioral Institutional Review Board at Morehouse School of Medicine.  

Tyler James is a doctoral candidate at the University of Florida in the Department of Health Education and Behavior, and a Certified Health Education Specialist. Tyler's work focuses on applying quantitative and mixed methods to develop and advance health behavior theory, with particular application to health equity for marginalized populations.

Dr. Keyonda Smith possesses over 15 years of experience in Health Education and Technology to support operative and pragmatic transformations for various healthcare, education, business, and government sectors. By leveraging cultural competence instruction to guide leaders, her practices refine their discernment and create measurable and relevant digital health and accessibility change. Understanding how the lack of equitable digital access adversely impacts the health and the wellbeing of under-represented communities, Dr. Smith earned a Ph.D. in educational leadership and a Professional Doctorate in Natural Health. As an active board member with organizations such as NCHEC, W3C/WCAG, The International Association of Accessibility Professionals, The Society for Participatory Medicine, and Healthcare Associates of America, Dr. Smith is currently serving as a Digital Health and Accessibility Consultant to guide healthcare leaders on providing digital access in an accessible way. 

Annually, she presents at Harvard University for the CAST (Universal Design for Learning) Symposium. In 2019and 2020, a presentation of her recently peer-reviewed published journal article, Gamification & ADA Compliance: Considering Equity and received the InternationalQuality Award from the United States Distance Learning Association. In 2021, her most recent publication, Accessibility in Gamification: A Theoretical Framework is currently nominated for the Emerald and EFMDOutstanding Doctoral Research Award.

Dr. Kirsten Rodgers is an Educational Consultant with over fifteen years of experience teaching and developing instructional programs in public health. As Principal and Lead Consultant of Proximate Learning, LLC, she works with federal, state, and local agencies and academic institutions to develop educational programs for public health and healthcare professionals. She is a founding member of Pedagogy in Health Promotion and serves on two national boards that focus on professional development in public health. Currently, Dr. Rodgers contracts with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to prepare current employees and fellows for the public health workforce.  She also contracts with non-profits and other national agencies to develop educational products and courses that focus on leadership, health equity, public-private partnerships, and community-level change theories in public health. Dr. Rodgers’ educational credentials include a doctorate in Health Education from Columbia University, 2010 and a Masters of Science in Public Health from the University of South Carolina, Arnold School of Public Health, 2003. She has been a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) since 2011. From 2012-2015, she served as a faculty member at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health and in 2016, led the undergraduate public health program accreditation at Georgia College and State University where she was an Assistant Professor. She enjoys creating meaningful education that inspires students and professionals to thrive.