Research Interests of Behavioral & Community Health Faculty

Research Interest:-My area of expertise is on the impact of the international economy on global health. My research over 35 years, at the national level, has given evidence of the impact of economic change on mortality patterns over time. These national-level studies have shown that changes in population socioeconomic status are heavily responsible for national mortality trends and fluctuations Over the past 30 years, the epidemiological relation between unemployment and decrease life expectancy has been widely replicated in industrialized countries. These studies originated with the national-level time-series analyses I conducted since the 1970s. At present, I and my research team are conducting research on the impact of the international recession on life expectancy. The single most important factor, worldwide, in elevating life expectancy is economic growth.

Research Interest:-My area of expertise is in primary care research and patient-centered medical home ambulatory administration. Over the last eight years my research has spanned across psycosocial factors and health, cardiovascular disease, mental health, and physician education in cancer prevention. My funding sources include National Institutes of Health, Moncrief Cancer Foundation, Meadows Foundation, Pfizer Medical Education Group, to name a few. I am the founder and director of the North Texas Primary Care Practice-Based Research Network and the Primary Care Research Center of the Texas Prevention Institute. Our research has been published in numerous jorunals, including the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, Annals of Family Medicine, BMC Public Health, Biopsychosocial Medicine Journal, Epigenetics, Journal of Nutrition, Nuclear medicine Journal, and others.

Research Interest:-My areas of expertise are community health science, exploring the intersection between faith and health, and developing effective approaches for reducing cardiovascular disease risk in underserved communities. Our work has been supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), NIH Clinical and Translational Sciences Awards (CTSA), and the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). We have published our research in the American Journal of Public Health, Preventing Chronic Disease, Health Promotion Practice, Contemporary Clinical Trials, Family Medicine, and Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine.

Research Interest:- My scholarly work focuses on obesity prevention and treatment in primarily underserved (low-income, ethnic minority) populations. My research in this area has focused on developing effective programs that utilize existing community resources in order to promote sustainability. I have over 20 peer-reviewed publications related to obesity prevention or treatment, and have presented my work at various national conferences. I have served as a principal and co-investigator on several NIH funded research studies.

Research Interest:-The focus of my scholarship is addictive behavior with a special interest in alcohol and drug use during the period of emerging adulthood. I am author or co-author of more than 75 articles in peer-reviewed national and international journals. In addition, I am the author of Introduction to Addictive Behaviors, published by The Guilford Press, which will soon be in its fourth edition. My research has been supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Education. I served as the President of the American Academy of Health Behavior (2009-2010). The Academy recognized me as a Fellow in 2005.

Research Interest:- My research is focused on developing better ways of talking with people about change. This has involved translating effective counseling strategies such as motivational interviewing to non-traditional settings (e.g., healthcare, criminal justice) and modalities (e.g., web, mobile, phone). I am currently principal or co-investigator on four National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants testing in-person versus computer interventions to increase probation compliance; a web-based psychosocial program for substance abuse disorders; brief alcohol interventions in a hospital trauma unit; and phone counseling to increase colon cancer screening rates. My publications include 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and five books, including most recently, Treating Substance Abuse: Theory and Technique. I am a standing member of the NIH/NIAAA Epidemiology, Prevention and Behavior Research Review Subcommittee. In addition to research, I have conducted numerous trainings for criminal justice workers, counselors, and healthcare professionals, and served as a consultant on projects to develop Internet, mobile and phone-based interventions for a variety of health behaviors.