I am a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Behavior in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Antoine Lavoisier Endowed Professor of Energetics and Healthy Lifestyles. I also serve as the Associate Director of the Physical Activity and Exercise Core of UAB’s Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) and as an adjunct faculty member in the Division of Clinical and Molecular Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine...
Faith E. Fletcher, PhD, MA is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health in the Department of Health Behavior. The overall goal of Dr. Fletcher’s research program is to develop and implement community- and clinic-based social and behavioral research to reduce HIV-related disparities among African American women. Her research is grounded in methodological and theoretical approaches from public health, bioethics, and behavioral science. Additional tra...
I am a Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Behavior in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and the Antoine Lavoisier Endowed Professor of Energetics and Healthy Lifestyles. I also serve as the Associate Director of the Physical Activity and Exercise Core of UAB’s Nutrition and Obesity Research Center (NORC) and as an adjunct faculty member in the Division of Clinical and Molecular Rheumatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine...
My research examines the determinants and consequences of body weight and weight-related outcomes. There are two broad lines to my research: (1) examining the effect of early life experiences on the health and obesity of midlife and older adults; and (2) examining the effect of social status on weight-related outcomes, including obesity and dietary behaviors. The objective of my research is to improve causal inferences about the determinants of consequences of body weight and identify factors—s...
Scholarship
Scholarly work is attained through a variety of mechanisms (publications, presentation, and grants) and this work requires much time and dedication; however there are always new opportunities that keep the pursuits of collaborative endeavors fresh and rewarding. I enjoy working with diverse colleagues and on a variety of topics related to health behaviors.
Service
Service to profession of health education and to services of others must be at the forefront o...
Nataliya V. Ivankova, PhD, MPH, is Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration with a dual appointment in the School of Nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). She received her PhD in Administration, Curriculum, and Instruction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) in 2004 and MPH in Epidemiology from UAB in 2014. During her doctoral studies at UNL, she worked as Research Associate and Research Projects Coordinator in the Office of Qualitative and Mixe...
Dr. Mirjam-Colette Kempf has a broad background in infectious diseases, epidemiology and behavioral sciences. Her previous research has focused on HIV health services and outcomes research with particular emphasis on psychosocial barriers of access to care and health care disparities among HIV-infected women living in the rural South. She is the Co-PI for the NIH-funded UAB-MS Women's Interagency HIV Study (WIHS) site, a member of the National WIHS cohort investigating the HIV epidemic in Women ...
My research examines the interplay of risk and protective factors in the development of behavioral and emotional problems in adolescence, including antisocial behavior, substance use, depression and anxiety.
Most of my work has focused on the effects of violence exposure and peer influences in conjunction with other individual and contextual risk factors, such as pubertal timing, temperament, stress reactivity, parental practices, and broader influences of schools and neighborhoods.
Dr. Mugavero joined the ID faculty at UAB in 2006 and was named Project Director of the UAB 1917 Clinic Cohort a prospective, observational HIV cohort study. His research focuses on the effects of clinical, behavioral and epidemiological factors on health behaviors and outcomes in HIV patients. Dr. Mugavero serves as Associate Director for the Center for Outcomes Effectiveness Research and Education, Co-Director of the Center For AIDS Research, and Director of its Clinical Core facility.
Dr. Plaisance is an Associate Professor of Exercise Physiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Plaisance has over 20 years of experience in the fields of Obesity and Metabolism. He is currently Graduate Program Director of the Masters in Exercise Physiology and Undergraduate Honors Program Director.
Bulent Turan examines the mechanisms underlying the relationship between social bonds and well-being. Other projects examine the effects of HIV-related stigma and discrimination among persons living with HIV.
