Master of Public Health

Phone Number:  610-436-2164

Office:  SECC 278

Title:  Assistant Professor | MPH Assessment Coordinator

Contact Zeinab Baba

Education

Drexel University, Philadelphia,  DrPH, Community Health and Prevention, 2014

The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, MS, Epidemiology, 2006

The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, Mathematics, African Studies(minor), 2004

Biography

Zeinab Baba, DrPH, MS, CPH is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health.  She earned her doctorate in Community Health and Prevention from Drexel University in 2014 where she worked as an outreach educator for the Drexel University College of Medicine's Department of Surgery.

Prior to joining WCU she worked as a Chronic Disease Epidemiologist in the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the Delaware Division of Public health and as a research assistant and data analyst/programmer at the children's Hospital of Philadelphia.  Dr. Baba has extensive experience managing and analyzing various healthcare datasets for pediatric and adult populations.

At WCU, Dr. Baba teaches courses in the undergraduate and graduate programs.  She also serves as the Assessment coordinator for the MPH program.

Research Interests

Dr. Baba conducts quantitative and qualitative research focused on prevention, health disparities, mental health, and perceptions of health.  Dr. Baba is particularly interested in the intersection of public health with other closely related fields (social work, migration, cultural anthropology, etc).

B.S. Public Health Courses Taught

HEA 109: Health Issues of Women

HEA 110: Transcultural Health

HEA 242:  Introduction to Public & Community Health

HEA 330:  Health Behavior

HEA 342:  Program planning and Evaluation

HEA 419:  Research Methods in Health Sciences

HEA 435:  Workshop (Introduction to Epidemiology)

 

MPH Courses Taught

HEA 648:  Research methods in Public Health

Linkedin

Google Scholar

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• Phone Number: 610-436-3357
• Office: SECC 233
• Title: Professor, Department Chairperson
• Contact Jim Brenner

Education

Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Ph.D., Health Studies, 2004

College of New Jersey, Ewing, New Jersey, M.Ed., Health Education, 1990

West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania, B.S., Athletic Training, minor: Health Science, 1989

Biography

Jim Brenner is a Professor and Chairperson of the WCU Department of Health, where he has been a faculty member since 2002.  Prior to joining the WCU faculty, he has worked at Temple University, Arcadia University, Westtown School and Princeton University.  In addition to his teaching responsibilities, Dr. Brenner is the program director and academic advisor for the B.S. Health Science General program.  He also recently completed a term as WCU's Faculty Senate President.

Research Interests

Dr. Brenner's research interests have generally focused within the area of substance abuse.  He has researched, written and spoken nationally about alcohol use by collegiate student-athletes.  Dr. Brenner's most recent work has specifically included Alcohol-related Unintentional Injury among collegiate athletes. 

Courses Taught

HEA 103: Drugs & Society

HEA 230: Health Issues Among School-aged Youth

HEA 310: Love & Marriage

HEA 316: Substance Abuse Prevention Education

HEA435/581: Special Topics: Contemporary Culture, Media and Health

HEA623: Substance Abuse Prevention.

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• Phone Number: 610-436-2623
• Office: SECC 231
• Title: Associate Professor
• Personal Website
• Contact Lorenzo Cena

Education

• Ph.D., Occupational and Environmental Health, The University of Iowa, 2011
• M.S., Industrial Education & Technology, Iowa State University, 2007
• B.S., Statistics, with Minor in Business Management, Brigham Young University, 2005

Biography

Dr. Cena is an aerosol scientist and industrial hygienist with expertise in occupational and environmental health. He has extensive experience in control and assessment of occupational hazards associated with exposures to aerosols and nanoparticles. He has developed and patented a personal sampler for nanoparticles that mimics nanoparticle deposition in the human respiratory system. Dr. Cena's expertise also include infection control and prevention.

Prior to joining WCU, he has worked for 5 years for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) where he also led an Ebola-Response team in West Africa during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak. Dr. Cena has worked for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and has published several articles on workplace exposures, particle characterization, novel exposure assessment and analytical methods, and has presented his work at national and international conferences. Dr. Cena collaborates with many national and international scientists, toxicologists and industrial hygienists. He has received several awards for his work, including Excellence in International Emergency Response from the CDC, the David L. Swift Memorial award for outstanding aerosol paper from the American Industrial Hygiene Association, and several best poster awards. Dr. Cena teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental health, industrial hygiene, and environmental toxicology. He is a member of the American Industrial Hygiene Association and the Workplace Air Quality committee of the ASTM international standards organization.

Research Interests

Dr. Cena's research focuses on generation, measurement and control of airborne particles. Specifically, his work involves research on nanoparticles, enhanced composite materials containing nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, boron nitride nanotubes, welding fumes, indoor air quality, and secondary aerosol formation. He is proficient in analytical chemistry, statistical analyses, operation of electron microscopes with energy dispersive spectroscopy, ICP-mass spectrometry, and ion chromatography.

B.S. Environmental Health Courses taught

ENV 102: Humans and the Environment

ENV 451: Environmental Toxicology

ENV 452: Industrial Hygiene I

ENV 460: Industrial Hygiene II

ENV 453: Occupational Safety

HEA 310: Love & Marriage

MPH Courses taught

ENV 530: General Environmental Health

ENV 551: Environmental Toxicology

ENV 524: Industrial Hygiene

ENV 553: Occupational Safety 

HEA 649/650: Applied Learning Experience I/II

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• Phone Number: 610-436-3531
• Office: SECC 274
• Title: Associate Professor | BS Public Health Program Director
• Contact Sharon Bernicki DeJoy

Education

• PhD, Community and Family Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, 2011
• MPH, Concentration in Maternal Child Health, University of South Florida College of Public Health, 2005
• BA, Pre-Medical Concentration in English, Columbia University, 1989

Biography

Dr. Sharon DeJoy joined the faculty in the Department of Health as an Assistant Professor in 2012, after completing her doctorate in Public Health from the University of South Florida. Prior to accepting her current position, she was an Assistant Professor of Community Health at the State University of New York at Potsdam. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate public health courses, and directs the BS in Public Health-Health Promotion program. Dr. DeJoy has conducted community-based research and consultation in maternal child health for underserved populations. She has authored and co-authored various peer-reviewed articles and presented at international conferences. Dr. DeJoy maintains certification as a direct-entry midwife, although she is not in clinical practice. She is currently a member of the American Public Health Association, the Midwives Alliance of North America, and the National Association of Certified Professional Midwives; she also serves on the leadership teams of the Association of Midwifery Educators and the Midwives Association of Pennsylvania.

Research Interests

Dr. DeJoy conducts applied research focused on improving the quality and outcomes of the maternity care system in the United States. Topics of special interest include the midwifery model of care, informed decision making in childbirth, and obesity stigma in pregnancy.

B.S. Public Health/Health Promotion Courses Taught

HEA 240: Foundations of Health Education

HEA 242: Introduction to Community/Public Health

HEA 342: Program Planning

HEA 420: Health Marketing and Communication.

MPH Courses Taught

HEA 503: Foundations of Public Health

HEA 632: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health

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• Phone Number: (610) 436-2142
• Office: SECC 229
• Title: Associate Professor | Health Care Management Certificate Graduate Coordinator
• Contact Harry Holt

Education: 

The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Health Policy and Administration

• Ph.D. in Health Policy and Administration in the Management and Organization track

Case Western Reserve University

• Juris Doctorate, Concentration in Health Law
• M.B.A. Concentration in Health Systems Management

Certification

Admitted to the Ohio State bar

Biography

Prof. Holt's background in the health care industry started with working with the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.  He gained expertise in the physician practice management, marketing, and operational functions of satellite family health centers that delivered care to Clinic patients.  With the health care consulting firms Ernst and Young and Cap Gemini Ernst and Young, he worked with hospitals throughout the United States in improving their operations and their efficiency.  He worked with physicians, hospitals, and health insurance companies to find ways to improve the quality of care delivered to patients while also enabling hospitals to operate efficiently and generate sufficient revenue and profits to be financially healthy.  He delivered health care consulting services to clients served by Ernst and Young located in South America, the Middle East, and Western Europe. 

He earned a PhD in Health Policy and Administration in the Management and Organizational Behavior track from Penn State University.  His teaching efforts are aimed at providing students with practical skills they can apply in managing health care organizations that improve the health status of the patients they serve.  His research focuses on financial and operational performance of hospitals, health systems, and physician groups.  Dr. Holt is a co-author of a university level undergraduate textbook:  Fundamentals of US Healthcare:  Principles and Perspectives, 1^st edition and has published in a peer-reviewed journal Advances in Health Care Management.

Research Interests

Hospital Financial and Clinical Performance

Healthcare Information Systems and Informatics

Hospital and Health System Management Decisions and Their Influence on Hospital Performance

Health Care Leadership Teams and Their Influence on Hospital Financial and Clinical Performance

Legal Aspects of Healthcare Management

Enhancing Quality of Care

Physician Practice Management

Patient Advocacy

B.S. Public Health/Health Promotion Courses Taught

None

MPH Courses Taught

HEA 513: Legal Aspects of Health Care

HEA 516: Health Care Management

HEA 612: Health Care Financial Analysis and Management

HEA 613: Advocacy & Quality of Health Care Services

HEA 616: Strategic Leadership in Health Care

 

Phone Number:  610-436-2113

Office: SECC 269

Title:  Assistant Professor

 

Contact Erin Knight

 

Education

University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware, PhD. Urban Affairs and Public Policy. 2011

University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MPH, Public Health Administration, 1998

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia, BA. Economics, 1993

 

Biography

Erin Knight, MPH, PhD joined the Department of Health in 2021 as an Assistant Professor.  She holds a Master of Public Health degree in public health administration from the University of Minnesota and practiced public health, working with federal, state and non-profit organizations for nearly ten years before earning her PhD.  She holds a doctorate in Urban Affairs and Public policy from the University of Delaware, where she served as the Associate Director of the Partnership for Healthy Communities, a University-wide community engagement initiative, which she helped to launch in 2017.  She teaches both undergraduate and graduate public health courses, with a focus on social determinants of health and public policy.

Research Interests

Her research interests include identifying, promotion, and evaluating policies and practices to advance health equity by addressing social determinants of health.  She has a particular interest in maternal and infant health, reproductive justice, and community-engaged scholarship.

B.S. Public Health Courses Taught

HEA 242: Introduction to Public and Community Health

MPH Courses taught

HEA 613: Advocacy and Quality of Health Care Services

HEA 615: Policy in Public Health

Google Scholar

• Phone Number: 610-738-0557
• Office: SECC 276
• Title: Professor
• Contact Donald McCown

Education

• PhD, Social Science, Tilburg University (Netherlands), 2013
• MSS, Social Work, Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research, 2008
• MAMS, Applied Meditation Studies , Won Institute of Graduate Studies, 2004
• BA, English Literature, Eastern University, 1975

Biography

Dr. McCown spent 30 years in the advertising business as an executive and creative director, before making a shift into human services, obtaining two Masters degrees and a PhD in the past decade, as well as completing the advanced Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) trainings through the Center for Mindfulness at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and a practicum and one-year internship in MBSR at the Jefferson Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine. Prior to joining WCU, he held positions as Lecturer at Thomas Jefferson University and Director of Mindfulness at Work programs at Jefferson's Mindfulness Institute. He was a full-time instructor at the Won Institute of Graduate Studies, teaching in the Applied Meditation Studies Program and the Won Buddhist Studies program. He continues to teach (summers) in the post graduate program in Marriage and Family Therapy at Council for Relationships in Philadelphia, where he maintains a year-round practice of mindfulness-based family therapy there.

Research Interests

Dr. McCown's major focus is on the pedagogy of mindfulness in health care and education. He is the primary author of Teaching Mindfulness: A Practical Guide for Clinicians and Educators, and New World Mindfulness: From the Founding Fathers, Emerson and Thoreau to Your Personal Practice, and is author of the Ethical Space of Mindfulness in Clinical Practice. Current book projects include Mindfulness and Autism, and an edited volume entitled, Fundamentals of Mindfulness Pedagogy: A Cross-Cultural and International Handbook. His current research interests include relational accounts of the effects of mindfulness training on families and larger systems in which some members have been given a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, and the effects of mindfulness training on developing empathy and compassion in community leaders and medical students. He also directs the WCU Center for Contemplative Studies, which provides ongoing opportunities for professional training, and supports community outreach and research in applications of mindfulness and other contemplative modalities. On the theoretical side, he is developing an aesthetics of mindfulness in clinical and educational practice that is based on the sublime.

BS Public Health/ Health Promotion Courses taught

HEA 315: Mind-Body Health

HEA 325: Stress Management

HEA 410: Mental Health

MPH Courses taught

HEA 501: Integrative Medicine

HEA 511: Stress Management Techniques and Program Development

HEA 529: Mental Health

HEA 545: Mind-Body Medicine

 

Phone Number: 610-436-2101

Office: SECC 228

Title: Professor | MPH Program Director | Graduate Coordinator

Contact Stacie Metz

Education

• Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, Ph.D. Public Health Studies – Health Services Research, 2006
• Saint Louis University, St. Louis Missouri, MPH, Community Health and MSW, Health, 2004
• Towson University, Baltimore, Maryland, MA, Psychology - Experimental Psychology and Neuropsychology, 1999
• Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Bloomsburg, PA, Psychology, 1995

Biography

Stacie Metz, PhD, MPH, MSW, MA serves in the Department of Health as Professor and MPH Program Director and Graduate Coordinator. She earned her doctorate in Public Health Studies - Health Services Research from Saint Louis University in 2006 where she worked as a program evaluator and analyst for a variety of chronic disease and community health projects. At WCU, her primary MPH teaching responsibilities lie in community health practice and program evaluation. She is a strong proponent of community engagement and collaborates on a range of projects, presentations, and publications with colleagues, community partners, students, and alumni.

Research Interests

Her research interests include adolescent mental health and social-emotional learning, health promotion in young adult populations, curricular design, and program evaluation. She trains MPH students on community-based program evaluation techniques and has successfully collaborated with several MPH students in critical data management activities and in the development of grant funder evaluation reports such as for the Brandywine Health Foundation and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

B.S. Public Health Courses Taught

HEA 100: Dimensions of Wellness

HEA 106: Death & Dying

HEA 242: Introduction to Public & Community Health

HEA 330: Health Behavior

HEA 341: Chronic & Communicable Diseases

HEA 410: Mental Health

HEA 419: Research Methods in Health Sciences

MPH Courses Taught

HEA 526: Biostatistics in Public Health

HEA 531: Community as a Basis for Health

HEA 538: Evaluation of Health Programs

HEA 550: Evidence Based Medicine & Public Health

HEA 581: Special Topics: Advanced Biostatistical Methods

HEA 648: Research Methods in Public Health

HEA 649/650: Applied Learning Experience I/II

Linkedin

Google Scholar

Phone Number: 610-436-2185

Office:  SECC 270

Title:  Associate Professor

 

Contact Nene Okunna

 

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, PhD Public Health – Health Policy and Management, 2016

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MPPA, 2016

University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MPH – Health Policy and Management, 2009

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka (Nigeria), BS.C – Applied Microbiology, 2003

 

Biography

Nene Okunna, PhD, MPPA, MPH is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health. Dr. Okunna earned her Master in Public Health (MPH), Master of Public Policy and Administration (MPPA) and PhD from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Prior to joining West Chester University in August 2022, she was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Studies and the Program Director of the Master of Health Administration program at Saint Joseph's University, Philadelphia.

Research Interests

Her broad research interests include health care systems and policy research, health and healthcare disparities, tobacco control policy, and global health. She is particularly interested in examining how health policy can be leveraged to improve population health outcomes, improve access and quality of health care services as well as finance health care through equitable health financing mechanisms.

 

BS Public Health Courses Taught

HEA 110 – Transcultural Health: Principles and Practices

HEA 140 – Health Care Delivery

HEA 434 – Law, Ethics, Economics and Policy

 

MPH Courses Taught

HEA 614 – Healthcare Technology and Information Management

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• Phone Number: 610-436-2300
• Office: SECC 227
• Title: Professor
• Contact Gopal Sankaran

Education

• Dr. P.H. Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning (Minors: Epidemiology; Biostatistics), University of California at Berkeley, USA
• M.P.H., Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning, University of California at Berkeley, USA
• M.D., All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India
• M.B., B.S., Maulana Azad Medical College, University of Delhi, India
• Pre-Medical (Inter-Science), Hansraj College, University of Delhi, India

Certification

• CHES (Certified Health Education Specialist) National Commission for Health Education Credentialing), Inc. (Recertified until 2015)
• MNAMS (Member, National Academy of Medical Sciences), Board Certified in Integrated Maternal and Child Health Care, National Board of Examiners/National Academy of Medical Sciences, India. Life Member, National Academy of Medical Sciences.
• Physician License, Medical Council of India. Unrestricted license to practice medicine.

Biography

Dr. Gopal Sankaran is a tenured, professor of public health at West Chester University (WCU) of Pennsylvania. He joined WCU in spring 1989.

Dr. Sankaran's education, training and experience span medicine, public health, and health promotion. He has consulted with the World Health Organization (WHO) in the National Smallpox Eradication Programme in India and the Global Programme on AIDS in Switzerland. He has worked with PLAN International and Childreach on international HIV/AIDS prevention and control, child survival, and reproductive health projects in program design, implementation, and evaluation. He has trained family practice residents from Pennsylvania and Delaware in Epidemiology and Community Oriented Primary Care. He serves as a guest faculty in epidemiology for graduate physician assistant students and previously for medical students at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). Dr. Sankaran is an invited Adjunct Member of the Center for Evidence- Based Practice at PCOM.

Dr. Sankaran has received grants to research knowledge, attitudes, and practices of high school students, college students, and university faculty about HIV/AIDS. He has published several articles in professional, peer-reviewed journals, and made over 100 presentations at international, national, state, and local professional conferences on a variety of medical, public health, health promotion and higher education issues. He co-edited a book, HIV/AIDS in Sport: Impact, Issues, and Challenges and co-authored a book, Sexual Harassment in Sport. He has contributed chapters to the book, Women's Global Health and Human Rights.

Dr. Sankaran is an invited reviewer/associate editor for American Journal of Health Behavior, Health Behavior and Policy Review, Health Promotion Practice, Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine, Journal of Postgraduate Medicine, Indian Journal of Medical Sciences, and International Journal of Intercultural Information Management. In the past, he served on the Editorial Board of BioMed Central Public Health and reviewer for International Journal of Health Education. Currently, Dr. Sankaran has been elected to the Editorial Board of American Journal of Public Health for a two-year term.

Dr. Sankaran has served as an external reviewer of portfolios of faculty members going up for tenure/promotion at Yale University, Drexel University, Miami University at Oxford, and University of Massachusetts at Boston. He has also served as an external reviewer for doctoral thesis research conducted in the USA and India.

B.S. Public Health/Health Promotion Courses Taught/Developed

HEA 110: Transcultural Health - Principles and Practices; HEA 240: Foundations of Health; HEA 241: Introduction to Public Health; HEA 242: Community Health; *HEA 305: Contraceptive Technology and Health Issues; HEA 341: Chronic and Communicable Diseases; HEA 436: Health Care Delivery System; *HEA 437: Seminar on Global Health Issues; HEA 438: HIV/AIDS - An Update; *HEA 435: Special Topics (courses including Aging and Long-Term Care; The “At-Risk” Adolescent; Reproductive Health Issues). (* courses developed and taught)

MPH Courses Taught/Developed

*HEA 512: HIV/AIDS - Individual and Public Health Challenges; HEA 516: Health Care Management (online); HEA 520: Public Health Epidemiology; HEA 531: Community as a Basis for Health; HEA 538: Evaluation of Health Programs; *HEA 550: Evidence-Based Medicine and Public Health; *HEA 555: Women's Health Issues - A Transcultural Perspective; *HEA 616: Strategic Leadership in Health Care (both in-person and online); HEA 650: Applied Learning Experience II (MPH Practicum Faculty Supervisor). (*courses developed and/or taught)

MS Courses Taught

*ADM 525: The Art and Science of Grant Writing; HEA 500: Diseases; HEA 608: Thesis Seminar; HEA 609: Independent Study; HEA 610: Thesis. (*course developed and taught)

Research Interests

Dr. Sankaran's research interests include epidemiology of infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases, transcultural health, global health, and higher education in the United States and overseas. Specific interest areas include HIV/AIDS, health issues of children, adolescents and women, and leadership in higher education and health care.

Administrative Roles

Dr. Sankaran has served West Chester University in the interim roles of Assistant Vice President for International Programs, Associate Vice President for Sponsored Research, Dean of Graduate Studies and Extended Education, Presidential Fellow for Planning and Special Assistant to the Provost. He also served the institution as an American Council of Education Fellow.

Service

Dr. Sankaran currently serves as the elected Vice-President on the Board of Cerebral Palsy Association of Chester County/Chester County Disability Services, the Community Advisory Board of WHYY (a PBS affiliate), and as an Advisor to the Board of the Wholistic Health Advocacy Institute.

Dr. Sankaran serves as an elected Governing Councilor, American Public Health Association (APHA), representing the International Health (IH) Section. He is the Chairperson of the Awards Committee of IH Section. In the past, he served as the Founding Chairperson of the Global Health Connections Working Group of the IH Section. He continues to review scientific abstracts and policy resolutions submitted to the International Health Section for presentation at the Annual Meetings of the APHA and the World Congresses of the World Federation of Public Health Associations.

Dr. Sankaran in the past has served as an elected Board member of the National Council for International Health (now the Global Health Council) and Trustee of the Pennsylvania Society for Public Health Education.

At West Chester University, Dr. Sankaran has served on numerous groups including: President's Cabinet, President's Council, Academic Affairs Council, Deans Council, Faculty Senate (as President for two years), Curriculum and Academic Policies Council (including on the Executive Committee and as Chair of the Graduate Committee), Presidential Search Committee, Co-Chair of Strategic Planning and Accreditation Council (resulting in development of the strategic plan, the Plan for Excellence, and successful decennial reaccreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education), Capital Facilities Planning Committee, Technology Working Group, Academic Program Review Steering Committee, Service Learning Working Group, Institutional Review Board (as Chair for a year), Student Learning Outcomes Committee, etc.

Honors/Awards

Dr. Sankaran has been honored with a Rotary Foundation Educational Award for International Understanding, Regents Fellowship at UC Berkeley, UC Berkeley School of Public Health Alumni Scholarships, the Henrik Blum Award for Distinguished Social Action at Berkeley, Pennsylvania SOPHE Chapter Service Award, Mid-Career Award from International Health Section of American Public Health Association, West Chester University Civility Award, West Chester University Faculty Merit Award for Service, College of Health Sciences Awards for Scholarship and Service, Office of Sponsored Research Exemplary Faculty Engagement Award, elected member of Eta Sigma Gamma (Health Education Honorary) through the Beta Xi Chapter, and recognitions from American Medical Students Association, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine Bridging the Gaps Program, etc.

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• Phone Number: 610-436-6975
• Office: SECC 226
• Title: Professor
• Contact  Ramona Stone

Education

• MPH, Quantitative Methods, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), 2013
• PhD, Urban Affairs, Program Evaluation and Policy Analysis, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 2001
• MS, Management, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 1996
• BA, Sociology, Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, 1994

Biography

Dr. Ramona Stone has joined the Department of Public Health Sciences in 2017. She is a social epidemiologist specialized in quantitative research methods and has extensive experience in program evaluation and community-based research.

Dr. Stone started her career in the social determinants of health research as a sociologist with the Doctors Without Borders/ Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Romania, where she evaluated a community-based program aiming to improve maternal and child health in minority communities. She came to the United States in 1997 with a doctoral scholarship. After the doctorate, she served as an evaluator on countless social, educational, and public health programs, and directed the evaluation for several research centers.

Dr. Stone authored and co-authored papers focused on program evaluations' results, published and presented in peer-reviewed journals and at national conferences. Dr. Stone maintains membership in the American Public Health Association, American Evaluation Association, Urban Affairs Association, as well as in the Romanian Academic Society and the Association of Romanian Sociologists.

Research & Teaching Interests

Dr. Stone's research and teaching interests are intertwined. Her primary interest is in the development of statistical models to measure the effectiveness of programs and policies that address social and structural determinants of health and illness in vulnerable populations, particularly in urban settings. She uses mixed-methods designs and integrates statistical modeling with qualitative data analyses. For the past two decades, she developed and taught courses in advanced research practice, measurement, statistics, and in program planning and evaluation; she mentored countless graduate students in research methods and statistics.

MPH Courses

HEA 503: Foundations of Public Health

HEA 526: Biostatistics for Public Health

HEA 539: Community Health Program Planning & Technologies

HEA 649/650: Applied Learning Experience I/II

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• Phone Number: 610-436-2289
• Office: SECC 230
• Title: Associate Professor
• Personal Website
• Contact Neha Sunger

Education

• Postdoctoral Fellow, The Dow Chemical Company, Toxicology & Environmental Research and Consulting, Michigan 2014
• PhD, Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, Philadelphia 2013
• MS, Environmental Engineering and Management, Indian Institute of Technology-IIT, Kanpur 2006
• BS, Civil Engineering, MBM Engineering College, Jodhpur 2003

Biography

Dr. Sunger is an environmental engineer with interests in human health risk and exposure analysis. She joined West Chester University in fall semester of 2014 as Assistant Professor. Dr. Sunger teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in environmental health, microbial risk, and waste management. Prior to joining WCU, she was a post-doctoral research fellow at The Dow Chemical Company in Midland, MI. During her post-doctoral fellowship, she designed computer-based exposure analysis programs to enhance rapid screening of industrial chemicals for human health safety. Dr. Sunger is a member of the Society for Risk Analysis (SRA), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors (AEESP), and the International Society of Exposure Science (ISES).

Research Interests

Human health and environmental risk assessment, Dose-Response modeling, High-throughput exposure programming, database management, GIS application to environmental health, infectious disease assessment, waste management and water/wastewater treatment.

BS Environmental Health Courses Taught

ENV 102: Humans and the Environment

ENV 450: Hazard/Solid Waste

MPH Courses taught

ENV 530: General Environmental Health

ENV 533:  Water Quality and Health

ENV 545:  Risk Assessment

HEA 549/650: Applied Learning Experience I/II

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• Phone Number: 610-436-2776
• Office: SECC 223
• Title: Professor | Program Director, Certificate in Global Health | Faculty Advisor for Delta Omega Beta Xi Chapter, Global Health Ambassadors, and Model WHO
• Contact Chiwoneso Tinago

Education

• PhD, Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior, University of South Carolina, 2016
• MPH, Health Education, University of Southern Mississippi, 2010
• B.S., Psychology, William Carey University, 2009

Biography

Chiwoneso Tinago, PhD, MPH, CHES® is a Professor in the Department of Health. Dr. Tinago teaches both undergraduate and graduate public health courses and is the Program Director for the Certificate in Global Health. Applying a global perspective to all her classes, Dr. Tinago encourages students to see how global practices can have local impacts and conversely, how local practices can have global impacts. This approach has encouraged students to participate in global health internships, the Uganda service-learning program, research activities, conferences, and embark on global health careers. Dr. Tinago is the faculty advisor for the Delta Omega Beta Xi Chapter and the Global Health Ambassadors. She is also the faculty advisor for West Chester University students who participate in the Model World Health Organization conferences.

Dr. Tinago collaborates with local and external researchers and agencies on global health research and projects, in addition to chairing the College of Health Sciences Global Health Research Team and the Global Initiatives Committee. Dr. Tinago was awarded the 2023 E. Riley Holman Memorial Faculty Award, 2021 Young Professional Award by the American Public Health Association International Health Section, 2019 College of Health Sciences Faculty Vision Award, and the 2018 National Role Model New Faculty Researcher Award by Minority Access, Incorporated. Dr. Tinago is an active member of the American Public Health Association, the Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health, the American Society for Nutrition, and the American Association of University Women.

Research Interests

Dr. Tinago studies individual and structural environmental influences on health among adolescents and women in south-east Africa through emic and community-based participatory methods. She also studies mental health, nutrition, and pre-pregnancy and pregnancy health using both qualitative and quantitative methodology.

B.S. in Public Health Courses Taught

HEA 110: Transcultural Health

HEA 200: Introduction to Global Health

HEA 240: Foundations of Health Education

HEA 418: Preparation for Internship and Professional Practice Seminar

HEA 421: Public Health Internship

HEA 435: Health Workshop

MPH courses taught

HEA 632: Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health

HEA 645: Global Community Health Promotion and Advocacy

HEA 581: Special Topics

• Phone Number:  610-436-2360
• Office: SECC 277
  
• Position:  Assistant Professor
• Personal Website
• Contact Melanie Vile

B.S. Environmental Health Courses Taught

ENV 102: Humans and the Environment

ENV 435: Environmental Sustainability

ENV 435: Climate Change

ENV 447: Environmental Regulations

MPH Courses Taught

ENV 547: Environmental Regulations

• Phone Number:  610-436-2931
• Office: SECC 232
  
• Position:  Administrative Assistant
• Contact Tammy Wyatt