Community Health Awareness, Messages and Prevention (CHAMP) Lab

Our Project Team 

Valerie Aldana, MPH, is currently pursuing her PhD in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland, School of Public Health. Prior to her doctoral studies, she earned her undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences and International Business from Florida International University in 2018. Afterward, she worked in cancer research at the University of Miami's Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Baptist Hospital's Miami Cancer Institute until 2022. During her Master's program, completed at Florida International University's Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work in 2020, she focused on public health, particularly in the field of epidemiology. 

Eddie M. Clark, PhD,  Professor, Department of Psychology, Saint Louis University is a social psychologist and does research on (1) health attitudes and persuasion including the development of culturally appropriate health messages and (2) close relationships especially satisfaction and commitment, infidelity, relationship maintenance, and the relationship between ex-romantic partners.

Debs Ghosh, PhD, with a Ph.D. in Geography from University of Minnesota, MPhil in Population Studies, and a M.A. in Urban Development from Jawaharlal Nehru University, India Dr. Ghosh is currently an Associate Professor of Geography at UConn. She is also a PI of the Institute on Collaboration for Health Intervention and Policy, co-director of mHealth/ehealth research interest group, and affiliated with Yale University Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS. As a health geographer, Debs’ research and teaching are primarily focused on the reciprocal relationship between ‘place’ and health, where place is a multidimensional unit, connecting people (vulnerable populations), things (facilitators and barriers), and environment. Central to this is her diverse yet complementary skill set including GIS, spatial statistics, social network analysis, mHealth (mobile-health), and more recently, designs of randomized controlled trials. Dr. Ghosh’s ultimate goal is to conduct ‘spatial behavioral interventions’ where research findings are translated to practice. Her current research, funded by NIH and foundations, among others include: mobile technology systems for medication adherence, healthcare utilization in the US, Uganda, and India, and disproportionate effects of housing foreclosures on health. Dr. Ghosh incorporates research into pedagogy by teaching seminars on ‘Health and Medical Geography’, ‘Spatial Analysis of Social Issues’, and a hands-on course on ‘GIS Applications in Health Research’.

Xin He, PhD,  is Associate Professor and Associate Chair, Epidemiology and Biostatistics, in the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Dr. Xin He's current research focuses on longitudinal data analysis, time-to-event data analysis, nonparametric and semiparametric methods, as well as applications in epidemiology and biomedical studies.

Cheryl L. Knott, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health as well as Co-Leader of the Population Science Program and Associate Director of Community Outreach and Engagement at the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. In 2021, she was named an inaugural MPower Professor of the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State. She is founding Director of the Community Health Awareness, Messages, and Prevention (CHAMP) research lab and the Editor-in-Chief of the peer-reviewed journal, Translational Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Knott holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine. Dr. Knott's research program has generated more than $17 million in extramural support as Principal Investigator, from sources such as the NIH, CDC, and ACS. The program has resulted in more than 170 peer-reviewed publications, with many including students as co-authors.    

Min Lian, MD, PhD, is Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Medicine in the John T. Millliken Department of Medicine, Division of General Medical Sciences, at Washington University in St. Louis. Dr. Lian is a Spatial Epidemiologist. His research interests focus on spatial-correlated epidemiological methodology and its application in cancer prevention and control. He has extensive training and research experience in Geographic Information Systems (GIS), spatial statistics, and Bayesian hierarchical modeling, aiming to i) identify geographic clustering/hot-spots, ii) develop modeling-based smoothing maps, iii) quantify spatial/temporal variations and spatial autocorrelation, and iv) construct indexed measurements of built neighborhood environments (e.g., walkability and spatial access to health/public services). Dr. Lian is also interested in gene-neighborhood interaction in cancer-related risk behaviors, such as cigarette smoking.

Kathleen Lynch, MPH, CHES, serves as the Program Manager for the Office of Community Outreach and Engagement, of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Kathleen earned her B.S. in Exercise and Nutritional Sciences with an emphasis in Physical Education from San Diego State University, followed by a Master's of Public Health with a concentration in Health Education from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania. Since graduating with her MPH, she has worked on health needs assessments and program evaluation, cancer outreach and education, and infectious disease prevention.

Asli McCullers, MPH, is a current PhD student in the Behavioral and Community Health Department at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is a Graduate Research Assistant supporting the Population Science research program of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her research has included foci in cancer, cardiovascular disease, digital health, tobacco control, and more. Previously, she received her MPH in Epidemiology from the University of Delaware, her post-baccalaureate from University of Massachusetts Medical School in Clinical and Population Health, and her BS in Biology and Music Performance from Towson University. 

Dr. Shana O. Ntiri, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Maryland, School of Medicine.  Dr. Ntiri has been the medical director for the Baltimore City Cancer Program at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center since 2010. She is a member of the Population Sciences Program within the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center Program in Oncology, which fosters collaboration with investigators throughout the University of Maryland System to improve population-based cancer outcomes. Dr. Ntiri's research interests include cancer prevention, screening, and outcomes.  

Crystal L. Park, Ph.D., is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. She studies multiple aspects of coping with stressful events, including the phenomenon of stress-related growth, and the making of meaning in the context of life-threatening illnesses, particularly cancer and congestive heart failure.

Mario Schootman, PhD is Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. He conducts research in cancer treatment, informatics, and prevention. He studies geographic variation in cancer-related patient outcomes and uses real-world data (such as electronic medical records and claims data) to examine the effectiveness of cancer treatment.

Kathryn Vincent Carr, MA, is the Director of Operations for the Center on Young Adult Health and Development and the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Maryland School of Public Health.

Beverly Rosa Williams, PhD, is a Gerontologist with expertise in qualitative research and life review with underserved populations. Her research interests include death, dying, bereavement, and palliative care.

Families, Friends, and Neighborhoods (FFAN) Study

This study is supported by the American Cancer Society. This study aims to determine the role of multi-level factors (e.g., neighborhood, individual, interpersonal) in cancer control behaviors in US residents. This study uses data from a national survey sample in addition to input from local residents to co-develop and distribute recommendations for cancer control practice, research, and policy based on study findings. 

Project HEAL 2.0 (Health through Early Awareness and Learning)

Supported by the American Cancer Society, this study aimed to help local organizations get the word out about finding cancer early. Project HEAL focuses on breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer, three of the main causes of cancer death. We train Cancer Health Ambassadors to become certified to teach cancer early detection workshops in local organizations. 

University of Maryland Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center (UMGCCC) Cancer Needs Assessment

This needs assessment, supported by the UMGCCC, aimed to learn more about the cancer knowledge, beliefs and behaviors of residents who live in the 10 county UMGCCC service area (Anne Arundel, Baltimore/Baltimore City, Carroll, Charles, Frederick, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince Georges, and Washington). Information from the survey helps the UMGCCC better understand the needs of Marylanders living in the service area and use that information to develop future cancer education, outreach, treatment and research activities.