Fellows of the Academy for Veteran and Military Health

Academy for Veteran and Military Health

Member Biosketches


Ahmed Arif, PhD
Department of Public Health Sciences
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Epidemiology, University of Texas at Houston

Dr. Arif’s research interest is in the epidemiology of asthma and occupational asthma epidemiology. He has an interest in occupational risk factors of returning veterans.

Allison Burfield, Ph.D., RN
School of Nursing
Ph.D., Nursing, University of Central Florida

Dr. Burfield’s career goals have been focused on building educational modules and educating others on safe medication use and care of the elderly with dementia—especially better ways to assess pain, prevent falls, and evaluate the effects of chronic pain.

John Gory, Doctoral Student
Belk College of Business

Travis Hales, PhD
School of Social Work
Assistant Professor

Andrew Harver, PhD
Department of Public Health Sciences
Professor
Ph.D., Experimental Psychology, Ohio University in Athens

Research interest in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in the elderly- this would include veterans.

Reuben Howden, PhD
Department of Kinesiology
Assistant Professor
Ph.D., Human Blood Pressure Regulation, DeMontfort University, Leicester, UK

Dr. Howden’s research program focuses on cardiovascular regulation in both human and mouse models

Lisa Krinner, Doctoral Student
Department of Public Health Sciences

Shanti Kulkarni, Ph.D., LCSW
School of Social Work
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Social Work, University of Texas at Austin

Dr. Kulkarni has received multi-year funding from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services for her research. Her research focuses on interpersonal violence and teen dating violence prevention. She was the co-author of an article cited as One of the 100 Most Influential Publications in the Social Work Discourse in the Past Decade.

Othelia Lee, PhD
School of Social Work
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Columbia University

Dr. Lee’s work covers gerontology, health promotion, and cultural diversity.

Diana Rowan, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW
School of Social Work
Associate Professor & Graduate Program Director
Ph.D., University of Texas at Arlington

Research interests in Social Work with HIV and AIDS, International Social Work (primarily sub-Saharan Africa), HIV prevention in African American communities; Engaged research with the House ball community; Participant-driven research approach; Community-based participatory research; Social Work in Sports; Mental health impacts of concussions.

Dave Sperry
Department of Kinesiology
Lecturer
M.S., Alfred University

Meredith Troutman-Jordan, Ph.D., RN
School of Nursing
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Nursing Science, University of South Carolina at Columbia

Jan Warren-Findlow, PhD
Department of Public Health Sciences
Associate Professor
Ph.D., Community Health Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago

Dr. Warren-Findlow is a gerontologist with a particular interest in chronic disease self-care among veterans. She is on the editorial boards of the Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences and the Health Behavior and Policy Review.

Cara Blevins, Doctoral Student
UNC Charlotte, Department of Health Psychology Ph.D. program

My research seeks to investigate theory and clinical practice related to trauma, resilience, and growth. Specifically, I am working to identify factors which cause and perpetuate experiences of suicide, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and chronic stress reactivity in vulnerable populations (i.e., members of the US military, emergency personnel, individuals from low socioeconomic backgrounds). Additionally, my research seeks to examine how experiences of posttraumatic growth (PTG) may attenuate biopsychosocial sequelae and correspond with outcomes of resiliency and well-being following trauma.