Michelle Wright is currently a sophomore at Winston-Salem State University majoring in psychology with the neuroscience as her intended minor. She was raised in Clarkton, NC and graduated from West Bladen High School. Michelle is a member of the Honors Program and is a Chancellor’s Scholar. She is also a member of the Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program as well as the Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE), and the WSSU Psychology Club. Michelle serves her class as a student senator for the Sophomore Class Council and student representative for the Honors Program. Upon her graduation from WSSU, Michelle plans to attend graduate school to obtain her Masters in Clinical Psychology and then continue with her education to receive a PhD in Neuropsychology. As of now Michelle is returning to the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity for her second semester as an intern with Dr. Mount. She hopes to learn more about health disparities, the role of neuropsychology in the community, and the correct pathway to achieve her goals.
Author: MindBodyInstituteBeyond
Maria Isabel Rego
Maria Isabel Rego, a native from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, graduated from Salem College in North Carolina with a Bachelor of Arts in Biology and a minor in Psychology in 2010. During her undergraduate and current training with Dr. David Mount, Maria Isabel gained insightful knowledge and experience in the research field of minority health and health disparities. This experience greatly increased her awareness on minority health issues and the importance of diversity in any setting. After graduation she was hired into Dr. Mount’s team as a data coordinator II/research assistant, a position which she continues to exert today. In 2011, she presented at Winston Salem State University’s 1st Health Disparities Conference and co-authored with Dr. Mount and other colleagues a journal article called “Preliminary Findings Exploring the Social Determinants of Black Males Lay-Health Perspectives” and a book chapter called “Addressing Risk Factors for Neurocognitive Decline and Alzheimer’s disease Among African Americans in the Era of Health Disparities.” In the near future Maria Isabel plans on attending graduate school and helping to reduce the gaps in health disparities while also empowering and educating her patients to take on preventive measures for their health. Her interests range from chronic diseases, health equity, oral health, mental health, psychology, human behavior, leadership, health care management, health education, health promotion, mind-body relationships, quality and equal access to healthcare, among many others.
Using IRT-DIF Methodology in Detecting and Evaluating Brief Symptom Inventory Item Response Differences among Afro-Caribbean and European Adults
Mount, David Lee; Lambert, Michael Canute; Essau, Cecilia A.; Samms-Vaughan, Maureen E. & Bokszczanin, Anna (). “Using IRT-DIF Methodology in Detecting and Evaluating Brief Symptom Inventory Item Response Differences among Afro-Caribbean and European Adults.” Caribbean Journal of Psychology, 4(1).
Matthew Mayers
Matthew Mayers is the co-founder and manager of the Krankies Farmer’s Market in downtown Winston Salem, North Carolina. The market brings fresh local food to a part of the city where such resources are scarce, and offers a place for farmers, using sustainable practices, to sell directly to the people who eat their food. Many chefs, downtown workers, area residents, and others from throughout the city don’t consider their week complete without a trip to the Krankies Farmer’s Market.
Alethea Amponsah
Originally hailing from Ghana West Africa, Alethea Amponsah was raised in Providence, RI and graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Science in Clinical Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development. After a brief internship with Dr. David L. Mount in the fall of 2010, she relocated from RI and turned her attention to developing the appropriate research skills necessary to aid in closing the many gaps evident in minority healthcare. Alethea now serves as a Health Equity Ambassador, Data Coordinator and trainee within Dr. Mount’s lab, investigating the many aspects of health care suffering from persistent inconsistencies in quality, accessibility and beyond. As an avid advocate for the promotion of overall mind and body wellness, she has dedicated her endeavors under Dr. Mount’s guidance to spreading this message to all communities. Alethea’s academic interests include abnormal psychology, neuropathology and phrenology and will begin pursuing her PhD in Clinical Neuropsychology while continuing to lend to the mission of eliminating health disparities and promoting awareness around the importance of mind-body wellness.
Erica Sickelbaugh
Erica Sickelbaugh, a native of North Carolina, is currently pursuing her Master’s in Public Health at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro with an anticipated graduation in May 2012. She is a 2010 graduate from North Carolina State University with a dual degree in microbiology and biology with a minor in Spanish. During her time at NC State she had opportunities to serve in public health facets in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic. It was these trips abroad that helped to spark her interest in health disparities and healthcare education outreach. During her graduate studies, Erica has served as a graduate research assistant with a statewide initiative to reduce teen pregnancies and provide support for pregnant and parenting teens and young women. She has also spent time in Zambia working on a public health initiative involving home health care and HIV/AIDS. Erica is also a Certified Nursing Assistant I working at the Emergency Room of Wake Forest Baptist Health – Lexington Medical Center. Her career aspirations include going to physician assistant school in order to better serve those domestically and globally that face health care disparities.
Kristyn Bridges
Kristyn A. Bridges, originally from Charlotte, NC, received her B.A. in Sociology from Salem College in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 2010. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Mental Health Counseling (Rehabilitation Counseling) at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, North Carolina. Kristyn is a Rehabilitation Psychology and Behavioral Medicine Scholar. Being a scholar has allowed her the opportunity to attend professional conferences, which has provided her with pluthera knowledge in the counseling and psychology professions. Kristyn has a special interest in working with clients with severe mental disabilities.Kristyn plans to obtain her M.S. in May 2013 and pursue a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology shortly after.
Self-Reported Influences of Hopelessness, Health Literacy, Lifestyle Action, and Patient Inertia on Blood Pressure Control in a Hypertensive Emergency Department Population
Joyner-Grantham J, Mount DL, McCorkle OD, Simmons DR, Ferrario CM, Cline DM (). “Self-Reported Influences of Hopelessness, Health Literacy, Lifestyle Action, and Patient Inertia on Blood Pressure Control in a Hypertensive Emergency Department Population.” American Journal of the Medical Sciences, 338(5):368–72. PMID:19838100; doi:10.1097/MAJ.0b013e3181b473dc.
The epidemiology of diabetes in African Americans
Bell, Ronny; Bertoni, Alain; Calles, Jorge; Hairston, Kristen; Hunter, Jamie; Mount, David; Whitt-Glover, Melicia C. (). “The epidemiology of diabetes in African Americans.” In Jack, Leonard Jr. (ed.), Diabetes in Black America: public health and clinical solutions to a national crisis. Roscoe, IL: Hilton, pp. 5–25 ISBN: 978-0-9815381-9-8.
Constructing common cohorts from trials with overlapping eligibility criteria: implications for comparing effect sizes between trials
Mount DL, Feeney P, Fabricatore AN, Coday M, Bahnson J, Byington R, Phelan S, Wilmoth S, Knowler WC, Hramiak I, Osei K, Sweeney ME, Espeland MA; Look AHEAD and ACCORD Research Groups (). “Constructing common cohorts from trials with overlapping eligibility criteria: implications for comparing effect sizes between trials.” Clinical Trials, 6(5):416–29. PMCID:PMC3254056; PMID:19737845; doi:10.1177/1740774509344440.