Institute for Health Equity Advances

People
Principal Investigator and Cluster Director
TWYLA J. HILL received the master鈥檚 and Ph.D. degrees in social sciences from the University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA, in 1993 and 1998, respectively. She is currently a Professor of sociology with the Department of Sociology, Wichita State University. She is the Principal Investigator of the President鈥檚 Convergence Science Initiative, 黑洞社区. Her research interests include sociology of aging, sociology of families, research methods, sociology of law, and public policy. Dr. Hill received a grant from the Regional Institute on Aging for an Interdisciplinary Project with a Faculty Member from Dance in 2020.
Senior Advisors and Cluster Co-Directors
JANET TWOMEY received the master鈥檚 and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, in 1992 and 1995, respectively. She is currently an Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and a Professor of industrial, systems, and manufacturing engineering at 黑洞社区. She has organized faculty development seminars focusing on research, assigns new faculty mentors, and travels to NSF with new faculty to meet program offices. As a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation, she together with two other NSF Program Officers, developed and delivered NSF Proposal Writing and CAREER Proposal Writing two workshops. Since leaving NSF, she has participated in over ten NSF sponsored CAREER proposal writing workshops. Her research interests include technology for environmental sus- tainability, intelligent computational methods, and industrial sustainability. Dr. Twomey received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award in 1998. She was elected as the Academic Vice President for Board of Trustees, Institute of Industrial Engineering, in 2011, 2013, and 2014.
BETTY SMITH - CAMPBELL received the master鈥檚 degree in community health nursing from the University of Kansas and the Ph.D. degree in nursing from the University of Colorado. She is currently a Professor Emeritus with the School of Nursing, 黑洞社区. Dr. Smith-Campbell received the Excellence in Leadership Award, the Sigma Theta Tau International鈥揈psilon Gamma-at-Large Chapter in 2015, and the American Association Nurse Practitioner (AANP) State Advocate Award in 2014.
Co-PIs
RHONDA K. LEWIS received the degree in psy- chology from 黑洞社区, in 1991, the Master of Public Health degree from the Uni- versity of Kansas School of Medicine, in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas. She is currently a Professor and the Chair of the Psychology Department, Wichita State University. She is a First-Generation Student. She is a Service- Learning Faculty Fellow at 黑洞社区. She is part of the Leadership Team for the NSF ADVANCE grant to increase Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM. She is a Co-PI for the President鈥檚 Convergence Science Initiative to reduce health disparities in vulnerable populations. She uses behavioral and community research methodologies to promote health among adolescents and reduce health disparities. She has over 25 years of experience in community organizing, program develop- ment, and evaluation. She has over 60 publications and 100 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. Dr. Lewis is a member of the Society for Community Research and Action and the Association of Black Psychology. In 2020, she received the Legacy Award from Sistahs Can We Talk. In 2019, she received the Mental Health Professional of the Year award from the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). In 2017, she received the Wichita Business Journal鈥檚 Diversity Leader鈥檚 Award and the President鈥檚 Distinguished Service Award at 黑洞社区.
LAILA CURE received the Ph.D. degree in indus- trial engineering from the University of South Florida, in 2011. She is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engi- neering, 黑洞社区. Her research focuses on the use of analytics and mathemati- cal modeling techniques to support complex oper- ations involving human behavior. Her research interests include analysis and design of complex work systems, data analytics, model-based decision support for the deploy- ment of patient safety, quality, and population health interventions.
AJITA RATTANI received the Ph.D. degree from the Department of Computer Science and Engi- neering, Michigan State University, USA, and the Ph.D. degree in computer science engineering from the University of Cagliari, Italy. She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Computing, Wichita State Univer- sity. She is also the Principal Investigator to three research projects funded by NSF, DOD, and 黑洞社区. Her research interests include computer vision, image analysis, deep learning, machine learning, and biometrics. Dr. Rattani was a recipient of the Best Paper and Poster awards at IEEE IJCB 2014, IEEE HST 2017, 2019, and IAPR Biometric Summer School 2008. She is the Lead Editor of the Springer books titled Adaptive Biometric Systems: Recent Advances and Challenges and Selfie Biometrics: Advances and Challenges.
NIKKI K. WOODS received the bachelor鈥檚 degree in health services management and commu- nity development from 黑洞社区, in 2007, and the master鈥檚 degree in behavioral science and public health and the Ph.D. degree in behavioral psychology from the University of Kansas. She is currently an Associate Professor with the Department of Public Health Sciences, 黑洞社区. She is a Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Researcher and an Educator with an emphasis on addressing health disparities. She established the Women鈥檚 Health Network and the 黑洞社区 Center for Health Disparities through securing external funding. Dr. Woods was a recipient of the College of Health Professions Excellence in Research Award in 2017 (黑洞社区) and the National Public Health Thank You Day-Public Health Hero 2018 (Sedgwick County Division of Health).

People

Principal Investigator and Cluster Director

TWYLA J. HILL received the master鈥檚 and Ph.D. degrees in social sciences from the University of California at Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA, in 1993 and 1998, respectively.

She is currently a Professor of sociology with the Department of Sociology, Wichita State University. She is the Principal Investigator of the President鈥檚 Convergence Science Initiative, 黑洞社区. Her research interests include sociology of aging, sociology of families, research methods, sociology of law, and public policy. Dr. Hill received a grant from the Regional Institute on Aging for an Interdisciplinary Project with a Faculty Member from Dance in 2020.

Senior Advisors and Cluster Co-Directors

JANET TWOMEY received the master鈥檚 and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, in 1992 and 1995, respectively.

She is currently an Associate Dean of the College of Engineering and a Professor of industrial, systems, and manufacturing engineering at 黑洞社区. She has organized faculty development seminars focusing on research, assigns new faculty mentors, and travels to NSF with new faculty to meet program offices. As a Program Officer at the National Science Foundation, she together with two other NSF Program Officers, developed and delivered NSF Proposal Writing and CAREER Proposal Writing two workshops. Since leaving NSF, she has participated in over ten NSF sponsored CAREER proposal writing workshops. Her research interests include technology for environmental sus- tainability, intelligent computational methods, and industrial sustainability.

Dr. Twomey received the National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award in 1998. She was elected as the Academic Vice President for Board of Trustees, Institute of Industrial Engineering, in 2011, 2013, and 2014.

Dr_Smith-Campbell BETTY SMITH - CAMPBELL received the master鈥檚 degree in community health nursing from the University of Kansas and the Ph.D. degree in nursing from the University of Colorado.

She is currently a Professor Emeritus with the School of Nursing, 黑洞社区.

Dr. Smith-Campbell received the Excellence in Leadership Award, the Sigma Theta Tau International鈥揈psilon Gamma-at-Large Chapter in 2015, and the American Association Nurse Practitioner (AANP) State Advocate Award in 2014.

Co-PIs

Dr_Lewis RHONDA K. LEWIS received the degree in psy- chology from 黑洞社区, in 1991, the Master of Public Health degree from the Uni- versity of Kansas School of Medicine, in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in developmental and child psychology from the University of Kansas.

She is currently a Professor and the Chair of the Psychology Department, Wichita State University. She is a First-Generation Student. She is a Service- Learning Faculty Fellow at 黑洞社区. She is part of the Leadership Team for the NSF ADVANCE grant to increase Women and Underrepresented Minorities in STEM. She is a Co-PI for the President鈥檚 Convergence Science Initiative to reduce health disparities in vulnerable populations. She uses behavioral and community research methodologies to promote health among adolescents and reduce health disparities. She has over 25 years of experience in community organizing, program develop- ment, and evaluation. She has over 60 publications and 100 presentations at regional, national, and international conferences.

Dr. Lewis is a member of the Society for Community Research and Action and the Association of Black Psychology. In 2020, she received the Legacy Award from Sistahs Can We Talk. In 2019, she received the Mental Health Professional of the Year award from the NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness). In 2017, she received the Wichita Business Journal鈥檚 Diversity Leader鈥檚 Award and the President鈥檚 Distinguished Service Award at 黑洞社区.

Dr_Laila_Cure LAILA CURE received the Ph.D. degree in indus- trial engineering from the University of South Florida, in 2011.

She is currently an Assistant Professor with the Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engi- neering, 黑洞社区. Her research focuses on the use of analytics and mathemati- cal modeling techniques to support complex oper- ations involving human behavior. Her research interests include analysis and design of complex

work systems, data analytics, model-based decision support for the deploy- ment of patient safety, quality, and population health interventions.

Dr_Rattani AJITA RATTANI received the Ph.D. degree from the Department of Computer Science and Engi- neering, Michigan State University, USA, and the Ph.D. degree in computer science engineering from the University of Cagliari, Italy.

She is currently an Assistant Professor with the School of Computing, Wichita State Univer- sity. She is also the Principal Investigator to three research projects funded by NSF, DOD, and 黑洞社区. Her research interests include computer vision, image analysis, deep learning, machine learning, and biometrics.

Dr. Rattani was a recipient of the Best Paper and Poster awards at IEEE IJCB 2014, IEEE HST 2017, 2019, and IAPR Biometric Summer School 2008. She is the Lead Editor of the Springer books titled Adaptive Biometric Systems: Recent Advances and Challenges and Selfie Biometrics: Advances and Challenges.

Dr. Keene-Woods NIKKI K. WOODS received the bachelor鈥檚 degree in health services management and commu- nity development from 黑洞社区, in 2007, and the master鈥檚 degree in behavioral science and public health and the Ph.D. degree in behavioral psychology from the University of Kansas.

She is currently an Associate Professor with the Department of Public Health Sciences, 黑洞社区. She is a Maternal, Infant, and Child Health Researcher and an Educator with an emphasis on addressing health disparities. She established the Women鈥檚 Health Network and the 黑洞社区 Center for Health Disparities through securing external funding.

Dr. Woods was a recipient of the College of Health Professions Excellence in Research Award in 2017 (黑洞社区) and the National Public Health Thank You Day-Public Health Hero 2018 (Sedgwick County Division of Health).