Taleria R. Fuller, Ph.D. (2004-2006)
Kirk D. Henny, Ph.D. (2004-2006)
Gladys Ibanez, Ph.D. (2002-2004)
Khiya J. Marshall, Dr.PH, MPH (2007-2009)
Carolyn P. Parks-Bani, Ph.D. (2007-2009)
Carla E. Stokes, Ph.D, MPH (2004-2006)
Carols Toledo, Ph.D. (2002-2004)
Scyatta A. Wallace, Ph.D. (2002-2004)
Lari Warren-Jeanpiere, Ph.D. (2007-2009)
Kim Williams Ph.D. (2002-2004)
Leigh A. Willis, Ph.D, MPH (2007-2009)

Taleria R. Fuller, Ph.D. (2004-2006)

Dr. Taleria R. Fuller earned a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology from Wayne State University, an M.A. in Sociology from Wayne State University, and a B.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. Her experience has focused mainly on women’s and adolescents’ mental, reproductive , and sexual health. Her dissertation examined the relationship between chronic illness and depression among women. Her previous experience focused on HIV prevention among communities of color, including a study that examined HIV knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among African and African American adolescents and young adults. As an ORISE fellow, she provided scientific expertise, leadership, and technical assistance for the CDC-funded Diffusion of Effective Behavioral Intervention (DEBI) project. She worked on these female-focused DEBI HIV prevention interventions: Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS (SISTA), Sisters Informing, Healing, Learning, and Empowering (SIHLE), Women Involved in Life Learning from Other Women (WILLOW), and the Real AIDS Prevention Project (RAPP). Presently, Dr. Fuller is a health scientist with Manila Consulting Group, Inc. at the CDC Division of Reproductive Health. She provides leadership on the adaptation project as part of the Promoting Science-Based Approaches to Prevent Teen Pregnancy (PSBA) program. The purpose the PSBA program is to increase the capacity of state and local organizations such as schools, health clinics, community based organizations, and other youth-serving organizations to use science-based approaches to prevent teen pregnancy, STIs, and HIV. In addition, Dr. Fuller continues to focus activities on health equity among women and youth.

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Kirk D. Henny, Ph.D. (2004-2006)

Dr. Kirk D. Henny earned a Ph.D. in Sociology from Howard University.  Dr. Henny’s research experience is primarily in mental health particularly among HIV-seropositive populations.  He has published and presented studies in this area for several publications and professional conferences.  Dr. Henny has held positions at several institutions including Mathematica Policy, Inc., University of Texas-San Antonio Medical Center, and National Center for Children in Poverty of Columbia University.

As an ORISE fellow, he researched topics on community-based HIV prevention and intervention initiatives including the Health and Housing project and Epidemiological Aid Investigations on HIV Incidence in Prisons. Currently, Dr. Henny is a full-time CDC behavioral scientist. He serves as a consultant on a formative research project on developing HIV prevention interventions for African American Heterosexual Males and as a meta-analyst on the Research Synthesis and Translation Team of the CDC DHAP Prevention Research Branch.

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Gladys Ibanez Ph.D. (2002-2004)

Dr. Gladys Ibañez received her doctoral degree in Community Psychology from Georgia State University in 2002. Shortly after receiving her doctorate, she was awarded the ORISE HIV and Communities of Color Post-doctoral Research Fellowship at CDC DHAP. During her 2-year fellowship at CDC, her research primarily focused on drug-using and men who have sex with men (MSM) populations. For example, she was part of the INSPIRE study, a multi-site intervention for HIV-positive injection drug users to reduce sexual and injection risk behaviors. She also published findings from the SUMIT project regarding sexual risk among MSM. Her research interests include HIV prevention in communities of color, particularly Latino populations, drug use research, and youth. She is currently a research associate at the University of Delaware’s Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies (CDAS) conducting research studies on prescription drug use among various drug-using populations in the Miami area, including gay men and elderly and treatment populations. In addition, she is currently assisting in development of an intervention to reduce drug use and sexual risk behaviors among MSM in Dade and Broward County.

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Khiya J. Marshall, Dr.PH, MPH (2007-2009)

Dr. Khiya Marshall earned a Dr.PH and an MPH from the University of North Texas Health Science Center- School of Public Health in Social and Behavioral Sciences and Community Health, and a B.A. in Sociology from Spelman College. Her interests include racial/ethnic disparities and HIV/AIDS among minority populations with emphasis on women and adolescents. Her previous experience focused on the health disparities of documented and undocumented Latino women and Mexican immigrants in North Texas, which culminated with peer-reviewed published articles and a presentation at the American Public Health Association annual meeting. As an ORISE fellow, Dr. Marshall has provided expertise for the micro-enterprise Project, which examines Micro-enterprise as an HIV prevention intervention for impoverished African American women living in the southeastern United States. Additionally, she has led and completed a qualitative review that examined the risk and protective factors associated with sexual-risk behaviors among African American youth and identified evidence-based HIV interventions for dissemination in a book chapter. Dr. Marshall has also worked on the Transit TV Project for African American adolescents. Dr. Marshall has worked on several meta-analyses focusing on African American women, African American heterosexual men, and HIV-positive men who have sex with men (MSM) in the United States. In December 2007, Dr. Marshall presented findings from a meta-analysis on African-American women at the National HIV Prevention Conference. Additionally, she has led and completed a qualitative review that examined the risk and protective factors associated with sexual-risk behaviors among African American youth and identified evidence-based HIV interventions for dissemination in a book chapter. The book chapter along with her Micro-enterprise Project findings was presented at the 2008 American Public Health Association Annual Meeting.

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Carolyn P. Parks-Bani, Ph.D. (2007-2009)

Dr. Carolyn P. Parks-Bani came to the ORISE Fellowship with almost 20 years of teaching, research and practice experience at the university level as a community health education specialist. Dr. Parks-Bani earned a Ph.D. in health education from The University of Tennessee at Knoxville, an M.S. in health education from Western Illinois University, and a B.S. in biology from Wheaton College (IL). Her community research and practice has focused on the development, implementation and evaluation of grassroots health promotion and disease prevention strategies for African-Americans, disadvantaged and poor populations, and other groups of color. Her areas of expertise include: health promotion through African-American churches; community assets mapping; community-based public health research and practice; empowerment education; exploring the health impacts of the "strong Black woman" phenomenon; the development of culturally relevant health education materials, programs, and research instruments; and barriers to health communication and health care services provision for groups of color and low socioeconomic populations. As an ORISE Fellow, Dr. Parks-Bani served as an active member of the SISTA (Sisters Informing Sisters about Topics on AIDS), SIHLE (Sisters Informing, Healing, Learning, and Empowering), and WILLOW (Women Involved in Life Learning from Other Women) Diffusion Team and the Science Application Team of the CDC DHAP Capacity Building Branch. SISTA, SIHLE and WILLOW represent the three major CDC-funded HIV/AIDS DEBI interventions for African-American women. Specifically, Dr. Parks-Bani developed the instrument and procedures for the administration of a training evaluation for the over 350 national community based organizations that have sent staff to be trained in the SISTA Intervention. The evaluation also assessed implementation readiness and the technical assistance needs for SIHLE and WILLOW as the two newest interventions for African-American women. In addition, Dr. Parks-Bani: conducted extensive reviews of all diffusion materials associated with the SISTA, SIHLE and WILLOW interventions; participated in the SISTA Training of Trainers (TOTs) and Training of Facilitators (TOFs), and the pilots of the SIHLE and WILLOW Interventions; and conducted and/or moderated various workshops and presentations on HIV/AIDS in the African-American community and the role of faith communities in HIV prevention. Dr. Parks-Bani continued her work in the Capacity Building Branch through her new Behavioral Scientist position with a specific focus on the development and implementation of HIV prevention strategies for African-American churches.

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Carla E. Stokes, Ph.D, MPH (2004-2006)

Dr. Carla Stokes earned a Ph.D. and an M.P.H. from the University of Michigan in Health Behavior and Health Education and a B.A. in Psychology from Spelman College.  She also completed coursework in advanced Web design and development at Emory University.  She is particularly interested in racial/ethnic health disparities, Web-based research and interventions, and how the media and hip hop-influenced popular culture affect the sexual development of black adolescent girls.  Carla’s dissertation research examined the intersection of hip hop, youth culture, sexuality, and identity in Internet home pages constructed by black adolescent girls residing in southern states with the highest rates of HIV/AIDS among black Americans.  Her dissertation won honorable mention in the 2004 University of Michigan Distinguished Dissertation Awards competition, where it was recognized for exceptional and unusually interesting scholarly work produced by a doctoral student.  Prior to receiving her doctorate, Dr. Stokes developed and taught undergraduate courses on black women’s health and representations of black women in hip hop culture for the University of Michigan Department of Women's Studies.  She has also designed, implemented, and evaluated sexual and reproductive health programming in school and community settings and provided program evaluation services to ethnic minority community-based organizations addressing the HIV/AIDS and substance abuse treatment and prevention needs of people of color, women, and youth.  As an ORISE fellow, she analyzed longitudinal data to investigate further the ways in which black girls use media and hip hop culture to negotiate their sexuality and construct identity online. Dr. Stokes is the president/CEO and founder of Helping Our Teen Girls In Real Life Situations, Inc. (HOTGIRLS).

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Carols Toledo, Ph.D. (2002-2004)

Carlos Toledo received his Ph.D. from the University of Georgia in Child and Family Development in 2001. As an ORISE fellow, Carlos was assigned to the Program Evaluation Branch in DHAP, where he currently works as a health scientist. In PEB, Carlos has worked on a number of projects including the evaluation of Program Announcement 01163, "HIV Prevention Projects for Community-Based Organizations Targeting Young Men of Color Who Have Sex With Men,” the evaluation of the Minority AIDS Initiative, and several other Branch evaluation activities. In 2006, Carlos was accepted into the International Experience and Technical Assistance (IETA) program where he completed field assignments in Zambia and Thailand. Through the IETA program, Carlos worked on projects examining HIV infection and risk behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Zambia, Thailand, and Laos. Carlos is currently on detail in the DHAP Office of the Director serving as an Associate Director for MSM Disparities in HIV/AIDS.

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Scyatta A. Wallace, Ph.D.  (2002-2004)

Scyatta A. Wallace, Ph.D., received her doctorate in Developmental Psychology from Fordham University and her BA in Psychology from Yale University. Dr. Wallace completed an ORISE Communities of Color fellowship in 2004,. For her fellowship, she worked in the Epidemiology Branch under the mentorship of Kim Miller, Ph.D. As part of the fellowship, Dr. Wallace assisted with the Parents Matter! Project, a longitudinal multi-site HIV preventive intervention for over 1000 Black American parents of pre-adolescents. Dr. Wallace is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at St. John’s University in Jamaica, New York. She is a principal investigator on a 4-year study funded by CDC. The objective of the study is to develop culturally tailored and gender specific health education materials that promote HIV testing among low income heterosexual young adult black men recently released for jail/prison. Dr. Wallace is also a principal investigator on an NIH funded study to test a conceptual model examining the relationship of neighborhood factors to HIV risk behaviors among African American youth. In addition she is involved with several other studies focused on examining social influences related to substance use and sexual risk among black youth.

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Lari Warren-Jeanpiere, Ph.D. (2007-2009)

Dr. Lari Warren-Jeanpiere earned a Ph.D. and an M.A. in sociology from Wayne State University, and a B.A. in sociology from Hampton University.  Her research expertise includes racial/ethnic health disparities, women’s health, the social construction of African American sexuality, and intergenerational sexual health communication within African American families, particularly related to mothers and daughters.  She has published and presented scientific findings at several professional and lay conferences, including a Minority Health Disparities Panel at the 2006 National Newspapers Publishers Annual Convention regarding these research areas.  Prior to becoming an ORISE Fellow, Dr. Warren-Jeanpiere was a research associate/project coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University, where she worked with an interdisciplinary group of practitioners and researchers to assess the health literacy and health information needs of a medically disadvantaged,  inner-city population.  As an ORISE Fellow, Dr. Warren-Jeanpiere is analyzing qualitative and quantitative data regarding the HIV/AIDS Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors (KAB) among students attending Historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU).  Her analyses focus on the socio-structural factors which influence the sexual decision making of African American HBCU students.  In 2008 Dr. Warren-Jeanpiere was designated as a Health Disparities Scholar by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) on her commitment to becoming an independent HIV/AIDS investigator in order to combat the HIV/AIDS crisis in the African American community.

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Kim Williams Ph.D. (2002-2004)

Dr. Kim M. Williams earned a Ph.D. in medical sociology from Howard University, an MSW in planning and administration from The Ohio State University and a B.S. in social work from Morgan State University. Her clinical experiences have been in the areas of mental health counseling and case management. As an ORISE Postdoctoral Fellow she designed and implemented a study that examined the use and provision of HIV/AIDS and STD services to young women at risk for infection. She also served as a consultant on a wide range of behavioral intervention research projects and workgroups, providing both scientific and technical expertise. Dr. Williams is presently a behavioral scientist in the Prevention Research Branch in the Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention. Her current work includes leading projects focused on prevention for HIV positive and at risk women in the Southern U.S., and developing prevention interventions for African American heterosexual men.

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Leigh A. Willis, Ph.D, MPH (2007-2009)

Dr. Leigh A. Willis earned a Ph.D. in Medical Sociology and an M.P.H. in Health Behavior from the University of Alabama, Birmingham and a B.A. with Department Honors in Sociology and Human Services from Albion College. His broad research interests include sexual risk, mental health, violence prevention, health disparities, intervention development, health communication and evaluation. Specifically, his research focuses on the sexual risk of heterosexual African-American men and adolescents. He has presented and published in all of these areas. Presently, as a jointly appointed ORISE Community of Color Fellow in the Prevention Research Branch he is engaged in preventing the epidemic: 1) as a member of the Prevention Research Synthesis (PRS) Team, leading a meta-analytical review of parent-child communication interventions; 2) by providing technical assistance on the Intervention Research Team (IRT) as a project consultant on the Preventing African American Transmission of Heterosexual HIV Project (for Men) (PATHH 4MEN), Groundbreaking Interventions Project (Transgender and Heterosexually Active African-American Men, Transit TV (African-American Youth); 3) as a team member on the Replicating Effective Programs (REP) Team for Project AIM, an intervention for which he was an original interventionist; 4) by developing future projects with the assistance of other scientists. Prior to accepting this fellowship position Dr. Willis was a faculty member at The University of Georgia (UGA), where he was jointly appointed in the Department of Sociology and The Institute for African-American Studies. At UGA he taught courses in Medial Sociology and Race and Ethnicity.

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