Main ContentMeet Our Researchers
Lei Zhang, PhD, MBA
Dr. Zhang serves as PI of the SIMM Program. He is a Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship in UMMC's School of Nursing, with secondary appointments as professor in UMMC's John D. Bower School of Population Health and its School of Health-Related Professions. Prior to joining the faculty at UMMC, Dr. Zhang had a 20-year career with the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). During his tenure with MSDH, Dr. Zhang worked extensively with community groups in Jackson and throughout Mississippi in joint efforts to improve public health. A biostatistician by training, he previously directed MSDH's Office of Health Data and Research, where he was the PI for the Mississippi Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), and Behavioral Risk Factoring Surveillance System (BRFSS). Dr. Zhang is a member of Mississippi Suicide Prevention Workgroup and participated in the development of the Mississippi Suicide Prevention Plan.
Erin Dehon, PhD
As associate professor of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Dehon is one of approximately 15 clinical psychologists in the nation with primary faculty appointments in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Dehon’s scholarly interests include survey research, with specific training and expertise in evidence-based treatments for mental health conditions, behavioral and psychological assessments, and quantitative and qualitative research using social-psychological variables. She works closely with Drs. Karimi and Morris and our community partners to develop and administer the surveys described in our scope of work.
Masoumeh Karimi, PhD, MPH
Dr. Karimi is an assistant professor in UMMC’s School of Nursing. She holds a PhD in Health Psychology and an MPH, with a major focus in epidemiology and biostatistics. She served as a co-PI of a national mental health screening program in Tehran, “Validity, Sensitivity and Specificity of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28, GHQ-12, and K-10) among Iranian Medical Students.” Dr. Karimi works closely with Drs. Dehon and Morris and our community partners to develop and administer the surveys described in our scope of work.
Courtney Mitchell, MD, PhD
Dr. Mitchell is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in UMMC’s Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board-certified in OB-GYN and maternal-fetal medicine. Dr. Mitchell assists with project operations with Drs. Zhang and Morris, assist with initiatives involving pregnant and postpartum women and participate in efforts to realize goals.
Matthew Morris, PhD
Dr. Morris is a clinical psychologist and an associate professor in UMMC’s Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. He has expertise in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD, and chronic pain. His research is focused on trauma-related mental and physical health conditions, including psychosocial and neuroendocrine risk factors for PTSD and persistent pain, and understanding determinants of racial/ethnic disparities in acute and chronic pain. Dr. Morris works closely with Drs. Dehon and Karimi and our community partners to develop and administer the surveys described in our scope of work.
Andrew Voluse, PhD
Dr. Voluse is an Associate Professor and practicing clinician, UMMC’s Dept. of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Dr. Voluse has extensive experience with SUD as well as IPV screenings and interventions for high-risk populations. Dr. Voluse works with Drs. Morris, Karimi, and Owens on all initiatives involving program training development and implementation of goals, and lead efforts in achieving them.
Community Partners
Converge assists in identifying needs of Community Health Centers and other healthcare providers in Mississippi providing services to victims of IPV; provides input and counsel for the SIMM Initiative’s pilot project development; reviews the SIMM Initiative’s evidence-based IPV and SUD training program; assists in developing and designing an on-line self-paced course; provide evaluation support for the training program to support development of evaluation materials and post-training data delivery and preliminary data analysis; verify continuing education credits through the Mississippi Nursing Foundation to all participants who complete the training module; and disseminates opportunities for IPV staff members to be trained in the Converge-endorsed program to identify and refer pregnant and postpartum women with SUD.
Mississippi Coalition Against Domestic Violence (MCADV) assists in identifying needs of community organizations in Mississippi providing services to victims of interpersonal violence (IPV); accommodates the SIMM Initiative in developing a statewide registry of professionals and community groups offering supportive services to pregnant and postpartum victims of IPV; reviews the evidence-based SUD training program developed by the SIMM Initiative; and disseminate opportunities for IPV staff members to be trained in the MCADV-endorsed program to identify and refer pregnant and postpartum women with SUD.
Mississippi Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MSCASA) assists in identifying needs of community organizations in Mississippi providing services to victims of interpersonal violence (IPV); provides input and counsel for the SIMM Initiative’s pilot project development; accommodate the SIMM Initiative in developing a statewide registry of professionals and community groups offering supportive services to pregnant and postpartum victims of IPV; reviews the evidence-based SUD training program developed by the SIMM Initiative, and disseminate opportunities for IPV staff members to be trained in the MSCASA-endorsed program to identify and refer pregnant and postpartum women with SUD.
Community Health Centers Association of Mississippi (CHCAMS) assists in identifying needs of Community Health Centers in Mississippi providing services to victims of interpersonal violence (IPV); provides input and counsel for the SIMM Initiative’s pilot project development; reviews the SIMM Initiative’s evidence-based IPV and substance use disorder (SUD) training program; and disseminate opportunities for staff members training in identifying and referring pregnant and postpartum women with SUD and/or experiencing IPV.
Dr. Qing Li serves as a co-investigator and assists in the design and conceptual framework of the proposed program; helps the external evaluation team on program evaluation; assists with required reports and dissemination of the findings; and provide technical advice to inform the designs and implementation of sustainable follow-up programs.
Izzy Thornton, PhD is the senior evaluation associate at the University of Mississippi’s Center for Evaluation Research (CERE). Dr. Thornton serves as the subcontract PI and provides day-to-day management of Goal 7 and its objectives. She will work closely with Dr. Thornton on all external evaluation activities, and with Drs. Zhang, Karimi, and Mason on all pertinent statewide data for completion of goals.
Terrence Shirley, MPH is an experienced healthcare administration leader in Mississippi. Before his appointment, Mr. Shirley worked for eight years as administrator of the Cancer Institute at the University of Mississippi. Medical Center (UMMC) and has been active in the health care industry since 1980. In addition to working at UMMC in various leadership roles since the late 1990s, Mr. Shirley has extensive experience as a director of federally supported community health centers and state-level public health services in the southeast. Assists in identifying needs of Community Health Centers in Mississippi providing services to victims of interpersonal violence (IPV); provides input and counsel for the SIMM Initiative’s pilot project development; reviews the SIMM Initiative’s evidence-based IPV and substance use disorder (SUD) training program; and disseminate opportunities for staff members training in identifying and referring pregnant and postpartum women with SUD and/or experiencing IPV.
Sonja R. Fuqua, PhD, RN is the chief clinical services officer for the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi. With more than 30 years in nursing, her experiences range from obstetric nursing (clinical) to manager of research and recruitment with the Jackson Heart Study (10 years), to four years with G.A. Carmichael Family Health Center (GACFHC), one of the CHCAMS member community health centers. Dr, Fuqua assists in identifying the needs of community health centers in Mississippi providing services to victims of interpersonal violence (IPV); provides input and counsel for the SIMM Initiative’s pilot project development; reviews the SIMM Initiative’s evidence-based IPV and substance use disorder (SUD) training program; and disseminates opportunities for staff members training in identifying and referring pregnant and postpartum women with SUD and/or experiencing IPV.