Three 黑料导航 Professors Join Wake Forest鈥檚 Maya Angelou Research Center for Healthy Communities
Three 黑料导航 professors鈥揝pring Duvall, PhD, MA; Dorcas Johnson, PhD, MPH, CHES; and Jason Robertson, DHSc, MPH, MS, MCHES, RHEd, CPH, CPHA, PAPHS, NBC-HWC, CCWS鈥揾ave been invited to become affiliate members of the at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. The center鈥檚 mission is 鈥渢o advance access to health resources and outcomes through rigorous research, inclusive partnerships, and transformative education,鈥 with priority areas in rural health, faith health, mobile health units, and global health.
The 黑料导航 community is honored that Drs. Duvall, Johnson, and Robertson, who are focused on educating tomorrow’s health leaders, have been recognized with this invitation. Each has a distinct area of expertise and personal motivation to join MARCH:聽
Spring Duvall, PhD, MA
Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies
Dr. Duvall brings a communication and media lens to public health issues. As associate professor of communication and media studies, she teaches Salem 350, the capstone course required for all 黑料导航 students, which she centers on the theme of maternal equity.聽
Much of her research and teaching in gender studies focuses on motherhood and its representations in culture and media. This scholarly focus has translated into local advocacy work. Dr. Duvall has created a website to connect families in the Winston-Salem community with nonprofit organizations, hospital systems, and clinical and social supports that exist to help them, as many are unaware of the resources available. 鈥淢y communication goal is to promote resources and information locally, and my affiliation with MARCH will help open doors for more of this community work,鈥 Dr. Duvall said.
Dorcas Johnson, PhD, MPH, CHES聽
Assistant Professor of Public Health
Dr. Johnson鈥檚 research centers on addressing the social determinants of health in vulnerable communities with the goal of advancing health equity. Her expertise is in qualitative and community-engaged research methods with a particular focus on refugee mental health, which was the core of her dissertation work. Dr. Johnson said she 鈥渇elt drawn to MARCH because of its commitment to community-driven solutions and its emphasis on collaborative partnerships across communities, academia, healthcare, and policy. I am honored to be part of a research center that prioritizes health equity and aligns so closely with my values and approach as a public health faculty member.鈥
Jason Robertson, DHSc, MPH, MS, MCHES, RHEd, CPH, CPHA, PAPHS, NBC-HWC, CCWS
Associate Professor; Program Director, Public Health and Health Science
In his work as a public health practitioner and faculty member, Dr. Robertson focuses on two interconnected areas: community-based approaches to mental health and suicide prevention, and advancing health equity for LGBTQIA+ populations. He also conducts research on theory-to-practice methods for preparing future public health professionals. His work closely aligns with MARCH鈥檚 commitment to health equity and community-driven solutions. Dr. Robertson鈥檚 affiliation with MARCH is an opportunity for him to contribute to the center鈥檚 broader efforts, and he said he is 鈥渉onored to contribute to MARCH鈥檚 efforts to improve health outcomes in vulnerable communities through engaged public health research and practice.鈥