Faculty and Staff Profile

Kerry Howard

Educational Background

Ph.D. Applied Health Research and Evaluation
Clemson University 2022

M.S. Experimental Psychology - Cognitive Neuroscience
Seton Hall University 2018

M.S. Applied Health Research and Evaluation
Clemson University 2020

B.A. Psychology
Stonehill College 2015

Profile

Dr. Howard (she/her) is a the Research Manager for the Center for Public Health Modeling and Response. She has served as a research assistant in the fields of public health and psychology since 2014, accumulating extensive experience with research design, data maintenance and analysis, and scientific writing, as well as an understanding of how these areas can be applied to improve real-world outcomes and disseminate findings to the community. In addition to her role at Clemson University, Dr. Howard serves as a data analyst examining treatment of COVID-19 at the CURE Drug Repurposing Collaboratory, a program within the Critical Path Institute; and a project manager for health disparities research in collaboration with Indiana University.

Research Interests

Dr. Howard’s research focuses on the elimination of health disparities through the use of data to identify disparities in the community and prevent disease. Her dissertation examined methodological considerations for prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, which is in addition to her research on factors related to optimal delivery of care in disadvantaged populations, prevention and treatment of opioid use disorder, and community factors that affect child safety.

Research Publications

Rennert, L., Howard, K. A., Walker, K. B., Furmanek, D. L., Blackhurst, D., Cancellaro, V. A., & Litwin, A. H. (2022). Evaluation of policies limiting opioid exposure on opioid prescribing and patient pain in opioid-naïve patients undergoing elective surgery in a large American health system. Journal of Patient Safety. Impact Factor: 2.8.

Gormley, M. A., Akiyama, M. J., Rennert, L., Howard, K. A., Norton, B. L., Pericot-Valverde, I., Muench, S., Heo, M., Litwin, A. H. (2021). Changes in health-related quality of life for HCV-infected people who inject drugs on opioid agonist treatment following sustained virologic response. Clinical Infectious Diseases. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciab669. Impact Factor: 9.1.

Howard, K. A., Griffin, S. F., Rolke, L. J., & Sease, K. K. (2021). Factors related to youth self-efficacy for injury prevention bicycle skills. Journal of Safety Research. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsr.2021.08.009. Impact Factor: 3.5.

Howard, K. A., Rennert, L., Pericot-Valverde, I., Heo, M., Norton, B. L., Akiyama, M. J., Agyemang, L., & Litwin, A. H. (2021). Utilizing patient perception of group treatment in exploring medication adherence, social support, and quality of life outcomes in people who inject drugs with Hepatitis C. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsat.2021.108459. Impact Factor: 3.8.

Howard, K. A., & Hunter, A. S. (2019). The immediate and long-lasting cognitive consequences of adolescent chronic sleep restriction. Behavioral Neuroscience, 133(5), 461-466. https://doi.org/10.1037/bne0000312. Impact Factor: 2.7.

Howard, K. A., Griffin, S. F., Rolke, L. J., Venable, J., Stuenkel, M., & Sease, K. K. Wheels to Wellness: Considerations for teaching and evaluating bicycle skill acquisition and safety behavior among children. Manuscript under revision.

Howard, K. A., Griffin, S. F., Stuenkel, M., & Sease, K. K. Community features’ varying insight into emergency department use for different childhood injuries. Manuscript under review.

Kalbaugh, C. A., Witrick, B., Howard, K. A., Sivaraj, L. B., McGinigle, K. L., Cykert, S., Robinson III, W. P., & Lesko, C. R. Investigating the contribution of sub-optimal prescription of preoperative aspirin and statins to racial/ethnic disparities in major limb amputations. Manuscript under review.

Stuenkel, M., Howard, K. A., Rolke, L. J.; Sease, K. K., Griffin, S. F. Increased severity and prevalence in mental health visits to School-Based Health Centers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Longitudinal data from 2018-2021. Manuscript under review.

Honors and Awards

2022 Student Poster of Distinction – American Academy of Health Behavior, Key Largo, FL
2018 Graduate Fellowship Award Recipient – Clemson University, Clemson, SC
2018 Highest Distinction Honors – Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ