Chronic Disease Prevention and Management Interventions (CDPMI) Laboratory

Sarah Griffin, Ph.D.
Sarah Griffin is a professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences and serves as the graduate student coordinator.  With over 30 years of experience in public health, Griffin’s research focuses on the dissemination, implementation and effectiveness of evidence-based approaches for prevention and treatment of obesity and other chronic diseases. She is a member of the American Academy of Health Behavior and the American Public Health Association. Her hard work and dedication earned her the Clemson University Centennial Professor award in April 2025.

Windsor Sherrill, Ph.D.
Windsor Westbrook Sherrill is the Provost’s Distinguished Professor of Public Health Sciences and serves as senior associate vice president for research, where she is advancing research and strengthening partnerships with health systems and community organizations. Her research spans medical and health management education, health finance and policy, and the evaluation of health services and health education programs, with a strong emphasis on chronic disease prevention and management, particularly diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer. Her work focuses on community-based interventions, health equity, and addressing social determinants of health to improve outcomes in underserved populations.

Lu Zhang, Ph.D.
Lu Zhang is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences. She received her Ph.D. degree in epidemiology with minor in biostatistics from School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and her two-year postdoctoral training at Louisiana Tumor Registry. Her current research focuses on health disparities in cancer control continuum, especially place-based health disparities, disparities in lung cancer prevention, screening and treatment and effects of health policy in reducing disparities in cancer care. Her research is supported by the American Cancer Society.

Brian Witrick, Ph.D.
Brian Witrick is an assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University. His research focuses on cardiovascular disease outcomes, particularly heart failure and peripheral artery disease, with an emphasis on improving population health and reducing disparities across communities. He applies spatial and quantitative epidemiologic methods to support public health departments and clinical partners in identifying patterns of disease burden, healthcare utilization, and gaps in access to care. His work has examined factors associated with stroke risk among individuals with heart failure and explored how community-level socioeconomic conditions shape cardiovascular outcomes. In addition, he conducts research on geographic variation in health care expenditures and utilization among individuals with chronic conditions, with the goal of informing more efficient and equitable approaches to care delivery. Witrick collaborates closely with state health departments, healthcare systems, and community partners to translate research findings into actionable insights that inform clinical practice and public health decision-making. His work also includes efforts to strengthen data infrastructure and analytic capacity within applied public health settings. Collectively, his research reflects a commitment to bridging epidemiologic methods with real-world implementation to improve chronic disease outcomes, particularly in rural and underserved populations.

Kathleen Cartmell, Ph.D., MPH
Kathleen Cartmell is a health services researcher, with a focus on dissemination and implementation of evidence-based strategies for healthcare delivery. She received her PhD from the Medical University of South Carolina in Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and her Master of Public Health Degree from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health. Her research has focused on tobacco cessation, HPV vaccination and interventions to address vaccine hesitancy. She also conducts research in India to expand palliative care delivery through a novel community health worker for medically underserved rural communities. Dr. Cartmell is also expanding her research focus to include chronic disease prevention. She recently partnered with Clemson Rural Health to expand her community health worker program approaches for use in rural South Carolina communities, while integrating technology to enhance the level of care that can be provided in community settings. She partners with the PRISMA Health Cancer Institute’s Center for Integrative Oncology and Survivorship to develop research projects to expand capacity for delivering support for cancer patients following a cancer diagnosis.

Stella Lartey, Ph.D.
Stella T. Lartey is an assistant professor with the Department of Public Health Sciences, College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences and a 2025-2026 Health and Aging Fellow with placement in the 119th Congress. Her academic training is in epidemiology and health economics, and she has career experience in both community and hospital-based program development, implementation and evaluation. She has been pivotal in developing study protocols and supporting the conduct of various clinical trials, observational studies, and systematic reviews, and led survey-based studies in countries including Ghana, Australia and the United Kingdom. While she contributes to life-course NCDs epidemiological and health economics studies, her research mostly focuses on 1) NCDs epidemiology and cognitive health in older adults (50+ years), 2) health economics and outcomes research, and 3) research aimed at improving interventions, health systems, and healthcare access. She draws on methods and theories from public health, epidemiology, health and development economics and pulls work from her interest areas to support translating research findings into policies.

Becky Tugman, Ph.D.
Over her 20 years in higher education, Becky Tugman has taught over 23 courses, ranging from school health education to exercise science to public health. Currently, her academic focus is on increasing health literacy education among future healthcare providers and public health promotion specialists. In addition to teaching, she is a Senior Faculty Fellow for the Office of Teaching Excellence and Innovation (OTEI) to assist faculty with documenting teaching effectiveness, scholarship of teaching and learning, and course design.

Ralph Welsh, MS
Ralph Welsh is a principal lecturer in the Department of Public Health Sciences. His academic training, obtained through a school of public health, is in the areas of exercise science; health promotion, education and human behavior; and research methods. His areas of expertise include designing and managing studies focused on evaluating health-related physical activity behavior, psychosocial determinants of physical activity behavior, physiological and psychological responses to vigorous intensity physical activity behavior, and students’ experiences and perspectives associated with community outreach digital media project-based pedagogy. Ralph has worked with diverse populations, including competitive and recreational athletes, adolescent girls enrolled in school-based physical activity promotion programs, racially and economically diverse children enrolled in hospital-based obesity treatment programs, and undergraduate students enrolled in large universities and historically black colleges. In addition to his research experiences, he has taught a variety of undergraduate courses on promoting and evaluating cardiovascular health-related responses to exercise/physical activity, including Population Health and Fitness, Determinants of Health Behavior, Personal and Community Health, Physiological Responses to Exercise, Anatomy & Physiology, and Independent Research Study.

Lindsey Gorham, MPH
Lindsey Gorham is an educator and public health professional committed to advancing chronic disease prevention through teaching, mentorship, and community engagement. Originally from New Jersey and rooted in South Carolina, Lindsey began her career in K–12 education, earning degrees in Elementary and Special Education from the College of Charleston. She later served as an Instructional Coach, supporting teachers in improving student outcomes. Motivated by a commitment to addressing health disparities and promoting wellness, Lindsey completed her Master’s in Public Health in 2024, specializing in prevention and population health. Since 2022, she has served as the Health Science Internship Coordinator and Lecturer at Clemson University, integrating public health principles into experiential learning. Through her internship course, students apply public health knowledge in real-world settings, gaining hands-on experience that prepares them for careers. Lindsey also teaches Introduction to Public Health and Health Appraisals, both of which emphasize chronic disease prevention. In Health Appraisals, students develop practical skills, including conducting lipid testing, measuring blood pressure manually, and performing A1C testing, with a strong focus on understanding the implications of these assessments. Lindsey’s work bridges education and public health, equipping students to become leaders in chronic disease prevention and health promotion.

Ally Driver, MPH, Ph.D.
Ally Driver is a Lecturer in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University and a doctoral candidate in Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia College of Public Health. Her teaching and research center on women’s health, community-based health promotion, and qualitative approaches to understanding health behavior. At Clemson, Ally teaches undergraduate courses in public health, specifically human health and disease and determinants of health behavior, fostering critical thinking and applied learning among students pursuing careers in health and human services. As a graduate assistant in the Social Technologies and Risk Reduction (STARR) Lab at UGA, she has contributed to multiple projects involving qualitative data analysis, survey development, and public health communication. Her professional experiences span academia, youth development, and wellness education. Beyond the classroom, Ally serves as a 200-hour certified yoga instructor at Solshine Wellness, where she integrates mindfulness and movement into holistic approaches to wellbeing. Ally’s passion lies in empowering individuals and communities—particularly women and youth—to make informed health decisions through education, research, and compassionate leadership. She is an active member of the American Public Health Association, South Carolina Public Health Association, and Clemson University’s Faculty Senate, where she represents the College of Behavioral, Social, and Health Sciences.

Amelia Clinkscales
Amelia B. Clinkscales worked in Health Education and Corporate Wellness for Prisma Health (formerly Palmetto Health Alliance), BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, and Michelin prior to becoming a lecturer in the Health Sciences Department for Furman University where she taught for five years. Clinkscales transitioned to teaching for Clemson University in 2015 and served as the Undergraduate Coordinator for the Department of Public Health Sciences from Fall 2019 to August 2026. Under her leadership, she transformed the advising process, streamlined study abroad opportunities for students, and nearly doubled student enrollment. Clinkscales primarily teaches Women’s Health Issues and Health Policy Ethics and Law. She also serves as the Honors Coordinator for the department. Clinkscales is a Doctoral Candidate in Policy Studies in the Department of Political Science at Clemson University. Research interests include maternal and child health policy, neonatal abstinence syndrome, and policies related to women's health and wellness that facilitates or inhibits barriers and/or access to healthcare service delivery. Clinkscales has been certified to teach group exercise classes for 20 years. While she can teach anything from an interval class to yoga, her passion is for cycling. Ride with her at the Life Center YMCA in Greenville at 5:45 a.m. on Monday mornings!

Katymay Malone, Ph.D.
Katymay Malone is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences in the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. She also serves as the program coordinator for the Master of Public Health (MPH) program. Dr. Malone holds a Ph.D. in Health Education with a cognate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, and her dissertation research examined menstrual changes and menstrual management strategies. Dr. Malone has over ten years of teaching, advising, and program coordination experience in higher education. Additional related professional experience includes serving as an Independent Contractor/Consultant (e.g., Subject Matter Expert, Grant Reviewer, Panel Chair) for federal and state agencies with a focus on public health, education, and human services; Volunteer Health Officer with the National Women’s Health Network (2022-2024) where she was a content expert on women’s health and supported research, writing, and strategic communication and outreach efforts; and a Health and Sexuality Education Curriculum Coordinator and Teacher at the primary and secondary levels. Katymay currently teaches the following courses with coverage of chronic diseases: HLTH 2980 Human Health and Disease, HLTH 4150/6150 Public Health Issues in Obesity and Eating Disorders, and HLTH 4000/6000 Contemporary Issues in Women’s Health.

Wiley Jenkins, Ph.D. 
Professor and chair of the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University, he spent 13 years with the Illinois Department of Public Health before moving into academia in 2007. He began exploring and working to address rural health disparities in 2009 on the topic of sexually transmitted infections, made a purposeful shift to rural cancer disparities and epidemiology in 2012, and in 2017 (through 2023) was fortunate to partner with Dr. Mai Pho and co-lead the NIH/NIDA-funded clinical trial Ending Transmission of HIV, HCV, and STDs and Overdose in Rural Communities of People who Inject Drugs (ETHIC). As part of the national Rural Opioid Initiative, this work was foundational to developing the organizational and community collaborations to successfully perform large-scale engagement among people who use drugs in rural areas. Further, it allowed exploration regarding the multiple dimensions of health we all experience, to include such factors as health care access and utilization, cancer risk and screening, and personalized and person-centered means of engagement. Jenkins is actively engaged in helping establish similar, field-based collaborations to continue to work with rural PWUD and address their contextually-specific health risks and opportunities.

Md Tareq Ferdous Khan, Ph.D.
Md Tareq Ferdous Khan is an assistant professor of biostatistics in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University. This follows an early academic career in Bangladesh, where he held faculty positions at three universities after completing his first MS in statistics. His research integrates methodological innovation with applied biostatistics to investigate diverse health outcomes and risk factors across clinical, behavioral, and population health domains. Dr. Khan’s expertise includes repeated measures and longitudinal data analysis, mixed-effects modeling, Bayesian methods, categorical data analysis, and clinical trial design. He is also interested in applying data science and machine learning techniques to health and behavioral research. Much of his current work focuses on substance use and mental health, leveraging large-scale national surveys and electronic health records to examine underlying associations and mechanisms.

Amanda Stover, Ph.D., MPH
Amanda Stover’s research focuses on substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health conditions, with particular emphasis on peer-driven, community-based interventions for overdose and suicide prevention in rural communities. She has served as principal investigator or key personnel on multiple federally and state-funded projects examining opioid overdose risk, suicide prevention and health communication, with support from the South Carolina Opioid Recovery Fund, the Knight Foundation and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. She is currently leading projects to map opioid risk and counter overdose misinformation in rural communities and actively mentors students conducting research on college students’ beliefs and attitudes related to opioid overdose and suicide. Her recently completed work includes the development and evaluation of suicide prevention gatekeeper training for community pharmacy staff, as well as studies examining inpatient assessment of overdose and suicide risk among individuals with opioid use disorder.

Xia Jing, MD
Xia Jing is a health informatics scholar educated in medical informatics (MD), health informatics (Ph.D.), and clinical informatics (Post Doctoral training). She is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Clemson University and a core faculty member of Clemson-MUSC joint Biomedical Data Science and Informatics (BDSI) program. She conducts studies in health informatics and digital health to facilitate clinicians, clinical researchers, and healthcare administrators to make better and more informed decisions. Her research has been supported through NIH (R01, R15, T15) and NSF. She teaches various undergraduate and doctoral health informatics courses. She also serves as a study section reviewer for multiple NIH study sections, and she serves communities mainly via the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) and the American Heart Association (AHA). She serves as an associate editor for Frontiers Digital Health-Health Informatics section and she is an editorial board member for BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making, Health Informatics Journal, and Journal of Clinical Informatics.