Faculty

PROGRAM DIRECTOR

Steven Browning, PhD, from the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky, directs the OccEpi program.  Dr. Browning is an Associate Professor and also the Director of Graduate Studies in Epidemiology.  He has been employed at the University of Kentucky since 1994 in faculty positions in both the College of Medicine and the College of Nursing in addition to his current position in the College of Public Health.  He has held positions within state health departments (New York State Department of Health) and in private industry, in addition to his academic appointments.  Dr. Browning’s research interests are in occupational, environmental, and injury epidemiology. Dr. Browning teaches graduate level courses in advanced epidemiologic methods, study design, social epidemiology, and cardiovascular epidemiology and has advised over 90 graduate students for doctoral dissertations and masters theses.  Dr. Browning received the Dean’s Teaching Performance Award (2011) for his contributions to the educational mission of the College.  He was one of the key faculty leaders in developing the new joint PhD program in epidemiology and biostatistics, designed to develop graduates with strong quantitative skills in epidemiologic methods and biostatistical data applications.

PROGRAM FACULTY

Occupational and environmental epidemiology is a core emphasis in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of Kentucky.  Several of the faculty in the College have worked collaboratively prior to the founding of the College of Public Health in 2004 and coordinated the development of the administrative structure of the College and the core curricula in each of the six disciplines within the college.  In addition to the core faculty below, the program is supported by a number of other CPH faculty members, especially in Biostatistics and Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health, who serve on student committees and provide guest lectures within the various courses offered in the accredited curriculum.  In addition to the faculty listed below, we will work closely with the College’s Director of Practice and Service, Michelle Lineberry, in finding suitable practicums focused on epidemiology in occupational settings in the community.

CORE FACULTY

WAYNE SANDERSON, MS, CIH, PhD

Wayne Sanderson is Professor and Chair of the Epidemiology Department in the College of Public Health.  Dr. Sanderson will serve as the Primary Investigator for the CARERC.  Dr. Sanderson’s primary research focus is on occupational and agricultural health and safety and he is the Deputy Director of the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention.  He has conducted research studies on respiratory diseases, cancers, and birth defects associated with a variety of occupational and environmental exposures.  Dr. Sanderson was formerly the Director of the Industrial Hygiene Training Program for the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety at the University of Iowa, College of Public Health and has extensive experience in managing and reviewing the operations of NIOSH-funded ERCs.  Prior to his academic positions, Dr. Sanderson worked for NIOSH as the Chief of the Industrial Hygiene Section in the Industry-wide Studies Branch.  He is currently the DGS of the joint epidemiology and biostatistics PhD program in the College and has developed funding opportunities and support for doctoral-level graduate students. 

TERRY BUNN, PhD

Terry Bunn is the Director of the Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center and an Associate Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health.  Her current research focuses on the prevention of occupational injuries and illnesses through surveillance and the development of interventions, in partnership with the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH).  In particular, she has focused on risk factors contributing to occupationally related motor vehicle crashes, road and highway construction, machinery and youth fatalities occurring in the State of Kentucky with an emphasis on development of strategies for prevention.  Dr. Bunn has received funding from NIOSH, NCIPC, and NIEHS.  Dr. Bunn’s research center is integrally associated with the state’s Cabinet for Health Services and thus provides many opportunities for placement of students for internships and practicums with the state’s health department.

SUPPORTING FACULTY

Thomas Tucker, MPH, PhD 

Thomas Tucker is the Associate Director for Cancer Prevention and Control at the Markey Cancer Center, Director of the Kentucky Cancer Registry, and an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the College of Public Health.  He has served as the past President of the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries and chaired the committee which established certification standards for population-based cancer surveillance programs in North America.  He is the Principle Investigator for the National Cancer Institute (NCI), Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program in Kentucky and the Principal Investigator for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Program of Cancer Registries in Kentucky.  Dr. Tucker's research includes examination of variations in the patterns of care for stage III colorectal cancer in Kentucky, an exploration of human growth factors as they relate to colon cancer, and studies of factors related to the high cervical cancer incidence and mortality in Appalachian Kentucky. 

Deborah Reed, PhD, MSPH, MSN

Deborah Reed is a Professor of Nursing in the College of Nursing of the University of Kentucky.  Her primary research focus is on agricultural health including grants to study youth equestrian safety and community coalitions of farm women to address health and safety issues.  In addition, she has conducted research on the education of high school youth about the risks of disabilities from agricultural injuries, task retirement of older farmers, vocational rehabilitation of migrant farm workers, and issues of aging and farm work.  Dr. Reed has worked with many organizations, including Agrability, the American Farm Bureau Federation, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture, the Kentucky Farm and Home Safety Council, the Kentucky Migrant Farm Worker Health Program, and the Progressive Agriculture Foundation.  In 2006, she received the College of Nursing Alumni Association’s Outstanding Researcher Award.