CHANGE Team

News Spotlight 

UK Nursing Faculty Named Assistant Director for Cancer Health Equity at Markey
The University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center has appointed Lovoria Williams, Ph.D., as assistant director for cancer health equity, a newly created position within the Markey leadership structure. Read more

About

Established in 2020, the Community Health Advocacy iNterventions Generating Equity (CHANGE) Team offers a platform for developing innovative community-based interventions to advance health equity among racial/ethnic minority and medically underserved populations. CHANGE is directed by Lovoria Williams, PhD, FNP-C, FAANP, FAAN, with critical guidance of an eight-member Community Advisory Board. The principles of community-based participatory action research guide all CHANGE Team projects.

Read more about the CHANGE team’s mission, vision, goals and objectives 

Researchers

Lovoria B. Williams, PhD, FNP-C, FAANP, FAAN

Research interests: Faith-based interventions, Diabetes Prevention, Weight loss, Cancer Prevention, Cancer Screening Uptake, Survey research that explores health-related attitudes and beliefs

Meet the Director 

 

Adebola Adegboyega, PhD, RN 

Research interests: Cancer prevention, HPV Screening, Cancer Screening among Sub-Saharan African Women 

 

 

Jean Edward, PhD, RN, CHPE 

Research interests: Social determinants of health, health and insurance literacy, cancer-related financial toxicity and hardship, costs of care, underserved immigrant, minority and rural populations, qualitative and mixed-methods research

 

Staff

Lateisha Ousley, Research Assistant 

Destiny Cozart, Research Assistant 

Erika Karle, Research Coordinator 

Active Grants

• Title: Racial Disparities in Financial Toxicity, Cost-Related Health Literacy, and HealthCare Transitions among Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Cancer Survivors in Kentucky
  Lead investigator: Dr. Jean Edward
  Total Award: $50,000

• Title: The Fit and Faithful Project: "Enhancing the Diabetes Prevention Program to promote weight loss among non-responders in a community-based lifestyle intervention”
  Lead investigator: Dr. Lovoria Williams 
  Total Award: $2,966,335
   

• Title: COVID-19 and the Impact on the Church. The C-M-C Project
  Lead investigator: Dr. Lovoria Williams 
  Total Award: $25,000
   
• Title: Implementing Coverage and Cost-of-Care Links (CC Links) - a novel, interdisciplinary financial navigation intervention for hematologic cancer survivors and their caregivers
  Lead investigator: Dr. Jean Edward
  Total Award: $150,000

   

• Title: Black Adults Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs
  Lead investigator: Dr. Adebola Adegboyega
  Total Award: $15,300
   

• Title:  Leveraging medical-legal partnerships to enhance interdisciplinary, team-based approaches to facilitate effective cost of care conversations
  Lead investigator: Dr. Jean Edward 
  Total Award: $399,268
   

• Title:  Promoting cervical cancer screening among African American and Sub-Saharan African immigrant women
  Lead investigator: Dr. Adebola Adegboyega
  Total Award: $767,140

Contact

Dr. Lovoria Williams, CHANGE Team Director
Lovoria.Williams@uky.edu
(859) 323-5579