African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network
Center for Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
 8th Floor Blockley Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104
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AACORN | African American Collaborative Obesity Network

AACORN Members

Academic Researchers

Community-Based
Research Partners

Academic Researchers

Jamy Ard, MD
Associate Professor, Departments of Nutrition Sciences and Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham, AL

Representative publications:

  • Chandler-Laney PC, Hunter GR, Ard JD, Brock DW, Gower BA, Roy JL. Perception of others' body size influences weight loss and regain for European American but not African American women. Health Psychol. 2009 Jul;28(4): 414-8.
  • Chen L, Appel LJ, Loria C, Lin PH, Champagne CM, Elmer PJ, Ard JD, Mitchell D, Batch BC, Svetkey LP, Caballero B. Reduction in consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is associated with weight loss: the PREMIER trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009 May;89(5):1299-306.
  • Thomas AS, Greene LF, Ard JD, Oster RA, Darnell BE, Gower BA. Physical Activity May Facilitate Diabetes Prevention in Adolescents. Diabetes Care. 2008.
  • Brantley P, Appel L, Hollis J, Stevens V, Ard J, Champagne C, Elmer P, Harsha D, Myers V, Proschan M, William V, Svetkey L. Design considerations and rationale of a multi-center trial to sustain weight loss: the weight loss maintenance trial. Clin Trials. 2008;5(5):546-56.
  • Hollis JF, Gullion CM, Stevens VJ, Brantley PJ, Appel LJ, Ard JD, Champagne CM, Dalcin A, Erlinger TP, Funk K, Laferriere D, Lin PH, Loria CM, Samuel-Hodge C, Vollmer WM, Svetkey LP; Weight Loss Maintenance Trial Research Group. Weight loss during the intensive intervention phase of the weight-loss maintenance trial. Am J Prev Med. 2008;35(2):118-26.

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Ann Smith Barnes, MD
Assistant Professor,
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, TX

Representative publications:

  • Hwang KO, Farheen K, Johnson CW, Thomas EJ, Barnes AS, Bernstam EV. Quality of weight loss advice on internet forums. Am J Med. 2007;120(7):604-9.
  • Barnes AS, Goodrick GK, Pavlik V, Markesino J, Laws DY, Taylor WC. Weight loss maintenance in African-American women: focus group results and questionnaire development. J Gen Intern Med. 2007;22(7):915-22.
  • Barnes AS, Rogers, M, Tran, CT. Obesity as a clinical and social problem. Medical Management of Vulnerable and Underserved Patients: Principles, Practice and Populations. McGraw-Hill Medical, 2006.

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Daheia Barr- Anderson, PhD
Assistant Professor, Kinesiology
University of Minnesota, College of Education and Human Development
Minneapolis, MN

Representative publications:

  • Barr-Anderson DJ, Neumark-Sztainer D, Schmitz KH, Ward DS, Conway TL, Pratt C, Baggett CD, Lytle L, Pate RR. But I like PE: factors associated with enjoyment of physical education class in middle school girls. Res Q Exerc Sport. 2008;79(1):18-27.
  • Barr-Anderson DJ, van den Berg P, Neumark-Sztainer D, Story M. Characteristics associated with older adolescents who have a television in their bedrooms. Pediatrics. 2008;121(4):718-24.
  • Sirard JR, Barr-Anderson DJ. Physical activity in adolescents: from associations to interventions. J Adolesc Health. 2008;42(4):327-8.
  • Barr-Anderson DJ, Young DR, Sallis JF, Neumark-Sztainer DR, Gittelsohn J, Webber L, Saunders R, Cohen S, Jobe JB. Structured physical activity and psychosocial correlates in middle-school girls. Prev Med. 2007;44(5):404-9.

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Monica L. Baskin, PhD
Associate Professor, Division of Preventive Medicine
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
Birmingham, AL

Representative publications:

  • Hughes SO, Shewchuk RM, Baskin ML, Nicklas TA, Qu H. Indulgent feeding style and children's weight status in preschool. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2008;29(5):403-10.
  • Faith MS, Fontaine KR, Baskin ML, Allison DB. Toward the reduction of population obesity: macrolevel environmental approaches to the problems of food, eating, and obesity. Psychol Bull. 2007;133(2):205-26.
  • Malpede CZ, Greene LE, Fitzpatrick SL, Jefferson WK, Shewchuk RM, Baskin ML, Ard JD. Racial influences associated with weight-related beliefs in African American and Caucasian women. Ethn Dis. 2007;17(1):1-5.
  • Ard JD, Fitzpatrick S, Desmond RA, Sutton BS, Pisu M, Allison DB, Franklin F, Baskin ML. The impact of cost on the availability of fruits and vegetables in the homes of schoolchildren in Birmingham, Alabama. Am J Public Health. 2007;97(2):367-72.

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Gary Bennett, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience
Member, Duke Global Health Institute
Duke University
Durham, NC

Representative publications:

  • Bennett GG, Scharoun-Lee M, Tucker-Seeley R. Will the public's health fall victim to the home foreclosure epidemic? PLoS Med. 2009 Jun 16;6(6):e1000087. Epub 2009 Jun 16.
  • Fowler-Brown AG, Bennett GG, Goodman MS, Wee CC, Corbie-Smith GM, James SA. Psychosocial Stress and 13-year BMI Change Among Blacks: The Pitt County Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Apr 30. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Bennett, G.G., Haughton, L., Wolin, K.Y., Duncan, D., Askew, S., Puleo, E., Emmons, K.M.. Neighborhood safety and pedometer-determined physical activity among low income housing residents. PLoS Med 2007 Oct 23; 4(10):E306.
  • Kontos, E.Z., Bennett G.G., Viswanath, K.. Barriers and facilitators to in-home Internet use among a group of low-socioeconomic novice computer users: implications for online health promotion. J Med Internet Res 2007 Oct 22; 9(4):E31
  • McNeill, L., Viswanath, V.V., Bennett, G.G., Emmons, K.M.. Feasibility of a web-based nutrition intervention among patients from working class, multi-ethnic neighborhoods. J Am Diet Assoc 2007 Jul; 4(3):A55

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Lori Carter-Edwards, PhD
Deputy Director, Research and Operations
UNC Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC

Representative publications:

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Dawnavan Davis, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine
University of Chicago
Chicago, IL

Representative publications:

  • Davis DS, Sbrocco T, Odoms-Young A, Smith DM. Attractiveness in African American and Caucasian women: is beauty in the eyes of the observer? Eat Behav. 2010 Jan;11(1):25-32. Epub 2009 Aug 29.
  • Davis DS, Sbrocco T, Williams J. Understanding body image in African American and Caucasian first-graders: a partnership with the YMCA. Prog Community Health Partnersh. 2009 Winter;3(4):271.
  • Mirza NM, Davis D, Yanovski JA. Body dissatisfaction, self-esteem, and overweight among inner-city Hispanic children and adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 2005;36:267.

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Marian L. Fitzgibbon, PhD
Professor, Department of Medicine and School of Public Health
Director, Health Promotion Research Program
Institute for Health Research and Policy
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, IL

Representative publications:

  • Gerber BS, Stolley MR, Thompson AL, Sharp LK, Fitzgibbon ML. Mobile phone text messaging to promote healthy behaviors and weight loss maintenance: a feasibility study. Health Informatics J. 2009 Mar;15(1):17-25.
  • Fitzgibbon ML, Stolley M, Schiffer L, Sharp L, Singh V, Van Horn L, Dyer A. Obesity Reduction Black Intervention Trial (ORBIT): design and baseline characteristics. J Womens Health (Larchmt). 2008;17(7):1099-110.
  • Banitt AA, Kaur H, Pulvers KM, Nollen NL, Ireland M, Fitzgibbon ML. BMI percentiles and body image discrepancy in black and white adolescents. Obesity. 2008;16(5): 987-991.
  • Pulvers KM, Kaur H, Nollen NL, Greiner KA, Befort CA, Hall S, Born W, Fitzgibbon ML, Ahluwalia JS. Comparison of body perceptions between obese primary care patients and physicians: implications for practice. Patient Educ Couns. 2008;73(1):73-81
  • Sánchez-Johnsen LA, Hogan K, Wilkens LR, Fitzgibbon ML. Correlates of problematic eating behaviors in less acculturated Latinas. Eat Behav. 2008;9(2):181-9.

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Sonya Grier, PhD
AACORN Senior Advisor & Director of Marketing Research Initiatives

Associate Professor, Marketing
American University
Kogod School of Business
Washington, DC

Representative publications:

  • Hillier A, Cole BL, Smith TE, Yancey AK, Williams JD, Grier SA, McCarthy WJ. Clustering of unhealthy outdoor advertisements around child-serving institutions: A comparison of three cities. Health Place. 2009 Mar 20. [Epub ahead of print]
  • Yancey AK, Cole BL, Brown R, Williams JD, Hillier A, Kline RS, Ashe M, Grier SA, Backman D, McCarthy WJ. A cross-sectional prevalence study of ethnically targeted and general audience outdoor obesity-related advertising. Milbank Q. 2009 Mar;87(1):155-84.
  • Grier SA, Kumanyika SK. The context for choice: health implications of targeted food and beverage marketing to African Americans. Am J Public Health. 2008 Sep;98(9):1616-29.
  • Williams CT, Grier SA, Marks AS."Coming to town": the impact of urbanicity, cigarette advertising, and network norms on the smoking attitudes of black women in Cape Town, South Africa. J Urban Health. 2008 Jul;85(4):472-85.

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Kajuandra Harris Huntley
Regional Extension Agent, Human Nutrition, Diet and Health
Alabama Cooperative Extension System
Tuskegee, AL

Kajuandra Harris Huntley provides clientele with current research-based information, in the form of educational programs, presentations and exhibits. Her professional and research interests include community nutrition, pediatric overweight prevention and management, physical activity assessment, chronic diseases, lifestyle and behavior modification, and health disparities. Mrs. Harris-Huntley is also actively involved in several health initiatives to promote healthier and active lifestyles, and she is committed to developing and providing superior nutrition, diet and health education programs. Most recently, she served as Co-Project Investigator on a grant funded by the Alabama Department of Education to train school food service workers throughout the state of Alabama on ways to implement new wellness policies in their schools.

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LaShanda Jones, PhD
Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Psychiatry
Weight and Eating Disorders Program
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA

Representative publications:

  • Jones LR, Fries E, Danish SJ. Gender and ethnic differences in body image and opposite sex figure preferences of rural adolescents. Body Image. 2007;4(1):103-8.
  • Myers MG, MacPherson L, Jones LR, Aarons GA. Measuring adolescent smoking cessation strategies: instrument development and initial validation. Nicotine Tob Res. 2007;9(11):1131-8.
  • Wadden TA, Sarwer DB, Fabricatore AN, Jones L, Stack R, Williams NS. Psychosocial and behavioral status of patients undergoing bariatric surgery: what to expect before and after surgery. Med Clin North Am. 2007;91(3):451-69, xi-xii.
  • Jones LR, Wadden TA. State of the science: behavioral treatment of obesity. Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. 2006;15 Suppl:30-9.

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Betty Kennedy, PhD
Community Outreach Specialist
Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Baton Rouge, LA

Representative publications:

  • Kennedy BM, Champagne CM, Ryan DH, Newton R Jr, Conish BK, Harsha DW, Levy EJ, Bogle ML; Lower Mississippi Delta Nutrition Intervention Research; Initiative. The "Rolling Store:" an economical and environmental approach to the prevention of weight gain in African American women. Ethn Dis. 2009 Winter;19(1):7-12.
  • Svetkey LP, Stevens VJ, Brantley PJ, Appel LJ, Hollis JF, Loria CM, Vollmer WM, Gullion CM, Funk K, Smith P, Samuel-Hodge C, Myers V, Lien LF, Laferriere D, Kennedy B, Jerome GJ, Heinith F, Harsha DW, Evans P, Erlinger TP, Dalcin AT, Coughlin J, Charleston J, Champagne CM, Bauck A, Ard JD, Aicher K; Weight Loss Maintenance Collaborative Research Group. Comparison of strategies for sustaining weight loss: the weight loss maintenance randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2008; 299(10):1139-48.
  • Kennedy BM, Burnett MF. Clinical research trials: factors that influence and hinder participation. J Cult Divers. 2007;14(3):141-7.
  • Kennedy BM, Ard JD, Harrison L Jr, Conish BK, Kennedy E, Levy EJ, Brantley PJ. Cultural characteristics of African Americans: implications for the design of trials that target behavior and health promotion programs. Ethn Dis. 2007;17(3):548-54.

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Wendell Taylor, PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Health Promotion & Behavioral Sciences
University of Texas Health Science
Houston, TX

Representative publications:

  • Wallander JL, Taylor WC, Grunbaum JA, Franklin FA, Harrison GG, Kelder SH, Schuster MA. Weight Status, Quality of Life, and Self-concept in African American, Hispanic, and White Fifth-grade Children. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2009 Jul;17(7):1363-8.
  • Floyd MF, Taylor WC, Whitt-Glover M. Measurement of park and recreation environments that support physical activity in low-income communities of color: highlights of challenges and recommendations. Am J Prev Med. 2009 Apr;36(4 Suppl):S156-60.
  • Suminski RR, Pyle S, Taylor WC. Environmental characteristics and physical activity in racial/ethnic minority and Euro-American college students. Percept Mot Skills. 2009 Apr;108(2):465-78.
  • Lees E, Taylor WC, Hepworth JT, Feliz K, Cassells A, Tobin JN. Environmental changes to increase physical activity: perceptions of older urban ethnic-minority women. J Aging Phys Act. 2007;15(4):425-38.
  • Dowda M, Pate RR, Sallis JF, Freedson PS, Taylor WC, Sirard JR, Trost SG. Agreement between student-reported and proxy-reported physical activity questionnaires. Pediatr Exerc Sci. 2007;19(3):310-8.

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Delia Smith West, PhD
Professor, Department of Health Behavior & Health Education
Director, Interdisciplinary Obesity Program
College of Public Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
Little Rock, AR

Representative publications:

  • Rosen RC, Wing RR, Schneider S, Wadden TA, Foster GD, West DS, Kitabchi AE, Brancati FL, Maschak-Carey BJ, Bahnson JL, Lewis CE, Gendrano Iii IN. Erectile dysfunction in type 2 diabetic men: relationship to exercise fitness and cardiovascular risk factors in the Look AHEAD trial. J Sex Med. 2009 May;6(5):1414-22.
  • Krukowski RA, West DS, Perez AP, Bursac Z, Phillips MM, Raczynski JM. Overweight children, weight-based teasing and academic performance. Int J Pediatr Obes. 2009 Apr 7:1-7.
  • Krukowski RA, West DS. Response to the article, "The risks of a quick fix: a case against mandatory body mass index reporting laws". Eat Disord. 2009 Mar-Apr;17(2):103-6.
  • Allison KC, Engel SG, Crosby RD, de Zwaan M, O'Reardon JP, Wonderlich SA, Mitchell JE, Smith West D, Wadden TA, Stunkard AJ. Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome using item response theory analysis. Eat Behav. 2008; 9(4):398-407.
  • Krukowski RA, West DS, Siddiqui NJ, Bursac Z, Phillips MM, Raczynski JM. No change in weight-based teasing when school-based obesity policies are implemented.
    Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2008;162(10):936-42.

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Sharon B. Wyatt, RN, CS, PhD
Professor, Nephrology & Hypertension
University of Mississippi Medical Center
School of Nursing/Division of Medicine-Hypertension
Jackson, MS

Representative publications:

  • Carson AP, Rose KM, Catellier DJ, Diez-Roux AV, Muntaner C, Wyatt SB. Employment Status, Coronary Heart Disease, and Stroke Among Women. Ann Epidemiol. 2009 Jul 11.
  • Taylor HA Jr, Akylbekova EL, Garrison RJ, Sarpong D, Joe J, Walker E, Wyatt SB, Steffes MW. Dyslipidemia and the treatment of lipid disorders in African Americans. Am J Med. 2009 May;122(5):454-63.
  • Bruce MA, Beech BM, Sims M, Brown TN, Wyatt SB, Taylor HA, Williams DR, Crook E. Social environmental stressors, psychological factors, and kidney disease. J Investig Med. 2009 Apr;57(4):583-9.
  • Minor D, Wofford M, Wyatt SB. Does socioeconomic status affect blood pressure goal achievement? Curr Hypertens Rep. 2008 Oct;10(5):390-7.

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Antronette (Toni) Yancey, MD, MPH
Associate Professor, Health Services
Director, DrPH Program
UCLA School of Public Health
Los Angeles, CA

Representative publications:

  • Yancey A, Winfield D, Larsen J, Anderson M, Jackson P, Overton J, Wilson S, Rossum A, Kumanyika S. "Live, Learn and Play" Building Strategic Alliances between Professional Sports and Public Health. Prev Med. 2009 Jul 9.

  • Kumanyika SK, Yancey AK. Physical activity and health equity: evolving the science. Am J Health Promot. 2009 Jul-Aug;23(6):S4-7.

  • Dorfman L, Yancey AK. Promoting Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: Convergence in framing the role of industry. Prev Med. 2009 Jul 1.

  • Hillier A, Cole BL, Smith TE, Yancey AK, Williams JD, Grier SA, McCarthy WJ.
    Clustering of unhealthy outdoor advertisements around child-serving institutions: A comparison of three cities. Health Place. 2009 Mar 20.

  • Yancey AK, Cole BL, Brown R, Williams JD, Hillier A, Kline RS, Ashe M, Grier SA, Backman D, McCarthy WJ. A cross-sectional prevalence study of ethnically targeted and general audience outdoor obesity-related advertising. Milbank Q. 2009 Mar;87(1):155-84.

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Deborah Rohm Young, PhD
Assoc. Professor, Exercise Epidemiology
University of Maryland
College Park, MD

Representative publications:

  • Young DR, Jerome GJ, Chen C, Laferriere D, Vollmer WM. Patterns of physical activity among overweight and obese adults. Prev Chronic Dis. 2009 Jul;6(3):A89.
  • Young DR, Vollmer WM, King AC, Brown AJ, Stevens VJ, Elmer PJ, Craddick S, Sturtevant DL, Harsha DW, Appel LJ. Can individuals meet multiple physical activity and dietary behavior goals? Am J Health Behav. 2009 May-Jun;33(3):277-86.
  • Chen C, Jerome GJ, Laferriere D, Young DR, Vollmer WM. Procedures used to standardize data collected by RT3 triaxial accelerometers in a large-scale weight-loss trial. J Phys Act Health. 2009 May;6(3):354-9.
  • Funk KL, Elmer PJ, Stevens VJ, Harsha DW, Craddick SR, Lin PH, Young DR, Champagne CM, Brantley PJ, McCarron PB, Simons-Morton DG, Appel LJ. PREMIER--a trial of lifestyle interventions for blood pressure control: intervention design and rationale. Health Promot Pract. 2008 Jul;9(3):271-80.

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Community-Based Research Partners

Hugh "Habibullah" Green
Community Health Advocate
Sankofaa Health Institute
Portland, OR

Habib Green was a key player in Multnomah County Power for Health, a project designed to research disparities and similarities between the African-American and Latino populations throughout the greater Portland (OR) metropolitan area. He taught classes with Kaiser Permanente with their Diffusion study researching the effectiveness of community based participatory research within the inner-city African-American community. Currently, he works with the Sankofaa Health Institute offering free health services to Portland inner-city specializing in prostate cancer awareness, diabetes, and obesity.

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Anna Huff
Deputy Director, Arkansas Prevention Research Center
Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health
University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
West Helena, AR

As the Project Director of the Mid Delta Community Consortium (MDCC), Ms. Huff managed an annual budget of $1 million, $700,000 of which was administered and distributed among 38 Delta counties in Arkansas to assist in meeting unmet health needs through the provision and coordination of technical assistance to ensure sustainability in these communities. She is very engaged in community activities and community-campus partnerships. She presently serves as a member of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Community-Campus Partnerships for Health, and the Marvell Nutrition Intervention Research Initiative (NIRI)

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© 2007 African American Collaborative Obesity Research Network. All Rights Reserved.