2016 Social Determinants Featured Speakers

Dr. Michele A. Rountree

Dr. Michele A. Rountree is an Associate Professor at the School of Social Work at The University of Texas at Austin. She is a scholar trainee with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Columbia-University sponsored HIV Intervention Science Training Program for Racial/Ethnic Minority New Investigators (HISTP). Dr. Rountree is also a scholar mentee with the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) sponsored African-American Mental Health Research Scientist (AAMHRS) consortium.

With a solid mix of clinical, administrative and research experience, she has a background in studying the complex interplay of social, cultural, political and economic factors as determinants for women’s heightened risk for experiencing IPV and sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS. Her research targets the impact of structural, program characteristics and client attributes in shaping the efficacy and utilization of services. In addition she focuses her research efforts on prevention and intervention. Dr. Rountree has had an opportunity to present her research at several local and national conferences.

Since joining the faculty in 2005, Dr. Rountree has managed over 1/2 million dollars of external and internal funding from the Texas Department of State Health Services: HIV Comprehensive Services Branch, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and Columbia University, Hogg Foundation, UT Office of Vice President of Research, National Institute for Nursing Research (NINR): UT Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention in Underserved Populations (CHPR), and the UT Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (IDVSA).

Dr. Rountree received her master’s degree from Boston University with a concentration in macro social work methods and her Ph.D from Arizona State University.

Dr. Rountree teaches in the Community and Administrative Leadership (CAL) concentration with classes such as the Dynamics of Organizations and Communities, Foundations for Social Justice and Strategic Partnerships and Collaborative Relationships. She is a recipient of the Lora Lee Pederson Teaching Excellence Award and the Texas Exes Black Alumni Legacy Award.

Dr. Olivia Affuso

Dr. Olivia Affuso is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology and an Associate Scientist in the UAB Nutrition Obesity Research Center and the Center for Exercise Medicine. Her research focuses on the prevention of obesity and chronic disease through physical activity, body composition methods development, and the design of obesity randomized controlled trials. She has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation New Connections Program, and several UAB center grants. Her current research projects include the development of a novel method for measuring body composition, several meta-analytic studies for use in the development of effective childhood obesity interventions, and design issues in obesity randomized trials. She has also conducted several community-based pediatric obesity intervention trials.

Dr. Affuso obtained her PhD in Nutrition Epidemiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences at the University of Miami.

Rumay Alexander

Rumay Alexander, EdD, RN, is the Director of the Office of Inclusive Excellence in the School of Nursing at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her nursing career spans over 21 years in the areas of public policy, advocacy, teaching, and health careers development with an emphasis on cultural diversity issues. At a national level, she has served on the AHA’s Workforce Commission, the board of The American Organization of Nurse Executives, The National Quality Forum Nursing Care Performance Measures’ Steering Committee, Chairperson of the AONE Diversity Council, and a member of the AHA’s Leadership Circle of Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. She frequently speaks to groups across the country on the issues of the healthcare workforce, diversity, and strategic planning.

Luz Maria Castillo and David Correa

Luz Maria Castillo, MA and David Correa, MBA, BSN, RN are employed by the University Health System in San Antonio, TX. They have co-authored Scenarios for Success in Patient Communication (A Training Guide for Healthcare Professionals) and Diabetes Scenarios for Success in Patient Communication (A Training Guide for Healthcare Professional) to help improve communication between the healthcare professional and the patient and/or family members.

Luz Maria and David have been featured presenters for national, state and local healthcare and literacy conferences. Their work is used nationally at conferences, hospitals, clinics, medical, nursing and pharmacy universities/schools, on websites, health literacy libraries and higher education.