Oral History Project Staff
|
Research Investigators
|
 |
Norman L. Foster, M.D.
Professor of Neurology
Senior Research Scientist
Institute of Gerontology
University of Michigan |
|
| Norman L. Foster, M.D., Associate Professor of Neurology and Senior Research
Scientist at the Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan, has a clinical and
research interest in dementing neurological diseases. As Associate Director of the
Michigan Alzheimer's Disease Research Center at the University, he helped to develop the
Center's Satellite Diagnostic and Treatment Centers to provide access to dementia care and
research to underserved populations. In the process of developing one such clinic in
Detroit, he became aware of the many barriers to dementia care for African-Americans.
Although in part due to barriers experienced by all individuals with dementing disorders,
he recognized that elderly African-Americans faced barriers due, in part, to attitudes
about health care for chronic illnesses stemming from past health care experiences. This
led to his involvement and then leadership of this oral history project. In addition to
his clinical research on brain chemistry and drug therapy, Dr. Foster has been committed
to improve dementia care for patients in Michigan. He has been active in educational
outreach to bring research advances to clinical practice and works with voluntary and
state agencies to evaluate the role of health services in dementia care. |
 |
Dr. Neighbors Associate
Professor of Health
Behavior and Health Education
School of Public Health
University of Michigan |
|
| Dr. Neighbors is Associate Professor of Health Behavior and Health Education in
the School of Public Health at the University of Michigan. He is also an Adjunct Research
Scientist at the Institute for Social Research where he is Associate Director of the
Program for Research on Black Americans. Dr. Neighbors received his Ph.D. in Social
Psychology from The University of Michigan in 1982. Dr. Neighbors did postdoctoral work at
the Institute for Social Research where he was supported by the Rockefeller Foundation and
the National Institute of Mental Health (New Investigator Research Award). Dr.
Neighbors' current research interests and areas of publication include psychiatric
epidemiologic field methods, cultural influences on the diagnosis of mental disorder, and
the utilization of informal and professional services by African Americans. He has
directed both community and institutional surveys of African American mental health and
was recently the recipient of a Research Scientist Development Award from the National
Institute of Mental Health, where he studied ethnic differences in the social epidemiology
of mental disorder. He is currently Principal Investigator of a study on the diagnosis of
depression and schizophrenia among African American inpatients. Dr. Neighbors is Director
of the Measurement Core section of the Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging
Research. He is also Co-Principal Investigator of a recently-funded project using
qualitative methods to investigate black and white clinician perceptions of how ethnicity
and culture affect the diagnosis, rapport, and treatment of African American mental
patients. He is currently writing manuscripts on the role of African American ministers as
a primary help source among blacks seeking help for emotional problems, and the role of
African American churches as an organizational base for delivering health
education/promotion programs to African Americans with diabetes and other chronic health
conditions. |
Research Staff
|
 |
Dr.
Myers
Research
Investigator
Project Coordinator |
|
| George
Myers III, Ph.D., is a Research Investigator and the Project
Coordinator for this project. His major responsibilities included:
supervising the day-to-day operation of the project; enlisting
the cooperation of the African American community in the project;
designing procedures for and conducting oral interviews; and coordinating
the preservation, processing, analysis, and disseminating of the
information collected. Dr. Myers has a doctorate in Urban and
Regional Planning with a concentration in community organizing
and participation from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.
He has taught in the College of Engineering at the University
of Michigan and has worked as an executive for a major insurance
company for many years. In addition, Dr. Myers has extensive administrative
and research experience in public health, health statistics, minority
health, survey research, technical writing, and working with diverse
groups. |
 |
Ron Amos Research
Associate
Institute for Social Research
University of Michigan |
|
| Ron Amos is a Research Associate and has sixteen years of experience working as
a research support staff at the Institute for Social Research at the University. Ron has
long had an interest in the delivery of health care and social services to underserved
community populations. He has been particularly interested in and personally committed to
providing for the social, health, and recreational services needs of pre-teenage and
teenage economically disadvantaged youth. In addition, his prior work experience gave him
a first-hand look at the social and health services utilization patterns of substance
abusing adults. With academic training in psycholinguistics, psychology, and social
science research methods, Mr. Amos brings to the Kellogg African American Health Care
Project a diverse background in research and community involvement. |
|
|
|
Support Staff
|
 |
Christopher Bacchus Christopher
Bacchus provided staff support to the project as a student research assistant during
his senior year at the university. He is graduating with a B.S. degree in psychology from
the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in May 1998. Mr. Bacchus has an interest in health
policy administration. |
 |
Amy
K. Hawkins
Amy
K. Hawkins is a Research Assistant and her academic
interests include American Studies, Women's Studies,
Popular Culture, Composition, Ethnographic Theory and
Methodology, and Anthropological Perspective and Contemporary
Literature. Ms. Hawkins is currently a Ph.D. candidate
in English with a cognate in Anthropology at Wayne State
University in Detroit, Michigan. Her dissertation explores
the cultural story of The Woman's (Hutzel) Hospital
in Detroit, Michigan from 1929-1954.
|
 |
Sehnita Joshua Sehnita
Joshua provided staff support for the project as a student research assistant during
her senior year at the University. She graduated from the University of Michigan in Ann
Arbor in May 1997 with a B.S. degree in biopsychology. |
 |
D. Lahti D. Lahti
is a community volunteer that has provided staff support for the project. She has a
Master's degree in Public Administration and a graduate certificate in gerontology from
Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Ms. Lahti is currently an Associate
Chief Technologist in Pediatrics at the University of Michigan Hospitals in Ann Arbor,
Michigan. |
 |
Kristin Myers Kristin
Myers worked as a student intern during the summer of 1997. She will be graduating
from Huron High School in Ann Arbor in June 1998. She will be attending the James Madison
College at Michigan State University with an emphasis in political science and history. |
 |
Kyle Perry Kyle Perry
is graduating with a B.A. degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
in May 1998. He has worked on the Kellogg Project as a research assistant for the past
year. Kyle plans to attend the Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania in August 1998. |
 |
Tylitha Stewart Tylitha
Stewart is a graduate of Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan. She has
provided staff support to the project as a research assistant under the Undergraduate
Research Opportunity Program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Ms. Stewart is
currently a first year student at the university in the College of Engineering. |
 |
Carlos Weiss Carlos
Weiss provided staff support to the project as a student research assistant. He is
currently a second year medical student at the University of Michigan Medical School. |
|
Kellogg African American Health Care Project
Sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation of Michigan |
|
|
|
