Whitt-Glover named executive director for health disparities research center
Dr. Melicia Whitt-Glover, who brings nearly 20 years of experience in health disparities research, has been named the executive director for the Center of Excellence in Eliminating Health Disparities (CEEHD) at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU).
Whitt-Glover joined WSSU in 2015 as a visiting scholar in the School of Health Sciences (SOHS) before becoming the interim director of the research center a year later.
As interim director, CEEHD received $515,500 in grants to conduct research on health disparities to improve health-related behaviors in low income and racial/ethnic minority groups.
Earlier this year, with support from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, CEEHD expanded services for the Rams Know H.O.W. Mobile Unit, which provides free preventive health services to members of the community.
She also led curriculum review in health equity in departments within the SOHS, chaired the review panel for the 2018-19 Center for the Study of Economic Mobility (CSEM) faculty fellows grants, organized and led grant writing accountability groups and mentored students on research initiatives.
“As a proponent of interdisciplinary collaboration, Dr. Whitt-Glover has supported an environment to further advance key initiatives of the School of Health Sciences,” says SOHS Dean Peggy Valentine. “I am confident that she will take our university and school to a higher level in the areas of health equity research, service and education.”
Whitt-Glover is also the president and CEO of Gramercy Research Group, a company she founded in 2009 that focuses on the development of sustainable strategies that promote and improve the health and wellness of the community.
Previously, Whitt-Glover served as executive director of the Wake Forest University (WFU) School of Medicine Collaborative to Strengthen Families and Neighborhoods; director of outreach for the Maya Angelou Center for Research and Minority Health at WFU Baptist Medical Center; and as an assistant professor of epidemiology and prevention at WFU School of Medicine in the Division of Public Health Sciences.
Whitt-Glover earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in exercise physiology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a doctorate in epidemiology from the University of South Carolina. She completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and served on the faculty for a year. She has authored more than 10 book chapters and over 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Founded in 2006, CEEHD supports WSSU's strategic plan by promoting health equity in health care delivery and treatment through community-engaged research, dissemination of findings and student education.
About Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.
