The Behavioral Measurement Shared Resource (BMSR) provides expertise and training to support the needs of prevention, cancer control and clinical researchers in their pursuit of behavioral research investigation and methodology.
BMSR Director: Paul Reiter, PhD
Cancer Surveillance & Health Behavior Data Specialist: James Fisher, PhD
Qualitative Research, Quantitative Measurement: Mira Katz, PhD
Qualitative Data Collection, Management & Analysis: Jill Oliveri, DrPH
Data Collection & Management Specialist: Cathy Tatum, MA
Recruitment & Regulatory Preparation Specialist: Cecilia DeGraffinreid, MHS, RHIA
Program Manager: Heather Baltic, MPH
Research Associate: Ananya Jena, MPH
Program Coordinator: Kara Gavin, MPH
Paul Reiter, PhD, associate director of the Behavioral Measurement Shared Resource (appointment pending), is also an assistant professor in the OSU College of Medicine, Division of Cancer Prevention and Control.
Dr. Reiter has extensive research experience in the behavioral sciences. Most of his research has addressed cancer prevention and control through two main thematic areas, cancer screening and vaccination. Both health behaviors are effective strategies for reducing disease burden, yet remain underutilized. He is particularly interested in examining the determinants of engaging in these behaviors and designing programs to increase their use.
Dr. Reiter received his PhD from The Ohio State University and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer control at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina.
[back to top]
James Fisher, PhD works with colleagues at the Ohio Cancer Incidence Surveillance System at The Ohio Department of Health to examine the occurrence of cancer in Ohio. For more than a decade, he has been involved with the creation of more than 100 reports and articles describing cancer burdens in both Ohio and the United States. He routinely uses data from various cancer-related sources, such as OCISS, SEER, and BRFSS.
Dr. Fisher is interested in cancer-related disparities, methods of identifying spatial clusters of cancer and improving cancer surveillance systems in the U.S.
[back to top]
Mira Katz, PhD, the BMSR specialist for Qualitative Research, Quantitative Measurement & Data Analysis, is also an associate professor of Public Health in the OSU College of Public Health in the Division of Behavior & Health Promotion.
With extensive experience in qualitative research methods and data analysis, Dr. Katz also maintains expertise in identification of appropriate quantitative measurement tools and in public health. She has worked extensively with underserved minority and rural populations, and she has developed innovative interventions involving the use of communications tools such as videos to support cancer control-related behavior change.
Dr. Katz received her MPH and her PhD from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA.
[back to top]
Cathy Tatum, MA, the BMSR specialist for Data Collection and Management, is also a program director in the Division of Population Sciences of the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.
She has served as program director on OSUCCC research projects as well as several NIH-funded cancer control research community-based projects. Recent projects include work on an R24 grant (Community Based Participatory Research Strategies to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in Ohio Appalachia); R01 grants (Enhancing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Primary Care and The Ohio Patient Navigator Research Program); and a P50 grant (Project 1 of the Community Awareness Resources and Education Project) for the OSU Center for Population Health and Health Disparities.
Ms. Tatum’s expertise includes: developing and implementing several NIH-funded cancer control community-based research projects; managing research projects among underserved minority and rural populations; coordination among investigators, staff and study populations; and survey data collection methods and procedures.
Handling all consultations for data collection and supervising staff within this section, Ms. Tatum also works closely with the Recruitment & Accrual and Behavioral Assessment sections of the Behavioral Measurement Shared Resource.
Ms. Tatum received her Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University and her Master of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
[
back to top]
Jill Oliveri, DrPH, the BMSR specialist for Qualitative Data Collection, Management & Analysis, is an expert in qualitative data collection, management and analysis. She is also a clinical research manager in the OSUCCC’s Division of Population Sciences, where she manages research studies focusing on underserved and minority populations as well as on quantitative methods.
Dr. Oliveri has been extensively involved with all qualitative research activities within the Behavioral Measurement Shared Resource. She is an expert in quantitative methods and has trained several research staff members in qualitative analysis and software application.
She received her MPH degree from The Ohio State University and her Dr.PH. degree from the University of South Carolina.
[back to top]
Cecilia DeGraffinreid, MHS, RHIA, is the BMSR specialist for Recruitment & Regulatory Preparation for Behavioral Measurement as well as a program director in the Population Sciences Division of the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.
She has nearly 20 years experience in all aspects of the management of large, multi-centered- NIH/NCI-, industry- and cooperative group-cancer control clinical trials. One of her primary areas of interest is access to healthcare, especially the inclusion of minorities and the underserved onto research studies.
She received her MHS from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC.
[back to top]
Heather Baltic, MPH, serves as the technical and administrative manager of the BMSR. She works closely with faculty and staff to ensure timely, high quality and cost effective work.
Baltic specializes in the design and construction of tailored applications for data collection and management. Her secure, web-based creations streamline the recruitment process and provide for detailed respondent tracking and reporting. She also offers interviewer training which focuses on survey response rates and the participation of hard-to-reach populations.
Baltic received her BSAS from Youngstown State University and her MPH with specialization in epidemiology from The Ohio State University.
[back to top]
Ananya Jena, MPH, is a full-time research associate with the BMSR. She assists investigators in developing customized paper-based and online tools for data collection and closely monitors data quality.
Her research interests include analyzing rates and trends in cancer and cancer screenings in underserved populations, as well as the use of geocoding and spatial statistics to provide a visual narrative of community health assessments.
She received her BS in microbiology and her MPH with specialization in epidemiology from The Ohio State University.
[back to top]
Kara Gavin, MPH, divides her time as a program coordinator with the BMSR as well as with another OSUCCC research project. Her interests include multi-level interventions that influence behavior in order to promote health and prevent disease. Also, Gavin enjoys working on projects that target underserved populations.
Gavin specializes in the development of surveys that can be used in a variety of settings. She is also skilled in designing questionnaires to be more easily understood by diverse populations.
She received her BS from John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio and her MPH from The Ohio State University.
[back to top]