Faculty and Staff Listing

Hood Center for Children and Families
Dartmouth Medical School
One Medical Center Drive, HB 7465
Lebanon, NH 03756
Telephone: 603-653-0777
Email: Hood.Center@Dartmouth.edu

Madeline A. Dalton, Ph.D., Director
Linda Titus-Ernstoff, Ph.D., Associate Director

ALPHABETICAL LISTING:

Anna M. Adachi-Mejia, Ph.D.

  • Assistant Director, Community Health Research Program
  • Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Hood.Center@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0777
Fax:
603-653-0790
Area(s) of Expertise:
Survey research; media influences on adolescent tobacco use and physical activity.
Research:
Dr. Adachi-Mejia’s two current areas of investigation include: (1) understanding the relationship between physical activity, media exposure and health risk behaviors, and (2) understanding the role of motivations, barriers and perceptions of the built environment on physical activity. For the past three years, she managed two studies funded by the National Cancer Institute examining the influences of media on adolescent smoking behavior. Dr. Adachi-Mejia has extensive experience in survey research methods. Her research interests include: exercise/physical activity, epidemiology and the prevention of tobacco use, community interventions to promote child health, survey research methods, and quality of life measurement.

Mary-Margaret Andrews, M.D.

  • Program Director, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Family HIV Program
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Mary-Margaret.Andrews@Hitchcock.org
Tel:
603-653-1492 (Family HIV Program)
603-650-6060 (Infectious Disease Office)
Fax:
603-1479
Areas of Expertise:
HIV, Perinatal HIV, Hepatitis C.
Research and Current Projects:
As Director of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Family HIV Program, Dr. Andrews oversees a program which provides family-centered, community-based care for HIV positive children, youth, women (including pregnant women), and their families in New Hampshire and Vermont. The program has been funded as a Ryan White CARE Act Title IV program since 1996; in-kind funding for our staff is provided by Dartmouth Medical School and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock clinic. There are 7 program personnel including the Program Director (Adult Infectious Disease MD), Program Manager, Nurse Practitioner/Care Manager, Pediatric MD, Family Counselor, Consumer Advocate, and Administrative Coordinator. There is also an extensive collaborative network. One of the unique aspects of the program is our flexibility to travel to clients’ homes, primary care sites, and community-organizations to facilitate service delivery and to educate about the intensive needs of the target population.

Michael L. Beach, M.D., Ph.D.

  • Chief Statistician, Community Health Research Program
  • Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Community and Family Medicine
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7900
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Michael.L.Beach@Hitchcock.org
Tel:
603-650-6823
Areas of Expertise:
Dr. Beach's research involves the application of advanced statistical techniques to the design and analysis of both experimental and observational studies. He specializes in methods for covariate selection in both clinical trials and observational studies, and techniques for assessing the impact of unmeasured but potentially confounding covariates. Dr. Beach actively participates in the design, methodology, and analysis of large multi-center trials and has been an integral member in the writing of nationally funded grants. He has been particularly interested in designing methods for sample surveys with applications to tobacco prevention projects for adolescents and cluster-designed studies to measure the impact of the built environment on obesity.

Madeline A. Dalton, Ph.D.

  • Director, Hood Center for Families and Children
  • Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
E-mail:
Hood.Center@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0777
Areas of Expertise:
Epidemiology and children's health
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Madeline Dalton is the Director of the Hood Center for Children and Families and one of the lead investigators in the Community Health Research Program.  For the past 10 years, Dr. Dalton's research has focused on the social and environmental risk factors for tobacco use. She is a nationally recognized expert in the area of media and adolescent smoking.  Recently, Dr. Dalton has extended her research to address issues related to adolescent obesity. With funding from NIEHS, Dr. Dalton and colleagues are examining the influence of individual, family and community level factors on adolescent dietary practices and physical activity in Northern New England.

Mark J. Detzer, Ph.D.

  • STAR Program Director/Psychologist, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Assistant Professor, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Dartmouth Medical School
  • Adjunct Professor, Psychology and Brain Science, Dartmouth College
  • STAR Program
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Mark.Detzer@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1495
Areas of Expertise:
Health and Pediatric Psychology, Chronic Illness/Health Conditions
Research and Current Projects:
As Director of the STAR program, Dr. Detzer's focus is on promoting healthy psychological/social development for adolescents with chronic physical health conditions through education, support and group mentoring for teens and their parents. Dr. Detzer's research focuses on developing psychosocial support for adolescents and families living with chronic physical health conditions, the role of executive function and pediatric diabetes, understanding the adolescent chronic illness experience and transition issues for adolescents and young adults living with cystic fibrosis.

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Joanna H. Fanos, Ph.D.

  • Research Assistant Professor: Department of Pediatrics, Dartmouth Medical School;
  • Adjunct Faculty: Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences/Dartmouth College
  • Director, Sibling Center, California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco
  • HB 7462
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Joanna.Fanos@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1482
Fax:
603-653-1479
Areas of Expertise:
Psychosocial aspects of pediatric illness; qualitative research methods.
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Fanos’ work as a research psychologist focuses on the impact of pediatric illness on the family, especially the well sibling. She has documented the long-term psychosocial effects of growing up with and possibly surviving an affected sibling in such disorders as cystic fibrosis, ataxia-telangiectasia, X-linked severe combined immune deficiency, pediatric HIV, Familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency. Her research led to her founding and directing a Sibling Center in the Department of Pediatrics at California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco, a preventive clinical program to help children and adolescents with an ill sibling.

 

Lisa W. Gray

  • Administrative Assistant
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Family HIV Program
  • HB 7462
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Lisa.W.Gray@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1492
Fax:
603-653-1479

 

Mary Ann Greene, M.S., M.L.S.

  • Data Manager
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH
Email:
Mary.Ann.Greene@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-650-3423

Kristy Hendricks, R.D., Sc.D.

  • Associate Professor, Dartmouth Medical School
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • Community Health Research Program
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Kristy.M.Hendricks@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0777
Areas of Expertise:
Maternal and child health, HIV/AIDS
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Hendricks’ research focuses on nutrition and maternal and child health and nutrition and HIV. Dr. Hendricks will work with investigators conducting a study of overweight and physical activity in adolescents to obtain biomarkers in this population. These markers will strengthen study findings by linking study measures of diet and physical activity with measures of chronic disease risk.

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Jessy M. LaValley, M.H.S.

  • STAR Program Manager
  • STAR Program
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03766
Email:
Jessy.Lavalley@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1484

Marcy Levine-Holdowsky, M.S.W.

  • Program Assistant
  • Community Health Research Program
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Marcy.E.Levine-Holdowsky@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0777
Areas of Expertise:
Grant Writing, Program Planning

Meghan Longacre, Ph.D.

  • Research Coordinator, Community Health Research Program
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Meghan.Longacre@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0781
Areas of Expertise:
Adolescent development, family relations during adolescence, qualitative research methods.
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Longacre's current research focuses on smoking cessation among pregnant/postpartum women. She is project coordinator for MOMS: The Mothers' Opinions Matter Study, which investigates the challenges and facilitators to staying smoke-free during the post-partum period. Using a qualitative methodological approach, the primary study aim is to describe the motivational factors and environmental cues that are associated with smoking cessation maintenance or smoking relapse among pregnant and postpartum women. A secondary aim is to assess the feasibility of conducting a placebo-controlled trial of bupropion SR to prevent smoking relapse among postpartum women. Employing both survey and in-depth interview data, Dr. Longacre is also examining parental attitudes towards the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) ratings, and whether parents want cigarette or alcohol use to be included in the rating system. Finally, Dr. Longacre is Project Coordinator of the school component for the NIEHS study, which is examining the influence of the built environment on adolescent overweight in the predominantly rural communities of Northern New England.

Susan Martin, B.S.

  • Project Coordinator
  • Community Health Research Program
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Susan.K.Martin@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0788
Fax:
603-653-0790
Areas of Expertise:
Business Management, Leadership & Strategic Management
Research and Current Projects:
Ms. Martin is responsible for providing a wide range of technical and managerial support for research studies within the Community Health Research Program research studies. Ms. Martin coordinates and implements research activities for the research projects. She is responsible for coordinating and collecting school-level data for the NIEHS study, including information on school lunch programs, physical education programs and extra-curricular activities. In addition, Ms. Martin will collect data on community-level recreation programs and assist in the assessment of the food environment.

Dawn K. Mays-Hardy, M.S., M.Div.

  • Program Manager
  • New Hampshire Partners in Health
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • HB 7462
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Dawn.Mays-Hardy@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1486
Areas of Expertise:
Research and public health experience in diverse, urban and rural communities. Strong community organizing skills including development of university-community partnerships and community coalitions, with special expertise in working with communities of faith. Development of community leaders and committed to strengthening the capacity of individuals, families, organizations and populations to address and resolve community health issues and social concerns.
Research and Current Projects:
Ms. Mays-Hardy's areas of research include community-based research partnerships to address neighborhood air pollution, asthma and childhood lead poisoning and faith-based partnerships to address HIV, STDs and teenage pregnancy. In her role as Program Manager for NH Partners in Health, she manages a statewide integrated system that provides community level family support services to families of children with chronic health conditions. This includes translating policies and program goals into specific program plans, developing systems for effective communication and problem solving, and overseeing the collection of data from community sites of services provided, population served, and family council activities.

Aaron B. Myrick, B.A.

  • Project Coordinator
  • Community Health Research Program
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • HB 7465
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Aaron.B.Myrick@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-3152

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Ardis Olson, M.D.

  • Professor of Pediatrics and of Community and Family Medicine
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7462
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Ardis.Olson@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-650-5473
Areas of Expertise:
Improving clinical and social supports provided to families with children with special health care needs, Spina Bifida
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Olson’s interest is improving the clinical care and social supports provided to families with children with special health care needs. She has been involved in a variety of community and primary care initiatives over the past 15 years. She has collaborated with the NH Dept of Health and Human Services, private insurers, primary care providers and families to provide these services. Two current programs within the Hood Center under her leadership are the Partners in Health program providing local family support services in 13 regions of NH, and the Partners in Chronic Care program which provides families an effective team that works with their primary care clinician to meet the full range of their needs. She is a pediatric clinician for the DHMC Spina Bifida program and teaches medical students about the comprehensive management of chronic diseases. Dr. Olson also conducts community level research on sun protection, adolescent health risks, and parental depression.

Elizabeth Pearson, M.S.W.

  • Program Manager
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • HB 7462
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH
Email:
Beth.Pearson@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1442
Areas of Expertise:
Care coordination for children with special health care needs and domestic violence.
Research and Current Projects:
Ms. Pearson works with Dr. Olson on the Integrated Community Services for CSHCN.

Lisa Purvis, M.B.A., M.P.H.

  • Program Manager, Lecturer
  • Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  • Hood Center for Children and Families
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Lisa.A.Purvis@Hitchcock.org
Tel:
603-653-1491
Areas of Expertise:
Access to care and vaccination among vulnerable populations, community-based interventions, epidemiology and behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS, HIV vaccine development, injection drug use, minority health, public health program development and management, rural health, substance abuse, tobacco control.
Research and Current Projects:
Ms. Purvis’ research interests include community-based public health research, the behavioral risk factors of HIV/AIDS, injection drug use, substance abuse and tobacco use and control. She is responsible for the administrative development, management, and evaluative components of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Family HIV Program (HRSA-funded Title IV program) for children, youth, women and families. In that capacity she acts as the primary link to regional collaborators and networks, and coordinates all professional outreach and educational projects of the program. She advises state agencies on special medical services for target populations, on standards of care, and on policies and plans for the treatment of HIV in target populations

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Lisa Sutherland, Ph.D.

  • Research Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7465
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Lisa.A.Sutherland@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-0754
Fax:
603-653-0790
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Sutherland is a nutrition behavior and communication scientist whose overarching research focus is to study the impact of media and marketing on childhood obesity and to develop interventions to addresses these issues. Her research falls into three broad areas: health communication and marketing, childhood obesity, and nutrition interventions. She conducts qualitative and quantitative research to better understand how media and the food and beverage industry marketing strategies shape dietary attitudes and behaviors in Tweens (children aged 8-12). An area of research focus is in utilizing strategies and techniques used in advertising and marketing to develop, implement, and evaluate interventions to improve diet quality for school aged children. Dr. Sutherland is the Principal Investigator of the NCI funded project, 'Youth Exposure to Food and Beverage Product Placement in Movies' and was recently awarded a NCI-funded Career Development Award that will study the impact of TV advertising on Tween diet, examining specific variations by gender and race/ethnicity.

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Kendra Tilton, B.S.

  • Project Assistant
  • Hood Center for Families and Children
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7462
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Kendra.A.Tilton@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1448
 
 
Research and Current Projects:
Ms. Tilton is the Project Assistant for the Partners in Chronic Care project.

Linda Titus-Ernstoff, Ph.D.

  • Associate Director, Hood Center for Families and Children
  • Professor, Community and Family Medicine
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • HB 7926
  • One Medical Center Drive
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Linda.Titus-Ernstoff@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-3696
Areas of Expertise:
Cancer etiology and health effects of prenatal exposures.
Research and Current Projects:
Dr. Titus-Ernstoff is the Associate Director of the Hood Center for Families and Children. Her research focuses on: 1) cancer etiology, and 2) the impact of prenatal and early life exposures on adult health outcomes. Specific areas of study include the influence of prenatal factors on adult risk of breast cancer. In addition, Dr. Titus-Ernstoff oversees the National Cancer Institute's DES (Diethylstilbestrol) Combined Cohort Follow-up Study at Dartmouth, which assess the impact of this prenatal exposure on adult health outcomes, including cancer. She also leads the NCI-sponsored study of DES effects in the children of women who were exposed prenatally to this drug. She works closely with Dr. Dalton's team studying the influence of movies on adolescent smoking behavior, and the influence of family, school and community on adolescent obesity.

Peggy Villar

  • Consumer Advocate
  • Family HIV Program
  • Dartmouth Medical School
  • One Medical Center Drive, HB 7462
  • Lebanon, NH 03756
Email:
Peggy.Villar@Dartmouth.edu
Tel:
603-653-1006
Areas of Expertise:
HIV education, outreach advocacy

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