The DME Group is an important resource which the Department of Community Health Sciences provides to the entire COM community, as well as to others throughout the northeastern Ohio region.  Through the vehicle of the DME Group departmental faculty and staff regularly support the research efforts of biomedical scientists, community health professionals, and clinical faculty in the areas outlined below.  In addition, the DME Group provides evaluation and related services to health departments, community agencies, local foundations and others.  For more information on the DME Group, contact Dr. Kris Baughman at (330) 325-6161 or kbaughma@neoucom.edu.

Consultation Services and Faculty & Staff Expertise

Research Design and Management Services

¨       Research study design consultation for both quantitative and qualitative approaches, including:

o        Hypothesis/research question development

o        Sampling methodologies

o        Appropriate study design

o        Survey/instrument design

o        Data collection and management techniques

o        Statistical analysis and interpretation

o        Reporting of research results

Teaching Services

¨       Provision of lectures/discussions regarding:

o        Research design and methods (including statistical analysis)

o        Using evidence to improve the quality of care

o        Epidemiology

o        The translation of research into practice

¨       Journal club facilitation

Programmatic Services

¨       Consultation regarding the integration of new ACGME requirements into residencies, including: 

o        Practice-based  improvement 

o        Systems-based practice 

¨       Evaluation of current programs and services in order to assess for both efficiency and effectiveness 

¨       Consultation regarding the establishment, evaluation, and further development of quality improvement programs. 

DME Group Member Expertise and Interests

All members of the DME Group possess skills in statistical analysis, research design and analysis, and evaluation.   The following describes specific areas of expertise and interests:

Voula Androulakakis, M.S. 

Programmatic Areas of Expertise: Performing statistical analyses (programming in FORTRAN and SAS), planning data collection, analyzing and interpreting data, reviewing research literature, preparing reports for presentations.

Kristin Baughman, Ph.D. 

Clinical/Research Areas of Expertise: Health behaviors and chronic disease, especially, sleep disorders, obesity, and diabetes; the development of health care practices to encourage patient self-management of disease. 

Programmatic Areas of Expertise: Design and conduct of cohort studies and clinical trials; development of survey designs, outcome measures, data collection and management techniques.

Claire C. Bourguet, Ph.D.

Clinical/Research Areas of Expertise:  Sleep disorders, especially Restless Legs Syndrome, and the effect of sleep disorders on mental health and health care utilization; cancer screening, especially breast, cervical, and colon cancer

Programmatic Areas of Expertise:  Design and conduct of observational research, especially case-control studies; critical review of the literature.

Michael Hewit, M.S.

Programmatic Areas of Expertise:  Research design and analysis, maintenance of large data sets, linear programming and other types of quantitative analysis, statistical data interpretation, assistance in manuscript preparation.

Nancy A. Myers, Ph.D., R.N., C.P.H.Q.

Clinical/Research Areas of Expertise:  Maternal and child health issues (including maternal-fetal medicine); post polio syndrome; primary health care services; disparities in health care services and outcomes, the translation of health services research into health care practice (including both facility and office-based settings).

Programmatic Areas of Expertise:  Clinical quality improvement, including the development and incorporation of clinical guidelines into practice; program development, implementation, and evaluation; the integration of services across all levels of the health care delivery system.

Liz Piatt, Ph.D.

Clinical Research Areas of Expertise: Race disparities in physical and mental health outcomes, treatment and access/utilization of services; psychosocial determinants of health; work-family stress.

Programmatic Areas of Expertise: Research design; data collection (quantitative and qualitative), management and statistical analysis, including large public data sets (e.g. NHIS); workshops on basic biostatistics and the use of SPSS.  

Richard P. Steiner, Ph.D.

Programmatic Areas of Expertise: Biostatistics, techniques for teaching statistics, biostatistics consulting.

 Research Interests: Biostatistics, Nonparametric Statistics, Survival Analysis.