Jo Anne Pegler, PhD, MPH

Education

Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy in Community Health Science - May 1995
University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston
Behavioral Science (major) - Environmental Science/Epidemiology (double minor)
Dissertation - Liberation of Hope: An Ethnographic Study of Community-Based Initiatives in Houston, Texas
Received Dean’s Excellence Award for Best Dissertation -1995

M.P.H. Masters in Public Health - August 1989
University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston
Disease Control (major) - Epidemiology (minor)
Thesis - Alternative Therapies Used in the Treatment of AIDS/HIV Infection

B.B.A. Bachelor of Business Administration - 1976
University of Texas, Austin
Marketing (major) - Finance (minor)

A.A. Associate of Arts - 1972
Lon Morris College, Jacksonville, TX

Work Experience

Mar. 99 - Sep. 03

Director - CDC National Diabetes Prevention Center (NDPC)
Responsible for team leadership, administration and management of this national CDC initiative that supports American Indian/Alaska Native communities in developing effective strategies for diabetes care and prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion (NCCDPHP), Division of Diabetes Translation (DDT). Civil Service ranking - Supervisory Senior Health Scientist -GS-14 (Full Tenure).
**(Latest NDPC progress report-Jan 03-available upon request)

Selected Highlights:

• Led national strategic planning process in 2001 - designed, developed, and conducted a listening framework that gained input from over 171 tribes (450 participants) in eight regional meetings. The largest CDC information-gathering project with a direct constituency ever recorded. This input defined and directed CDC’s short and long-term goals and activities for this project - and continues to provide the platform for operational plans. Because of the success of this listening framework, the Indian Health Service Director’s office has requested that we repeat this project next year.
• In all funded years for this project, the Indian Health Service, in consultation with the Tribal Leaders Diabetes Committee, has awarded an additional $1M to the CDC project, in recognition of outstanding progress.
• The NDPC project was named as one of only three Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) "Hot Topic-Innovative Response" programs, selected by the U.S. Secretary for Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson (Nov 2002).
• Created a learning organization model for diabetes prevention and public health that is structured around an innovative "best practices" model - intended to replace the former, less community-sensitive, public health approach of "research and surveillance."
• Collaborated with the American Indian Higher Education Consortium (AIHEC) to develop college/community-centered diabetes programs. In FY 03 - funded 10 tribal colleges in total, with 4 implementation and 6 planning grants. For FY 04 - plans include providing technical assistance to achieve the goal of all 32 tribal colleges being eligible and competitive for future awards by the end of the year. This project was the first time for a CDC project to work with AIHEC on a collaborative basis.
• Partnered with the National Institutes of Health and the Indian Health Service to develop and fund a five-year project, "Diabetes Education in Tribal Schools." Working in partnership with 8 tribal colleges to develop and implement a diabetes-based science curriculum for K-12.
• Developed a new state-of-the-art information technology infrastructure for diabetes data using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping approaches, in partnership with the National Indian Council on Aging. Project is called the Interactive American Indian/Alaska Native Diabetes Atlas.

Nov 97- May 99

CDC Senior Behavioral Scientist - Office of the Director, National Center for HIV/STD/TB Prevention Senior Behavioral Scientist assigned to the Prevention Support Office in the Office of the Director of NCHSTP, which is CDC’s largest Center with a $1.5B annual budget. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for HIV, STD & TB Prevention (NCHSTP), Office of the Director (OD).

Selected Highlights:

• Held a leadership position designed to address organizational and management issues affecting the 400+ person decentralized CDC field staff of the NCHSTP and the National Immunization Program (NIP). CDC's relationships to local, state and community-based public health entities were undergoing significant and fundamental changes, often characterized by complex dynamics involving management, research, programmatic activities, funding and external relations. Job responsibilities included: planning, development and evaluation of new models for leadership development and learning organization activities designed to address these changes.
• Member of the development team for the CDC Graduate Certificate Program in Public Health, working with programs at Johns Hopkins, Tulane, U of Washington, U of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.
• Lead policy developer as CDC moved towards expansion of its role as a Community Capacity Builder.
• Faculty member for the International Experience Training courses for CDC professionals who were assigned to foreign countries. Member of curriculum development and translation team.
• Served as the NCHSTP Women's Health Coordinator - CDC Office of Women’s Health.
• NCHSTP Liaison to the CDC Minority Affairs Working Group.
• NCHSTP team leader to the Hispanic Health Agenda Steering Committee for CDC.
• Active member of the CDC Corrections Cross-Center Working Group, the CDC Human Resources Diversity Recruitment and Retention Working Group, the US/Mexico Border Health Committee and the Migrant Workers Women’s Health Committee.

Apr 96 - Oct 97

CDC Health Scientist - Team Leader and chief methodologist for health services evaluation projects. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for HIV, STD & TB Prevention (NCHSTP), Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention (DSTDP), Health Services Research and Evaluation Branch (HSREB).

Selected Highlights:

• Team Leader for project designed to systematically analyze the effects of downsizing on the Los Angeles County Health Department and provide recommendations for future strategic planning. This project won the 1998 CDC Public Health Program Practice Office Honor Award.
• Member of the CDC committee appointed by White House Executive Order to develop an agency action plan for the follow-up response to the Tuskegee Project.
• Team Leader (NCHSTP) for the working group that developed the first Hispanic Health Agenda for CDC.
• Team leader for the STD Division's Government Performance and Review (GPRA) activities.
• Primary technical advisor for a multi-site project focused on the assessment of STD Prevention Programs in the South, subsequently selected as the only CDC project included in the yearly manual for best evaluation practices, titled Performance Improvement 97: Evaluation Activities of the Public Health Service.
• Active member of the following working groups: Community Research Working Group, Corrections Cross-Center Working Group, Behavioral and Social Sciences Working Group, Adolescent STD/HIV Prevention Committee.
• Due to success in this position - was recruited, and promoted, to work in the Office of the Director as lead Behavioral Scientist - see position description above.

Jun 94 to Apr 96

Director - The Community Institute - founded the first community-based public health practice institute in Houston, Texas. The emphasis in this work was on authentic community participation and involvement in all aspects of public health program design, evaluation and implementation. Institute was located in an urban setting with residents from a wide variety of distinct ethnic groups. Institute was organized as a non-profit organization, funded by a private foundation.

Selected Highlights:

• The Community Institute worked with community organizations, faith-based organizations, the Intertribal Council, academic centers, managed care organizations and local public health entities; such as the Houston Health Department, Hospital Districts, Community Health Centers, etc.
• Served as principal scientific advisor to the National Latino Children's Institute in Austin, Texas, for a Hispanic youth needs assessment project done in 15 U.S. cities in 1996-97.
• Designed and assisted in the conduct of a community health needs assessment for urban Native Americans.
• Developed and implemented a needs assessment survey for HIV+ women and their children in Houston.
• Developed and conducted a community-based capacity building project for a women's and children's health clinic in a colonía in Mexico.
• Developed an ethnographic housing research project in Houston's Hispanic East End for two private foundations.
• Completed an organizational re-development and evaluation plan for a women's transitional living shelter program in Houston.
• Performed an evaluation of a community-based program for pregnant teens.
• Evaluated a widely used Latino parenting program (Cara y Corazón) for Catholic Charities in Houston.
• Developed and directed an ethnographic field school (bi-annually) for U.S. medical teams in Mexican fishing communities in Baja California.
• Consulted with the Centers for Disease Control on developing community partnership projects - leading to eventual employment with CDC.

NOTE : THE PRIMARY EMPLOYER FROM 1987-1995 WAS THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE WORK EXPERIENCES OUTLINED BELOW WERE CONCURRENT WITH STUDIES LEADING TO AN MPH AND A PHD. THE PROJECTS AND DUTIES HAVE BEEN CATEGORIZED AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE INTO SEPARATE UNITS. HOWEVER, IN REALITY, MANY OF THEM OVERLAPPED AND INTER-RELATED WITH REGARDS TO TIME, WORK GROUPS, DEPARTMENTS, FUNDING, ETC.

Oct 92-May 95

Community Researcher, Evaluator and Trainer for the Houston Community Partnership Project at the Center for Health Promotion Research and Development, School of Public Health, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. Researcher/Evaluator for a $5M demonstration project funded by the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). Project utilized a participatory framework that encouraged and supported the creation of indigenous programs in which community residents design, plan and develop their own long-term programs to effectively combat substance abuse in their neighborhoods. Eight culturally distinct communities in the Houston area participated in this project, affecting approximately 250,000 persons. In addition, the project worked collaboratively with state and local health departments, justice and probation entities, hospital districts, non-profit agencies, faith-based groups, etc. Position involved interactive evaluation and coordination of community partnership activities, such as: ongoing and adaptive program design and implementation, community needs assessments, policy development, data analysis, training and curriculum development, public speaking, etc. Results of the project were presented at national conferences on public health and substance abuse prevention. Evaluation team role involved the application of a multi-method strategic framework emphasizing interactive community involvement and a blending of qualitative and quantitative approaches.

Jun-Aug 92

Research Scientist and Site Coordinator for Southwest Research Associates. This project was designed to be a rapid and reliable qualitative/quantitative community needs assessment of the Texas WIC (Women, Infant's and Children's Nutrition) program for the Texas Department of Health, completed within a 90-day period. Interviews were conducted with WIC participants throughout the state of Texas, inviting them to communicate their vision of the WIC program's potential to the Texas Legislature. Women were enabled through this process to inform and help re-design the foundations of the Texas WIC program. Focus groups and participant/staff interviews were utilized. A written report was submitted to the Legislature in the fall of 1993, which resulted in significant changes in the Texas WIC program.

Jun 90-Nov 91

Epidemiologist/Project Manager for the University of Texas Skin Health Study for the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health. The project was a clinical epidemiological field study of skin cancer in an industrial population. Position involved all aspects of administrative and field project management and research - including extensive public speaking to industrial workers. Was also involved in studies on: electromagnetic fields and cancer; universal precautions in health care workers; and adverse health effects in a community adjacent to a Superfund site.

Oct 89-Aug 90

Field Supervisor/Research Assistant Epidemiologist at the Southwest Center for Prevention Research for an epidemiological study assessing cardiovascular risk factors in children in The Woodlands, Texas. Position involved training, managing and supervising of field staff. Data management and analysis. Developed a community-sensitive program for recruitment and enrollment of study subjects. Simultaneously involved as a researcher/coordinator for the Federal Worksite Health Promotion Project, which took place at the Johnson Space Center.

Sep 87-Aug 89

Epidemiology Research Assistant for the Southwest Center for Occupational and Environmental Health and the University of Texas Epidemiology Research Unit under the supervision of Patricia Buffler, PhD. Assisted with literature reviews, proposal preparation and epidemiological analysis. Also employed part-time as a health educator (CPR & First Aid Instructor) in the community. At this time, I was living part-time in Birmingham, AL and also assisted with the publication of a statewide resource directory for the Alabama AIDS Task Force - a group that had begun working, very early in the AIDS epidemic, with the state and local health departments and the UAB School of Public Health. This project was highlighted by the U.S. Senate as a model public/private HIV/AIDS program. Developed a support group program for PWAs and friends/families in Birmingham, Alabama, and worked as an AIDS/HIV counselor for the Birmingham AIDS Outreach.

1976-1987

I was involved in a business career, following my graduation from the University of Texas in 1976, that focused on management and marketing for engineering and architectural firms. A detailed resume of this period is available upon request. I underwent a significant shift in my professional life when I returned to graduate school in 1987.

Professional and Volunteer Affiliations and Awards - Texas 1990-1996

• The Community Institute - Director and Founder
• Vulnerable and Indigent Population (VIP) Task Force - Founding Member
• EastAct - Founding Member
• Villa Guadalupe Transitional Living Center - Advisory Board
• Misión de San Rafael - Advisory Board
• Aldine Y.O.U.T.H. - Advisory Board
• Full Circle Youth Program - Advisory Board
• Good Neighbor Clinic - Development Committee
• Second Ward Plan Task Force - Housing Committee
• Recipient of Dean's Excellence Award - 1995
• Association for Women in Science - Elected Representative, Gulf Coast Chapter, 93-94
• Recipient of one of two Health Science Center Scholarships from Texas Exe's Assoc. 1991
• Recipient of US Public Health Service Traineeship grant, 1990-93

Volunteer Activities 1996-Present

• Clarkston Health Collaborative Project (with Dekalb, GA County Board of Health) - project involved developing an asset-based community development program around local health issues. Clarkston is the region's most diverse community setting - with 87 distinct ethnicities represented.
• Clarkston Girl's Mentoring Program - grass-roots activities designed to develop mentoring linkages between girls and older women in the community (Atlanta).
• Clarkston Community Arts Project - volunteer community organizer (Atlanta)
• Albuquerque Inter-Faith - community trainings (New Mexico).
• Children’s AIDS Network - Advisory Board (Arizona)

Invited Speaker/Faculty Presentations

• Tribal Leaders Diabetes Prevention in American Indian Communities Conference - Denver, CO - Dec 2002 - "Mapping the Future of Diabetes Prevention - A Shared Vision of Hope"
• National Institutes for Health - August 2001 - "Diabetes Prevention in AI/AN Communities"
• Indian Health Service - Regional Meetings- Alaska, New Mexico, Minnesota, Tennessee, Arizona, California, Washington, Oklahoma, Nevada - 2000-2001 - "Developing a Listening Framework - the National Diabetes Prevention Center Project"
• Diabetes in Native Americans National Conference - Albuquerque, NM - November 1999 - "CDC's Response to Diabetes in American Indians/Alaskan Natives"
• 17th Annual Conference on Social Justice and Health Care - Ghost Ranch, NM - June 1999 - Faculty - "Community/Academic/Government Partnerships: Working Together"
• 16th Annual Conference on Social Justice and Health Care - Ghost Ranch, NM - June 1998 - Faculty - "Leadership and the Scientific Organization: Creating New Models"
• 15th Annual Conference on Social Justice and Health Care - Ghost Ranch, NM - June 1997 - Faculty - "Social Justice in the Era of Managed Care"
• CDC International Experience and Technical Assistance (IETA) Program - 1998, 1999, 2000 - Faculty - "Public Health Advisors in International Settings"
• Society for Applied Anthropology - Seattle WA - March 1997 - "Syphilis in the New South: A Geo/Socio/Political Discussion"
• National STD Conference - Tampa, FL - December 1996 - Workshop, co-presented with John Hatch (UNC) -"Community Research and Partnership"
• National Summit on Latino Children - San Antonio, TX - September 1996 - "Mano a Mano: Community Research Partnerships in the Latino Community"
• National Children’s Defense Fund Conference - Charlotte, NC - March 1996 - "Working Together/Playing Together: Children and Families in Diverse Communities"