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 Stanley P. Azen, Ph.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Bioengineering
Co-Director of the Biostatistics Division
Dr. Stanley Azen was one of the founding fathers of the graduate programs in Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Molecular Epidemiology and Public Health. In 1998, he was one of two recipients of the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching in recognition of his programmatic development and mentoring of students. Dr. Azen is also the Director of the Statistical Consultation and Research Center at USC, which actively participates in the design, performance and analysis of clinical trials in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, gerontology and ophthalmology. Dr. Azen is also the founding editor and editor-in-chief of Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, the official journal of the International Association of Statistical Computing. In 2006, Dr. Azen received an honorary doctorate for contributions to biomedicine from the University of Salerno, Italy. He earned his B.A. and M.A. in Mathematics and his Ph.D. in Biostatistics from the University of California, Los Angeles.
 Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Research, Preventive Medicine
Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati’s research focuses on women and minority health, with emphasis on Hispanic population groups. Currently, Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati is the co-principal investigator of Cancer Information Services, the nation’s leading source of publicly available scientific information on cancer. Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati is also the principal investigator on a community-based statewide tobacco education and prevention program focusing on Hispanics. In addition, Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati is also the principal investigator of a research project focusing on social resources and Hispanic youth smoking. She has been widely recognized for her work on behalf of ethnic communities, and has recently received the prestigious Most Distinguished Career Award from the American Public Health Association, Latino Caucus. Dr. Baezconde-Garbanati received an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the Universite Catholique de Louvain in Belgium and earned her M.P.H. and Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of California, Los Angeles.
 Julia Borovay, Dr.P.H.
Part-time Lecturer
Dr. Borovay’s research interests focus on the health and well-being of women, children, and underrepresented immigrant populations. She was the project director for the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Prevention Program for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, and is currently working as a Research Education Analyst and ethnographer observing participants in a parenting research study groups. She is currently teaching the Cultural Competency course at USC, which focuses on developing skills in working with patients from other cultures. Dr. Borovay received her B.A. and M.A. in Anthropology from California State University, Chico. She received her TESOL certification from the University of California, Davis, and her Dr.P.H. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
 Alex Chen, M.D., MSHS
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine
Dr. Alex Chen is currently an assistant professor at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1997 and completed his residency in Pediatrics at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Chen's primary research interests are in the areas of health care access and disparity. In 2002, he received a five-year research career development award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine issues related to health care access for children with chronic illness, particularly minority and immigrant children. In 2004, Dr. Chen represented USC at the international meeting of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU) on Globalization and the Sustainability of Global Resources, where he won the 2004 APRU Fellows Program Collaborative Research Paper Award. Dr. Chen earned his MSHS from the University of California, Los Angeles, and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School.
 Chih-Ping Chou, Ph.D.
Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Dr. Chih-Ping Chou’s research focuses on computational, methodological and statistical development in psychometrics, especially structural equation model and multilevel analysis. He is also interested in substance use prevention and treatment. Dr. Chou received his B.S. and M.S. from National Taiwan University and his Ph.D. in Research Methods and Evaluation from the University of California, Los Angeles.
 Panayiota Courelli, Ph.D.
Part-time Lecturer
Dr. Panayiota Courelli joins USC from California State Polytechnic University. Her current research projects include family integration in covert sensitization of incarcerated youth sexual offenders and identification of incest patterns in multiethnic, multicultural family settings. She is also working to implement the “Successfully Dressed” program, which aims to alter the perceptions of incarcerated youth transitioning to parole by exposing them to grooming, hygiene and professional style of dress. Dr. Courelli is a staff psychologist for the California Youth Authority. In 2007, she received a Congressional Award for Woman of the Year from Congresswoman Grace Napolitano for her work on sexual addiction with adolescents and their families. Dr. Courelli is a licensed clinical psychologist, is a certified addiction specialist (CAS) in the areas of alcohol substances and sexual addictions and is a certified family life educator (CFLE). Dr. Courelli earned her B.S. in Biology and M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College, her M.A. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA, and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Graduate School of Psychology.
 Tess Boley Cruz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Director of the Health Communications, USC MPH program
Dr. Tess Boley Cruz has been involved in research projects on health communication, diversity and tobacco control, and in teaching and administration for the academic programs of the Keck School. Dr. Cruz is the principal investigator for Project 4: Countering Tobacco Advertising in Diverse Populations, which surveys how tobacco-industry advertising and publicly funded counter-advertising affects California consumers. Current projects include evaluating the statewide anti-tobacco media campaign of the California Tobacco Control Prevention and Education Program, monitoring tobacco industry marketing activities, formulating an intervention to reduce tobacco industry sponsorship of public events, evaluating the California Hispanic/Latino Tobacco Education Network, and researching pro- and anti-tobacco media exposure in diverse populations. A certified community health education specialist, Dr. Cruz received her M.P.H. from San Jose State University and her Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
 Kathleen Dwyer
Clinical Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Dr. Kathleen Dwyer specializes in the study of cardiovascular disease risk factors. She is currently the principal investigator for an NHLBI funded epidemiologic study of the relation between antioxidants and pro-oxidants and the progression of intimal thickening of the carotid artery. Dr. Dwyer has also studied the relationship between smoking and antioxidants in minority youth, the biologic and psychological effects of exposure to dioxins among veterans in Vietnam, and the effect of dietary calcium supplementations on blood pressure in minority youth. She is currently teaching classes on environmental health in the community and epidemiology of chronic disease, and is developing programs to serve the medical needs of the underserved in Northern Baja California, Mexico. Dr. Dwyer received her B.A. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, her M.S.W. from the State University of New York, Stony Brook, and her Ph.D. from the University of Southern California.
 Michael I. Goran, Ph.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine
Associate Director of the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research
Dr. Michael Goran researches the etiology and prevention of obesity and related diseases in children. Currently, Dr. Goran serves as the principal investigator of two studies funded by the National Institutes of Health. The first study tracks a multi-ethnic cohort of children through growth and development to identify risk factors for obesity, and how these factors relate to long-term risk of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular disease. The second study, supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is towards developing an interactive CD-ROM that teaches children healthy eating habits and encourage them to be more physically active. Dr. Goran received his B.S. in Biochemistry and his Ph.D. in Metabolism from the University of Manchester in England.
 Carol Marie Koprowski, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Dr. Carol Koprowski’s research focuses on factors related to self-management of diabetes and on the connections between diet and breast cancer survival. She also serves on the Board of Editors for the Journal of the American Dietetic Association. A registered dietitian, Dr. Koprowski currently has a private practice located in Encino, CA. Dr. Koprowski holds a Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine and Health Behavior Research from the University of Southern California.
 Stephen Lankenau, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Dr. Stephen Lankenau, a sociologist, conducts ethnographic research on high-risk, out-of-treatment populations, including homeless youth, injection drug users and others involved in the informal street economy. Dr. Lankenau is a principal investigator on a four-year study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse to examine risks associated with prescription drug misuse among youth in New York and Los Angeles. Dr. Lankenau earned his B.A. from the University of Vermont and his M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Maryland.
 Joel Milam, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Dr. Joel Milam's research focuses on the psychological and behavioral adaptation to stress and disease. He is involved with several research projects examining behavioral and quality of life interventions among people living with asthma, cancer and HIV/AIDS. His interests also include positive psychology and his research emphasizes the role of positive and protective psychosocial and behavioral factors than can influence health and well-being. Dr. Milam received his B.A. in Psychology from Point Loma Nazarene University, his M.A. in Psychology from California State University, Long Beach, and his Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine from the University of Southern California.
 Elahe Nezami, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Clinical Preventive Medicine
Associate Dean for Undergraduate, Masters and Professional Programs
Director of the Institute for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research and the Global Health Bachelor’s Program
Director for the Masters in Global Medicine Program
Dr. Elahe Nezami has focused her research on the behavioral risk factors for cancer, cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases. Her research projects include examinations on personality characteristics in relation to cardiovascular disease, the psychological predictors of smoking, and the role of culture and acculturation in predicting behavior. Currently, Dr. Nezami is principal investigator of the USC Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center (TTURC) pilot program, Psychosocial Predictors of Smoking Across Cultures. She received her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Houston and her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Southern California.
 Mary Ann Pentz, Ph.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine
Director of Center for Prevention Policy Research
Dr. Mary Ann Pentz's current research focuses on smoking, health policy and the cost effectiveness of prevention programs; comprehensive, community-based drug prevention for youth; and adolescent stress prevention. She has received several awards and grants for adolescent health promotion, and has conducted extensive research in community-level drug abuse prevention strategies. She is principal investigator of two studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse that investigate the long-term effects of intervention on adolescent drug use. Dr. Pentz received her B.A. in Psychology from Hamilton College and her M.A. and Ph.D. in Psychology from Syracuse University.
 Jean L. Richardson, Dr.P.H.
Professor of Preventive Medicine
Dr. Jean Richardson’s current projects include an intervention study to promote safer sexual behavior and adherence to therapy among persons with HIV disease, an intervention study to reduce household allergen exposure for children with asthma, and an investigation of the psychological and behavioral factors in HIV infection among women. Her prior studies have included an intervention study to increase screening of twins of cancer patients and an intervention study to increase compliance with cancer chemotherapy. She has also conducted a longitudinal study of the effects of after-school care on the use of tobacco, alcohol and other substances. Dr. Richardson has served on committees of the American Cancer Society, the National Cancer Institute and the Department of Defense. Dr. Richardson received her B.S. in Microbiology from the University of Southern California and her M.P.H. and Dr.P.H. from the University of California, Los Angeles.
 Nathaniel Riggs, Ph.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Psychology
Dr. Nathaniel Riggs researches the role of emotion in obesity, substance use and violence. Among his basic research interests are investigations into the neuro-cognitive basis of how children understand, discuss, and regulate their emotions. Dr. Riggs applies this understanding of emotion to public health interventions for young people. Dr. Riggs is a co-principal investigator on a five year research project funded by the National Institute for Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute for Drug Abuse. The project, entitled PATHWAYS, translates evidence-based prevention programs from the fields of substance abuse and violence to a school-based intervention for obesity prevention with a parent component. Dr. Riggs received his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Washington, and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Human Development and Family Studies from Pennsylvania State University.
 Louise Ann Rohrbach, Ph.D
Assistant Professor of Research, Preventive Medicine
Director of Graduate Training Program in Health Behavior Research
Dr. Louise Rohrbach conducts research on school and community-based tobacco, alcohol and other drug abuse prevention interventions, prediction of substance use behaviors and theory-based evaluation of health promotion programs. Her current projects include an evaluation of the California Tobacco Control Prevention and Education Program; a study that explores predictors of implementation of evidence-based tobacco prevention programs in schools; a study of gender differences in predictors of adolescent substance abuse; and a study of HIV risk and protective behaviors among young women who use intravenous drugs. In the past, Dr. Rohrbach has researched coalitions and other community-based drug abuse prevention interventions, as well as the diffusion of effective prevention approaches. She received her B.A. in Psychology from Indiana University, her M.P.H. in Maternal and Child Health and Health Education from the University California, Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in Health Behavior from the University of Southern California.
 Jonathan M. Samet, M.D., M.S.
Professor, Keck School of Medicine
Director of the Institute for Global Health
Flora L. Thornton Chair, Department of Preventive Medicine
Dr. Samet is a pulmonary physician and epidemiologist, and comes to the University of Southern California from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. His research has focused on the health risks of inhaled pollutants—particles and ozone in outdoor air and indoor pollutants including secondhand smoke and radon. He has also investigated the occurrence and causes of cancer and respiratory diseases, emphasizing the risks of active and passive smoking. He received the Surgeon General’s Medallion in 1990 and 2006, the 2004 Prince Mahidol Award for Global Health awarded by the King of Thailand, and the 2006 Public Service Award of the American Thoracic Society. Dr. Samet received an A.B. degree in Chemistry and Physics from Harvard College, his M.D. from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and his M.S. in Public Health from Harvard University.
 Joel Schechter, Ph.D.
Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Assistant Dean, Student Affairs
Dr. Joel Schechter has been on the faculty at USC since 1969. He currently teaches the histology course for medical and graduate students and conducts research on the lacrimal gland. Dr. Schechter became a Faculty Fellow in the USC Center for Excellence in Teaching in 1999, has received the USC Dart Award for innovations in teaching and has earned the USC Associates Award for excellence in education. As an undergraduate, he double majored in biology and the fine arts, with a concentration in drawing and painting. He obtained his Masters degree in Medical Illustration at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and his Ph.D. in Anatomy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Schechter is passionate about the responsibility of faculty to be committed to high personal standards of excellence in their teaching and increasingly experiments with drama and humor in his own teaching.
 Parvin Shahlapour, Ph.D.
Part-time Lecturer
Dr. Parvin Shahlapour's research interests center around the social sciences, including sociology, psychology, and culture. She has spent much of her career examining the demographic characteristics and socio-economic features of Iranian youth and Iranian immigrant populations. She has authored over 30 articles related to education, sociology, psychology and culture. She has worked in several international organizations and has served at United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) as deputy secretary general. Dr. Shahlapour is currently working on a joint research project on Muslims in the United States with Harvard University and the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Shahlapour earned her B.S. and M.S. in Sociology from the University of Tehran, her M.A. in Psychology, Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from National University in Los Angeles, and her Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration, Sociology and Community Development from the University of Missouri, Columbia.
 Donna Spruijt-Metz, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research, Preventive Medicine
Dr. Donna Spruijt-Metz’s research focuses on adolescent health, particularly smoking and obesity. She currently heads the USC College Health Study concerning the etiology and prevention of smoking uptake in multicultural college settings, as well as another study aimed at understanding and preventing the decline in physical activity in adolescent girls. Dr. Spruijt-Metz has a Masters in Research Methods from the University of Amsterdam and a Ph.D. in Adolescent Health from the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.
 Steven Y. Sussman, Ph.D.
Professor of Preventive Medicine and Psychology
Dr. Steven Sussman conducts research on the prediction, prevention and cessation of tobacco and drug abuse, and in the utility of empirical program development methods. He was the principal investigator of Project Towards No Tobacco Use (Project TNT), a tobacco-use prevention and cessation project among young teens that is being disseminated nationally by the Centers for Disease Control as a "Program That Works" and by the Centers for Substance Abuse Prevention as a model program. It is also recognized as a model program by the Department of Education of the State of California, Sociometrics Inc., and the National Institute on Drug Abuse. His other projects include Project EX, a successful adolescent tobacco-use cessation program, and Project Towards No Drug Abuse (Project TND), a drug abuse prevention project for older teens. He has published over 300 pieces about drug use and abuse. Dr. Sussman received his B.S. in Psychology from the University of Illinois at Champaign and his M.S. and Ph.D. in Clinical-Social Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
 Heather Wipfli, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Research in Preventive Medicine
Associate Director of the Institute for Global Health
Dr. Heather Wipfli joins USC from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she directed research and training for the Institute for Global Tobacco Control. Prior to her time at Johns Hopkins, Dr. Wipfli worked on the development of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control as a technical officer at the World Health Organization headquarters in Geneva. Dr. Wipfli has published work on global tobacco control, globalization and health, capacity building in developing countries and health security. In 2008, Dr. Wipfli earned the Alumni Laurent Prize of the University of Geneva for her dissertation on the global diffusion of tobacco control policies. Dr. Wipfli holds a Ph.D. in International Studies from the Graduate Institute of International Studies at the University of Geneva.
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