Clemson School of Health Research appoints new Faculty Scholars

The Clemson University School of Health Research (CUSHR) has appointed six new faculty scholars from three Clemson colleges.

Appointed annually by CUSHR, faculty scholars are faculty members who demonstrate a strong record of health research, teaching and service in collaboration with other Clemson faculty and students as well as Prisma Health–Upstate researchers and other health partners.

These appointments recognize health researchers for influential and collaborative projects, said Windsor Westbrook Sherrill, Clemson University’s associate vice president for health research and Prisma Health’s chief science officer, who leads CUSHR’s work.

“We are excited to add these researchers to the ranks of our CUSHR faculty scholars,” Sherrill said. “The appointment committee felt that these applicants embodied the true spirit of CUSHR through their collaborative, innovative health research on aging, addiction, and health care operation and policies.”

The new faculty scholars are:

Jackie Cha is an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering within the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. Cha’s research focuses on applying human factors and ergonomics principles by leveraging emerging technology and analytical tools to measure and improve individual and team skills in clinical environments for training, team performance, and patient safety.

Benjamin Grant is an assistant professor in the Department of Management within The Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. Grant’s research focuses on health care operations management from a lens of value-based care and health care disparity reduction.

Irene Pericot-Valverde is a research assistant professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences within the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Pericot-Valverde’s research focuses on developing cessation interventions for tobacco use disorder, developing a treatment for opioid addiction, and analyzing the intersection of opioid use and hepatitis C epidemics.

Christine Phillips is a research assistant professor in the Department of Psychology within the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences. Phillips’ research focuses on identifying behaviors that preserve health and functional abilities across the lifespan and encourage adoption of and adherence to health-promoting behaviors.

Lesley Ross is director of the Clemson University Institute for Engaged Aging and an associate professor in the Department of Psychology within the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, where she also serves as SmartLife Endowed Chair of Aging and Cognition. Her research focuses on interventions to maintain the health, well-being and independence of older adults.

Emily Tucker is an assistant professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering within the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. Her research focuses on applying operations research to societal problems, including health care policy, operations, and supply chain resiliency, with methods that include stochastic optimization and mathematical programming. In the face of global disruptions to pharmaceutical suppliers and manufacturers, she has developed optimization models to design supply chains that can mitigate these disruptions and incentivize companies to be more resilient.