Research Advisory Board

The Research Advisory Board advises the Center on Health Disparities at Adventist HealthCare on research activities related to health and health care disparities, cultural and linguistic competence, and access to health care services for underserved populations. The mission of the Advisory Board is to help the Center and its community partners develop processes and programs that are informed by research and best practices, and to provide advice about how other Center programs, initiatives, and recommendations can be most effectively implemented at AHC and other health care providers.

The CHD Research Advisory Board was created to enable discussion of issues related to:

1. racial and ethnic disparities in health and health care as a local and national problem;
2. measuring the cultural competence of health care providers and organizations,
3. the development of research programs and strategies to reduce disparities, particularly in collaboration with other Centers and organizations;
4. evaluation of culturally competent care education and training programs, and
5. the collection of race, ethnicity, nationality, and language data at AHC hospitals and other health care providers. 

Members of the board include experts from public health, research institutions, local government agencies, health care providers, and the community.

Board Members 2008–2010

Olivia Carter-Pokras, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
University of Maryland College Park School of Public Health

Debarati Dasgupta, MS, CIP
IRB Administrator
Adventist HealthCare, Inc.

Jacqueline R. Dougé, MD, MPH
Deputy Health Officer
Frederick County Health Department

Dushanka Kleinman, DDS, MScD
Associate Dean for Research & Academic Affairs
Professor of Epidemiology & Biostatistics
University of Maryland School of Public Health

Harry T. Kwon, PhD, MPH, CHES
Technical Director
Macro International

Barry Portnoy, PhD
Senior Advisor for Disease Prevention
Office of Disease Prevention
Office of the Director
National Institutes of Health

Colleen M. Ryan Smith, M.P.H.
Senior Epidemiologist
Public Health Services
Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County

Anna Sommers, PhD
Center for Studying Health System Change

Maria-Rosa Watson, DDS, MS, DrPH.
Epidemiologist/Research Director 
Primary Care Coalition of Montgomery County, Inc.