CHET Primary Faculty

Shyanika W. Rose, PhD, MA

Dr. Rose is a faculty member of the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) and an assistant professor in the department of behavioral science in the College of Medicine. She is also a member of the cancer prevention program of the Markey Cancer Center. Dr. Rose’s research focuses on policy approaches to reducing disparities in tobacco use, and her interests include point of sale marketing, advertising, distribution in neighborhoods, initiation of tobacco use, the amount of tobacco products used by individuals, and the challenges associated with quitting. Dr. Rose has published over 50 publications in peer-reviewed journals, and is currently the principal investigator on a National Cancer Institute grant examining the equity implications of local flavored tobacco sales restrictions. As a faculty member of CHET, she plans to continue her equity-focused tobacco research while also applying her skills in public policy and evaluation to other equity issues, particularly marketing strategies in the food, alcohol, and cannabis industries that negatively impact the health of marginalized groups. 

Selected Publications: 

Flavour types used by youth and adult tobacco users in wave 2 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study 2014-2015. 

Characteristics and Reach Equity of Policies Restricting Flavored Tobacco Product Sales in the United States. 

Perceived racial/ethnic discrimination, marketing, and substance use among young adults. 

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Laurie McLouth, PhD

Dr. McLouth is a faculty member of the Center for Health Equity Transformation, and an assistant professor of behavioral science in the University of Kentucky College of Medicine and the Markey Cancer Center. She is a clinical psychologist and the goal of her research program is to improve the lives of patients and families affected by advanced stage cancer by developing, testing, and disseminating multi-level supportive care interventions that are easily embedded in existing workflows. She is a behavioral researcher with expertise and research interests that include: (1) conducting quantitative and qualitative research to understand the impact of new cancer treatments on patients and their families; (2) developing and evaluating supportive care and survivorship care interventions that leverage positive psychology; and (3) identifying multi-level intervention targets to improve cancer care delivery and increase access to guideline-concordant cancer care. Her currently funded research focuses on testing the feasibility of a nurse-led hope-enhancing intervention for metastatic lung cancer patients during cancer treatment (R03 CA235171-01A1) and conducting a multi-level assessment of current practices, barriers, and facilitators to non-hospice palliative care for advanced stage lung cancer in rural oncology practices in Kentucky (ACS IRG 16-182-28).

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Carolyn Lauckner, PhD

Dr. Lauckner is a faculty member of the Center for Health Equity Transformation (CHET) and an assistant professor in the department of behavioral science in the College of Medicine. Her research is focused on behavioral interventions that utilize modern communication technologies to encourage the adoption of healthy behaviors. Her research interests include addressing substance use among vulnerable populations and as a means of facilitating cancer prevention and control. She is currently mPI of an NIAAA-funded R01 examining a ecological momentary intervention for reducing risky alcohol use among sexual minority men and trans individuals, an NIAAA-funded K01 testing a mobile health intervention for reducing alcohol use among people living with HIV/AIDS, a co-PI on an NCI-funded R21 aiming to reduce alcohol use among rural adolescent and young adult cancer survivors,  and a co-Investigator on two large grants using mobile phones to collect GPS-based electronic momentary assessment data on place-based predictors of risky behaviors.

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Elizabeth Rhodus, PhD, MS, OTR/L

Dr. Elizabeth Rhodus, an assistant professor in the department of behavioral science and Sanders-Brown Center on Aging, and primary faculty of the Center for Health Equity Transformation in the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky, has developed a research program based on clinical experiences as an occupational therapist with patients across the lifespan, during which she recognized the influence of the environment on behaviors of those with cognitive impairment. However, a lack of robust assessment and evidence-based interventions focused on the relationship between person and environment undermines rigorous and effective clinical decision making. This gap and the substantial need in clinical care fueled her career shift to scholarship. Her research training has been framed with a strong theoretical understanding of aging with a PhD in gerontology and training in clinical trial design as a post-doctoral scholar at the University of Kentucky’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center funded by the NIH/NIA T32. Her career has additionally focused on clinical, service-oriented support, and research in areas throughout rural Appalachia including hospital-based care, home health, and skilled nursing facilities. These experiences have exemplified health disparities and inequities which plague rural, underserved populations. Dr. Rhodus’ long-term career goals are to develop patient-oriented environmental and behavioral interventions which will promote health equity and quality of life for older adults.

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