Gillings student, lecturer win dissertation awards

Ellis, doctoral student in health policy and management at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, expects to defend her dissertation in October. Her research examines the effect of reimbursement policies on the use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for men with localized prostate cancer. In particular, she focuses on physician reimbursement cuts for ADT introduced by the Medicare Modernization Act and how the cuts may have changed patterns of prostate cancer care.

She recently received a 2013 Impact Award from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Graduate Education Advancement Board, an honor that recognizes graduate students whose research has a special impact on the citizens of North Carolina. She also received a Graduate School Merit Award and served as a predoctoral fellow in the UNC Cancer Care Quality Training Program.

Golden, who defended her public policy dissertation in the UNC College of Arts and Sciences in April, examined how tobacco product tax rates have changed over several decades; what economic, demographic and political factors led to changes in the tax rates; and how those factors affected employment and smoking. She previously was a lecturer in health behavior at the Gillings School.

She has received numerous awards, including a prestigious five-year Royster Fellowship awarded by UNC, a Teaching Innovation Award from the Gillings School, and the 2012 Lawrence W. Green Paper of the Year Award , awarded by the journal Health Education and Behavior.

The award honors Marci Kramish Campbell, PhD, a national leader in cancer prevention and control and in disparities and survivorship research. A former Gillings School faculty member and program leader at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Dr. Campbell died of cancer in 2011.

The award is funded by donations from Dr. Campbell’s family, friends and colleagues. The goal is to endow the award to establish a permanent legacy in Dr. Campbell’s honor.  Contributions may be made payable to UNC Lineberger and mailed to Campus Box 7295, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599-7295.

Gillings School of Global Public Health contact: David Pesci, director of communications, (919) 962-2600 or dpesci@unc.edu.