Geni Eng, DrPH

About

Geni Eng, DrPH, a Peace Corps veteran and UNC-educated public health professional, is  recognized nationally as  an expert and practitioner of the community-based participatory research (CBPR) technique.  She is a professor in the Department of Health Behavior.

As a researcher, Eng focuses on the integration of community development and health education interventions in the rural United States and developing countries. Her current research projects apply community-based research principles to the design and evaluation of lay health advisor interventions and look at the influence of sociocultural factors on STDs and early detection of breast cancer.
 
Dr. Eng directs the Community Health Scholars post-doctoral program. She also serves as principle investigator on the National Cancer Institute-funded Cancer Health Disparities training grant housed in the department. She teaches community organization, cross- cultural aspects of health education practices, community diagnosis and health issues relevant to women, ethnic minorities, and developing nations.

Geni Eng in the Gillings News

Representative Courses

Foundations of Health Behavior, HBEH 700 | Syllabus

Community Capacity, Competence and Power: CBPR and Photovoice Methodology, 710 | Syllabus

Research Activities

Research interests
Cancer
Cardiovascular disease
Diabetes
Global health
Health behavior
Health disparity reduction
Minority health
Public health practice
Reproductive health
Rural health
Sexually transmitted diseases
Women's health

Research activities
Geni Eng focuses on the integration of community development and health education interventions in the rural United States and developing countries. Her current research projects apply community-based research principles to the design and evaluation of lay health advisor interventions and look at the influence of sociocultural factors on STDs and early detection of breast cancer. Dr. Eng directs the Community Health Scholars post-doctoral program. She also serves as principle investigator on the National Cancer Institute-funded Cancer Health Disparities training grant housed in the department. She teaches community organization, cross- cultural aspects of health education practices, community diagnosis and health issues relevant to women, ethnic minorities, and developing nations.

Key Publications

Community-Guided Focus Group Analysis to Examine Cancer Disparities. K Black, C Cothern, E Eng, K Gilbert, C Hardy, J Jeon, A Lightfoot, L Mann, M Mouw, L Robertson, J Schaal, K Stein, E Waters, S White, M Yonas (2016). Progress in community health partnerships : research, education, and action, 10(1), 159-67.

The community-based participatory pilot evaluation of an art therapy program for refugee adolescents from Burma. Kowitt S, Emmerling D, Gavarkavich D, Mershon C, Linton K, Rubesin H, Agnew-Brune C, ENG E. (2016). Journal of Art Therapy, 33(1), 13-20.

Community-guided focus group analysis on cancer disparities. Schaal J, Lightfoot A, Black KZ, Stein K, Baker White S, Cothern C, Gilbert K, Hardy CY, Jeon J, Mann L, Mouw MS, Robertson L, Waters EM, Yonas MA, Eng E (2016). Progress in Community Health Partnerships, 10(1), 159-167.

Public health and church-based constructions of HIV prevention: Black Baptist perspective. Adaora Adimora, Eugenia Eng, Malika Isler, Susanne Maman, Bryan Weiner (2014). Health Education Research, 29(3), 470-484.

Where is the Faith? Using a CBPR Approach to Propose Adaptations to an Evidence-Based HIV Prevention Intervention for Adolescents in African American Faith Settings. Eugenia Eng, Melvin Jackson, Alexandra Lightfoot, Linda Riggins, Tamara Taggart, Briana Woods-Jaeger (2014). Journal of Religion and Health.

Education