The Tulane BIRCWH program has recruited a total of 33 scholars since its inception in 2002. Together, these individuals form a dynamic and diverse group of young researchers from a variety of backgrounds.
Tulane BIRCWH Publications on PubMed
Current BIRCWH V Scholars
 | Dovile Vilda, PhD, MSc Dr. Dovile Vilda is an interdisciplinary social scientist and public health researcher with advanced training and experience in mixed methods and policy research. Her current work involves examining the role of social determinants and state-level policies in contributing to the higher rates of maternal and infant mortality in the US. Her specific research interests include maternal and child health, health inequities, qualitative and quantitative research methods, and conducting ethical research with vulnerable populations. Prior to joining as research faculty, Dr. Vilda was a postdoctoral fellow at the Mary Amelia Center for Women’s Health Equity Research. She received her Ph.D. in Social Policy from Trinity College Dublin (Ireland), M.Sc. in Migration studies from Uthrecht University (the Netherlands), and B.A. in Political Science from Vilnius University (Lithuania). |
Margaret Mary Downey, PhD, MSW Dr. Margaret Mary Downey is an Assistant Professor at Tulane University's School of Social Work with a focus on the social and structural determinants of health inequities, particularly those in reproductive and maternal health. Her research interests include the rold of health-related social workers as street-level bureaucrats and structural competency, an emerging education paradigm that trains health professionals in understanding the relationships among race, class, and embodiment of health inequities at the patient level, and symptom expression. Her current work uses critical ethnogrphic methods to examine how frontline health workers understand and intervene upon racial and economic reproductive and maternal health inequities. Dr. Downey completed a BA in English Literature at Temple University and an MSW and PhD in Social Welfare from the University of California, Berkeley. | |
 | Dinithia Sampson, PhD Dr. Dinithia Sampson is a 2003 graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana, where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry. In 2014, she completed her Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences, with a concentration in Medicinal Chemistry, at Florida A&M University. Before coming to Xavier University, Dr. Sampson over saw the Florida Department of Health’s (FDOH) Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program and its Advisory Board, in addition to, the FDOH’s Research Excellence Initiative (REI) Program, the premier research training program for FDOH researchers. Dr. Sampson’s research interests include central nervous system (CNS) drug development, particularly, psychiatric diseases, Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. |
| Erin Peacock, PhD, MPH Dr. Erin Peacock is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Health Outcomes, Implementation, and Community-Engaged Science (CHOICES) at the Tulane University School of Medicine. Dr. Peacock received her PhD in Global Health Systems and Development from the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her research focuses on implementation of evidence-based interventions that account for sex-specific barriers and preferences to promote cardiovascular health in primary care settings. Dr. Peacock is Co-Investigator on NIH-funded research studies, including the Implementation of Multi-faceted Patient-centered Treatment Strategies for Intensive Blood Pressure Control (IMPACTS) study, which aims to improve blood pressure control among low-income and rural patients of federally qualified health centers in the Gulf South, and the Louisiana Community Engagement Research Alliance (LA-CEAL), which supports academic-community-public health-practice partnerships to address health disparities in Louisiana.
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