Public Health Faculty

Christian L. Williams, DrPH, MPH is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Bachelors of Science in Public Health Program. Prior to coming to Belmont University, Dr. Williams served as the Public Health Competency Coordinator for the Tennessee Department of Health. In that role, she was responsible for workforce development and training; served as the program director for the Commissioner’s Fellowship in Public Health; and coordinated all student internships and volunteer activities. Dr. Williams received her DrPH in community and behavioral health from the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tennessee.

Education:

DrPH, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
MPH, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN
BSPH, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN

Responsibilities:
Dr. Williams is the Director of the Public Health Program and teaches across the BSPH curriculum. She especially enjoys mentoring and guiding students new to public health.

Research Interests:
Workforce development, quality improvement, linkages between academia and practice, and public health systems and services.

Publications:
Dreyzehner, J, Williams, C, Harkness, E (2017).  More than Just an Intern: Utilizing the Post Graduate Medical Education Model to Increase the Value of Field Placement Experiences for Public Health Program Graduates. Pedagogy in Health Promotion, vol. 3, 1_suppl:10S-12S.

Southerland, Jodi, Williams, Christian L., Dula, Taylor McKeehan, Slawson, Deborah Leachman (2015). School-Based Adolescent Obesity Prevention Programming: Perceptions of School Personnel in Southern Appalachia. Southern Medical Journal. SMJ-14-149R2.

Brooks, B, Blackley, D, Masters, P, May, S, Mayes, S, Williams, C, Pack, RP (2014). Developing an Academic Health Department in Northeast Tennessee: A Sustainable Approach through Student Leadership. Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 20(3):315-323.

Prior to coming to Belmont, Dr. Taylor served for 5 years as Assistant Commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Health’s Bureau of Health Services Administration. The Department of Health’s Bureau of Health Services Administration is responsible for the administration of Tennessee’s 89 rural and six metropolitan county health departments and 13 regional offices, which provide both primary care and prevention services with an emphasis on health promotion, disease prevention and health access activities. In addition, the bureau administers a wide variety of programs including communicable and environmental disease services, maternal and child health, breast and cervical cancer services, general environmental health, oral health, nutrition services and women’s health and genetics.

As Assistant Commissioner, Dr. Taylor directed development and implementation of successful statewide tobacco cessation and diabetes prevention programs and increased public, private and academic partnerships aimed at improving the health of Tennesseans. As a consultant to China’s Ministry of Health, she contributed to the re-design of China’s rural health care delivery system.

Dr. Taylor holds a Doctor of Public Health degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Vanderbilt University. She earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree from the University of Tennessee, Memphis, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alabama, Huntsville and a Bachelor of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University.

Marquinta Harvey, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Epidemiology in the Public Health Program. Dr. Harvey has served within the fields of epidemiology, biostatistics, microbiology, workplace wellness, mental health and behavioral neuroscience with over 15 years of experience ranging from biological and chemical warfare agent testing for the Department of Defense, to understanding the neurobiological mechanisms that control social stress. Dr. Harvey is a devoted public health advocate with a passion for understanding and applying information obtained from health data and research to improve processes that lead to better health outcomes for at-risk populations.

Prior to coming to Belmont University, Dr. Harvey served as an Epidemiologist for the Tennessee Department of Health Office of Informatics and Analytics. In this role, she acted as a liaison between the Tennessee Department of Health and the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to drive a data-driven response to the overdose epidemic.

Dr. Marquinta Harvey earned her Doctorate degree in Health and Human Performance from Middle Tennessee State University. She earned her Master and Undergraduate degrees from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in Behavioral Neuroscience and Microbiology, respectively.

When not working, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Brandon, and two children, Levia and Brandon Jr, and dog Barry. She also enjoys traveling, spending time with family and friends, reading, trivia, and singing.

Research Interest
Stress-related psychopathology, mental health, health disparities, and workplace wellness.

Publications
Harvey, M., Bowman, A., Bates-Fredi, D. (2020). Health Care and Critical Infrastructure: The False Narrative of Safety for Small and Mid-size Cities amid the COVID-19 Pandemic. Contexts: Sociology for the Public. American Sociological Associations Publication. Spring 2020.

Dulka, B. N., Koul-Tiwari, R., Grizzell, J. A., Harvey, M. L., Datta, S., & Cooper, M. A. (2018). Dominance relationships in Syrian hamsters modulate neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to social stress. Stress, 1-6.

Harvey, M.L. (2016). Can Technology Drive Engagement in Wellness Programs? HERO Scorecard Commentaries.

Harvey, M.L., Swallows, C.L. and Cooper, M.A. (2012). A double dissociation in the effects of 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C receptors on the acquisition and expression of conditioned defeat in Syrian hamsters. Behavioral Neuroscience, 126: 530-537.

Laurie Gavilo-Lane, PhD, MPH, MSSW is an Assistant Professor in the Public Health Program. Dr. Gavilo-Lane is a passionate public health advocate for improving the quality of life of those experiencing addiction, poverty, and health disparities. Before coming to Belmont University, Dr. Gavilo-Lane worked on a number of health initiatives, including co-owning and operating a TN-licensed Office Based Opioid Treatment (OBOT) program for individuals diagnosed with opioid dependency. She also taught graduate-level statistics and epidemiology as an adjunct professor for nine years at Tennessee State University. In the past, she worked for Mayo Clinic as the Director of Minority and Diversity Programs in the school of Graduate Medical Education. Finally, while completing her PhD at Tulane, she was also the Director of Tulane Drop-In Center, targeting transient homeless youth. Dr. Gavilo-Lane was a PhD candidate at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in 2005; however, Hurricane Katrina forced her family to relocate, and she completed her PhD in Public Administration at Tennessee State University (TSU) as an SREB Doctoral Scholar.

Research Interests:

Research interests range from tax expenditures as social policy, racial and ethnic health disparities, opioid use and harm reduction, intergovernmental and fiscal federalism initiatives, and music and medicine.

Publications:

Streams, M. and Gavilo-Lane, L. (2016). “Tax Expenditures as Social Policy”; entry in Global Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy and Governance. ed. Slack, J.D. & Ko, J-Y (“Social Policy” Section Editors); Farazmond, A. (Editor-in-chief). New York: Springer, pp. 1 – 8. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-31816-5_2649-1

Grants:

Vanderbilt Health Equity, Community Health Improvement Grant (2020)

HRSA – Service Expansion of Mental Health and Substance Abuse (2005 – 2010)

NIH - Diversity in Health-Related Research (R25) (2004 – 2005)

LA Office of Public Health HIV/AIDS Program RFP (2004)

UNITY for the Homeless (2004 – 2005)

As the Program Assistant for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health and Bachelor of Social Work, I handle any and all of the office requirements. The favorite part of my job is working for and with students (who are the best!) in a one on one basis. I also enjoy working with our faculty who are an outstanding and professional group of people.

I was a stay at home mom for years before becoming a Substitute teacher with the Nashville Metro Schools for 3 years. I have been working with the Belmont Social Work Department since 1997 and the Public Health program since it started just a few years ago. The working environment at Belmont is wonderful because it brings together a rich community of students, faculty, and staff where we all learn from each other. I graduated with my undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies from Belmont in December 2007.

Away from the office, I enjoy spending time with my husband (fondly called 'Peach'), my four daughters, and my eight grandchildren. I am from a very close knit extended family and love getting together to celebrate large to small events with them. I am also very active with my church family. I love to read, play cards, and get together with friends.