Dr. Lewis' areas of research and professional interests consistently focus on cultural competency and the health status and health care needs of underrepresented groups. She is currently involved in projects that address racial and ethnic health disparities in cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, and infant mortality. Since 1999 she has been working with a Los Angeles based community based organization (CBO), the Community Health Councils, Inc., on the African American Building a Legacy of Health Project. The project, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a community based project that explores individual, organizational, and community support for (and barriers to) healthy living, a key factor in reducing CVD and diabetes. In her work with the Pasadena Birthing Project, another Los Angeles CBO, she is also exploring these same multi-level factors and their contribution to positive birth outcomes. She is also working with colleagues at USC on a project that uses travel data to examine individuals' patterns of shopping and physical activity as ways for us to analyze neighborhood and social effects on decisions to live a healthier lifestyle. Finally, she is working with the Sacramento Center for Community Health and Well Being, on their pregnancy prevention and Leadership Academy for adolescent African American girls.
Current Roles
• Teaching Professor, USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development
• Director, USC Diversity in Healthcare Leadership Initiative
• Faculty Advisor, Office of Minority Health Peer Pre-Conception Collaborative
• Consultant, Culture Quality Collaborative
• Consultant, First 5 LA Best Start Family Survey-Demography Project
• Evaluator, Center for Community Health and Well-Being, Leadership Academy
• Co-Principal Investigator, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Program Evaluation, REACH 2010 Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Health US (Action Community Grant)
• Co-Principal Investigator, METRANS, (Im)mobility and Health Disparities: Assessing the Accessibility of Nutrition and Physical Activity Options in an Urban Neighborhood.
Education
• PhD, Political Science, Rice University
• MPH, Health Administration, University Of Oklahoma
• BS, Biology, Oklahoma State University
Areas of Interest
• Racial Disparities and Cultural Competency
• Health Status of Women and Children
• Access to Care for Vulnerable Populations
• Federal Health Programs
• Community Health Clinics
• Community Based Intervention Programs
• Community Engagement
