Thursday, February 10, 2022
Dr. Erin Vinoski Thomas has been named as the Center for Leadership in Disability (CLD)'s new Associate Director. Dr. Vinoski Thomas also currently serves as the CLD’s Director of Health and Wellness and a Research Assistant Professor within Georgia State University’s School of Public Health.
Dr. Vinoski Thomas originally joined the CLD in 2012 as a Research Associate. After three years in that role, she left to obtain her PhD at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and returned to the CLD in 2019 as a faculty member. Dr. Vinoski Thomas’ areas of expertise include disability health disparities, chronic disease prevention, women’s health, and program evaluation methods.
Dr. Vinoski Thomas is Principal Investigator (PI) of Georgia’s Statewide Disability and Health Program funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This 5-year cooperative agreement with the CDC supports initiatives that increase access to preventive health care, improve health outcomes, and inform policy and systems changes to promote health equity for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and adults with mobility limitations. She also currently directs three of CLD’s COVID-19 Response projects, including an AUCD-funded collaboration to serve as the Southeastern Regional SuperHub for COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach in partnership with the Human Development Institute (UCEDD-Kentucky). In addition, she leads several health-related training and technical assistance programs. She is the PI of a grant from the WITH Foundation to train healthcare providers to better care for individuals with IDD during pandemics, disasters, and other emergencies. She also leads CLD’s work as the Georgia Affiliate of the Southeast ADA Center, which provides training and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Through this work, she and her team are conducting a mixed-method study to assess ADA knowledge and practices among Georgia healthcare providers that will inform the development of a training series for providers and their staffs.
Dr. Vinoski Thomas has the unique perspective of being a faculty member who has also served as a staff member within the Center and brings that dual understanding into this new leadership position. The CLD is honored that she has accepted this new role of Associate Director.