Milagros C. Rosal, Ph.D.
Professor of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Faculty Member, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Clinical and Population Health Research
Co-Director, University of Massachusetts Center for Health Equity Intervention Research (CHEIR)
Co-Director, Worcester County Prevention Research Center
Expertise: Health disparities, Health behavior change, Women's health, Minority health
Milagros C. Rosal, Ph.D., is a clinical research psychologist and Professor in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, and a faculty member in the Ph.D. Program in Clinical and Population Health Research, University of Massachusetts Medical School. She is co-PI of the NIMHD-funded Center for Health Equity Intervention Research (CHEIR), and Associate Director of the CDC-funded Worcester County Prevention Research Center (PRC). The primary goals of Dr. Rosal’s research are to improve scientific knowledge of root causes of health disparities and to develop effective interventions to eliminate them. Dr. Rosal is experienced in randomized clinical trials, observational studies, qualitative methods and community-based participatory research. Her content expertise is in the areas of prevention and management of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease; gestational weight gain and post-partum weight loss; patient adherence to cancer screening recommendations; and influence of psychosocial factors on health behavior change. Dr. Rosal is particularly interested in cultural responsive and literacy sensitive interventions tailored to Latino and African American/Black groups. In reaching these groups, she has collaborated with multiple community organizations including community health centers, senior centers, the YMCA and the Women, Infant and Children’s program (WIC) among others. Consistent with her research interests, Dr. Rosal’s teaching and service activities focus on facilitating the professional development of students and faculty from underrepresented groups as well as students and faculty interested in health disparities research. Dr. Rosal is a fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, and an active member of the American Heart Association Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism (NPAM) and Epidemiology and Prevention (EPI) Council.
Yunsheng Ma, M.D. Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Adjunct Associate Professor, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Ph.D. Program in Clinical and Population Health Research
Expertise: Effect of diet and other lifestyle factors on obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and heart disease
Dr. Yunsheng Ma, M.D. Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine's Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. His research interest include: effect of diet and other lifestyle factors on obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and heart disease; characteristics, health trends, and healthcare utilization of Medicaid insured individuals; cardiovascular disease epidemiology; and applied statistical methods in clinical and population research.
Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Expertise: Obesity, Cancer prevention
Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. She co-founded the UMass Center for mHealth-Based Behavioral Sensing and Interventions. She is also a licensed clinical psychologist, delivering behavioral weight loss counseling in the UMass Weight Center. Her research is focused on obesity and cancer prevention. She has published over 80 papers on these topics. She has also published a book called, Psychological Comorbidities of Physical Illness (Springer, 2011). Dr. Pagoto has been federally funded for 10 years and currently holds grants from the National Cancer Institute, the Centers for Disease Control, and the UMass President’s Science and Technology Fund, the UMass Office of Global Health and the UMass Center for Clinical and Translational Science. She teaches graduate courses in Team Science and Behavioral Randomized Clinical Trials, and co-leads the K Award Writing Group for junior investigators. In terms of professional service, Dr. Pagoto is on the Board of Directors of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) and Chairs the SBM Public Policy Leadership Group. She has earned several awards including the SBM Early Career/Young Investigator Award in 2006, the SBM Distinguished Service Award in 2009, and the Western Michigan University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2011. In her spare time she hosts two blogs on the psychology of weight loss, FUdiet.com and Shrink on Psychology Today. Dr. Pagoto's research interests include: Psychiatric co-morbidities of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome; Lifestyle interventions; Translation of research to practice; Behavioral Activation treatment of depression; Skin cancer prevention.
Judith K. Ockene, PhD, MEd, MA
Professor and Chief, Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine
Associate Vice Provost for Gender and Equity
Expertise: Prevention and Management of Disease, Women’s Health, Patient-centered Counseling, Community-based Studies
Dr. Judith K. Ockene, Ph.D., M.Ed., M.A., is Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, and Associate Vice Provost for Gender and Equity at UMass Medical School. Some of her research interests include the prevention and management of chronic illness, women's health, the relationship of lifestyle behaviors to disease, and patient-centered counseling. She has been the Principal Investigator on numerous NIH studies including the national Women's Health Initiative.