Derrick J. Forney, Ph.D., Mph Email & Phone Number

Florida, United States

- Manages and leads a large-scale epidemiology research project at 5 federally qualified health centers, managing all aspects of the research process from inception to completion.- Conduct comprehensive literature reviews and formulate research hypotheses to address key public health concerns for pharmaceutical companies such as Sanofi, government officials, and non-profits.- Publish research reports and peer-reviewed journal articles to disseminate findings and contribute to the advancement of epidemiological knowledge.- Analyze large Medicare databases to generate insights for reports and research publications, utilizing advanced statistical techniques and software such as SAS, SQL, and R programming.- Perform database management tasks to ensure data integrity and facilitate efficient data retrieval for analysis.- Write grants to secure funding for research projects, demonstrating a thorough understanding of funding requirements and aligning proposals with strategic research objectives.- Establish relationships with health equity professionals and organizations to collaborate on initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes for minority communities, emphasizing inclusivity and cultural sensitivity in research methodologies and interventions.

Miami, Florida, United States

* Formulated publication and statistical packages for dataset management, incorporating functions using RStudio/Posit Cloud, R Shiny, and GitHub for code and data storage, developing templates to streamline accesses and project execution.* Leveraged the statistical programming tool, R, to perform statistic modeling regression analysis and create dashboards for healthcare outcomes research using public health, patient-generated, and clinical data to inform targeted strategies to improve care.* Utilized k-nearest neighbors (KNN) algorithm, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), random forests, and classification and regression tree (CART) to develop machine learning models to predict health outcomes and behaviors.* Executed 2 outcomes research surveys, gathering patient-reported data from 2k+ participants on HIV prevention, treatment, and mental health among at-risk populations in Miami-Dade County.* Spearhead the development of culturally informed research interventions using demographic and survey data to address social determinants of health; utilize community-based participatory research (CBPR) methodologies in study design. * Compiled data insights for 4 journal articles and reports; applied knowledge of statistical real-world data analysis testing and visualization, including longitudinal analysis, structural equation modeling, and social network analysis.* Collaborated with researchers to develop research protocols and statistical analysis plans to assess health outcomes via clinical trial data and EMR, among other datasets.

Coral Gables, Florida, United States

* Conducted applied research focusing on real-world data and information synthesis, analysis, triangulation, and reporting; developed theories of change, designed logic models, and created evaluation plans.* Devised a large dataset analysis plan to drive strategic data mining, data manipulation, and data transformation to support report writing, visualization, presentations, and publication preparation.* Served as the point of contact for government and community organization clients throughout grant and community program evaluation programs, overseeing relationship building, client relationship management, and project management.* Balanced 7 projects, including executing healthcare claims data analysis and patient-reported and real-world research to identify and present hospital admissions and reimbursement issues, trends, and improvement opportunities to community organizations. * Composed 4 grant applications, presentations, and publications within 90 days to support research projects; leveraged statistical methodologies to analyze quantitative data and develop narratives to generate quarterly and annual reports. * Partnered with a 3-person team on a $100k grant, developing data measurement tables, data dashboards, systems maps, and ethnographic maps for conference presentations and feedback and validation before final report dissemination.* Collaborated with a research team to develop a research protocol and statistical analysis plan for a concurrent mixed-method evaluation study, including Collective Impact and suicide prevention; data aggregation and data mapping; and systems and ethnographic mapping.

▪The Dissertation Fellowship Program is designed to address the underrepresentation of African American and Hispanic faculty at colleges and universities in the State of Florida by increasing the pool of citizens qualified with Ph.D. degrees to teach at the college and university levels.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

* Performed and managed research efforts, establishing evidence-based performance measures to monitor patient-reported outcomes in the short- and long term.* Harnessed expertise in SAS to perform rigorous statistical analysis, testing, and visualizations to effectively design, build, and manage studies for healthcare outcomes research utilizing a diverse range of data sources, including public health, patient-generated, clinical, and electronic medical record data.* Developed and implemented research protocols and comprehensive statistical analysis plans for collaborated research studies and a doctoral dissertation study, including: identifying the research questions and hypotheses, selecting the appropriate statistical methods, specifying the data analysis procedures, and defining the assumptions and limitations of the analysis.* Employed a suite of methods in the development of health outcomes research studies, including structural equation modeling, factor analysis, regression, t-test, and analysis of variance (ANOVA) to generate robust insights that can be used to inform decision-making in the healthcare and public health sectors.* Collected and analyzed data from 900+ survey questionnaires, structured and semi-structured interviews, and focus groups for research studies designed to improve patient-reported health outcomes while maintaining confidentiality.* Partnered with a cross-functional team of 20+ people to prepare shared publications, book chapters, peer-reviewed journal articles, and poster presentations; directed literature reviews to identify risks, attitudes, and beliefs across diverse groups.* Mentored 60+ graduate students across 2 classes on health promotion program planning, design, development, and evaluation.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

▪ Conducts epidemiological and community-based participatory research (CBPR) that will have a direct impact on reducing the health disparities of HIV, substance abuse, and obesity among African Americans, Latinos, Haitians, and all underserved communities in South Florida and the Caribbean region.▪ Receiving training on the preparation of scientific manuscripts and the preparation of grants to the National Institutes of Health.

West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

West Palm Beach, Florida, United States

* Investigated suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases, applying public health concepts, including contact tracing and site visits, to conduct risk assessments, identify outbreaks, notify stakeholders, and provide public health management recommendations.* Acted as an infection preventionist by facilitating 5+ facility site visits to assess adherence to public health protocols and practices to prevent healthcare-associated infections; composed targeted communications to address non-compliance.* Tracked COVID-19 outbreaks via contact investigations, speaking with 500+ people and responding to complex inquiries using established policies, procedures, and protocols to ensure the dissemination of accurate information.

Southgate, Michigan

* Developed targeted marketing and outreach strategies to recruit 20+ new clinic clients monthly; led a 5-person team executing program promotion, community education, and strategic communication initiatives to achieve monthly targets.* Cultivated strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders, including Humana representatives, to align on and achieve business goals related to patient recruitment, engagement, enrollment, care, and insurance modifications.

Greater Detroit Area

Organizes in specific neighborhoods and communities alongside grassroots volunteer leaders and coordinated campaign staff; Engages new potential volunteers through phone calls, canvassing, and community outreach;Participated in training on field organizing, messaging, and other activities;Held organizational meetings to recruit new volunteers and supporters in communities;Use social networks to help amplify our message and to talk about the work that we do andContinue to build the movement to help elect Democrats up and down the ticket this November.

Accra, Ghana

* Oversaw epidemiological research on the influencing factors of resources and patient-reported health outcomes in Ghana. * Analyzed, translated, and coded data findings to recognize trends in sanitation practice and disconnections between water sources and availability. * Prepared and presented real-world data findings to Ghana government officials and recommended enhancements and advanced programs based on evidence-based interventions.

East Lansing, Michigan

* Contributed to the planning and implementation of changes to undergraduate biology education. * Developed methods for improving learning based on research.

Okemos, Mi

• Contacted and enlisted survey respondents into a healthcare study using the proper interviewing techniques• Established a rapport with the respondents of the survey• Accurately provided questions and recorded responses to each question in the 25-30 minute survey• Carefully documented the process of data collection efforts and communicated with supervisors to ensure quality data collection

Postdoctoral Studies, Biostatistics

Center for HIV Research and Mental Health

Doctor Of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Public Health Concentration In Health Inequities And Disparities

Interdisciplinary doctoral program that develops skills in Health Promotion, Disease Prevention, Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Health.

Mph, Public Health

Bachelor'S Degree, Human Biology

Biology, General