Public Health Department

Gary McIlvain, EdD, LAT/ATC, serves as the College of Health Professions Associate Dean of Student Affairs, School of Kinesiology Department Chair, and Associate Professor at Marshall University. He received his Bachelor of Science from Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN, a Master of Science degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and completed his Doctorate in Kinesiology and Health Promotion at the University of Kentucky.

Dr. Abdulrahman graduated with an MBBS degree with a medical school education background, earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) from Marshall University, and is pursuing a Doctorate Degree in EdD-Leadership. Mohammad has been an Adjunct Faculty in the Public Health Department at Marshall University since 2020, and he contributes to students’ academic development in the public health field. In addition to the academic role, Dr. Abdulrahman is an Epidemiologist at the Lawrence County Health Department (LCHD) in Ironton, Ohio State, and contributed as an author publishing Public Health related articles in the Tri-State Ironton Tribune Magazine. Dr. Abdulrahman teaching and research interests include Epidemiology, Infectious Disease, Global Health, Community Health, and Health Policy.

Alfred Cecchetti, PhD, MSc, MSc IS, is currently a Research Assistant Professor and Director of the Division of Clinical Informatics (DCI) for the Department of Clinical and Translational Sciences at the Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine. He has a Ph. D in Information Management, Master of Science in Information Science, a Master of Science in Biostatistics, all from the University of Pittsburgh, and an undergraduate Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Previously, Dr. Cecchetti was a Research Associate as well as Co-Director of the Clinical Pharmacology Data & Analysis center and Co-Director of the General Clinical Research IT Core in the Center for Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, in the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. In these positions, he provided advanced database management, analytics, statistical, academic, and administrative as well as research support for a number of multi-center projects and grants. Dr. Cecchetti was also the director of research management for the Department of Cardiology at the University of Pittsburgh as well as a database and analytics consultant for a number of commercial and pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Cecchetti teaches statistical courses in the MPH program.

Dr. Nandini Manne received his undergraduate degree in Bachelor of Veterinary Science from Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University, India in 2008. He later received his MS (2011) in Biological Sciences and Ph.D (2014) in Biomedical Sciences from Marshall University.

Dr. Manne’s teaching interest include the areas  of public health biology, chronic non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, epidemiology, environmental health and biostatistics.

Dr. Manne has authored/co-authored more than 25 peer reviewed publications and presented his research on several occasions at national and international meetings. His research interests include the examination of substance use disorder and its various risk factors such as race/ethnicity, gender differences, employment etc. and screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment in diverse settings. His research interests also include the investigation of therapeutic properties of cerium oxide nanoparticles as a novel anti-inflammatory agent for treatment of various pathologies with high morbidity and mortality.

For a list of publications, please visit https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/browse/collection/54560789/?sort=date&direction=ascending

Ongoing projects-

• Integrated community program to address opioid crisis
• Quick Response Team
• Therapeutic efficacy of cerium oxide nanoparticles for the treatment of hepatic ischemia reperfusion in male Sprague Dawley rats.
• Investigation on the use of SGLT2 inhibitors as a prophylactic agent to prevent the development of diabetes and associated metabolic syndrome in Obese Zucker rats.
• Examining the molecular pathways involved in animals with sepsis among various age groups..

Dr. Sumaira Khalid Ariturk earned her Master of Public Health and Health Services Research degree from Newcastle University (UK), her Pharm.D., and her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the West Virginia University School of Public Health.

She has taught community health, global health, study design, and advanced epidemiology. In her role as Practicum Director, Dr. Khalid-Ariturk leads hands-on public health training focused on community health needs assessments (CHNAs), priority-setting, budget development, program implementation, evaluation, and effective health communication strategies, in partnership with organizations such as Cabell-Huntington Health Department and Marshall Health Network.

Her research centers on disease risk modeling in economically disadvantaged and structurally marginalized populations, with applications in neurodegenerative disorders, multimorbidity and aging, mental health, sleep disorders, and healthcare access. She applies real-world data to integrate socioeconomic, environmental, and behavioral factors into analytic models. Her methodological expertise includes longitudinal and cohort study design, meta-analysis, risk estimation, and advanced statistical modeling using both primary community-based data and large secondary datasets. Recent work includes chronic disease burden in Appalachian communities, COVID-19 mortality risk modeling, and maternal and neonatal health.

Dr. Ariturk is a Fulbright and Commonwealth-UK scholar with advanced training in epidemiology and international collaboration experience that informs her analytical perspective and understanding of diverse public health systems.

Dr. Craig Kimble received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree (PharmD) from Ohio Northern University in 1998. He earned a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from Morehead State University in 1999 and a Master of Science (MS) in Healthcare Administration from Marshall University in 2000. Craig completed an ASHP accredited PGY1 residency in Pharmacy Practice at the University of Kentucky Hospitals and St. Claire Medical Center in 1999. Craig is a Board Certified Ambulatory Care Specialist (BCACP). Before coming to Marshall, Dr. Kimble was the Director of Pharmacy and Clinical Services for Fruth Pharmacy, a 30 store regional retail drugstore chain serving Ohio and West Virginia. While at Fruth, Dr. Kimble established a PGY1 community pharmacy practice residency program. He has previously served as a Senior Pharmacist Consultant for McKesson Provider Technologies and as System Director of Pharmacy for Holzer Health Systems. Craig was recognized for innovative practice by receiving the 2011 Upshire-Smith / West Virginia Pharmacist Association – Excellence in Innovation in Pharmacy Award and as Director of the Year by Pharmacy Systems, Inc. Dr. Kimble is active in both state and national pharmacy organizations. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the Ohio Pharmacist Association representing district 7 and is the current serving President for the West Virginia Pharmacists Association.

Dr. Kimble serves as both teaching faculty and as Director of the Office of Experiential Learning at the School of Pharmacy. He assists in overseeing the professional experience program, including both early (IPPE) and advanced (APPE) pharmacy practice experiences. This integral part of the pharmacy curriculum provides students the opportunity to apply their classroom and laboratory training in the basic pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacy practice and to solve drug-related problems in practice during their final year of the Pharm. D. program. Dr. Kimble is responsible for helping to establish practice sites and placing students in appropriate rotations. He assists in training for and negotiates experience content with staff Preceptor Training at the rotation sites. Kimble also assists in overseeing the community service and outreach activities that promote the profession and the School of Pharmacy. As Manager of Clinical Support Services, Dr. Kimble works with retail and hospital partners as an advisor and consultant to help implement and optimize advanced services and programs. Dr. Kimble also serves as adjunct faculty with the Marshall College of Health Profession’s Public Health Program. Craig’s teaching and research interests include pharmacy management, finance and economics, experiential learning, and ambulatory care practice.

Dr. Jaspreet Sodhi is currently a Joint Assistant Professor at Marshall University, with her primary appointment in the School of Physical Therapy and a secondary appointment in the Department of Public Health. She holds a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences and a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of Texas Medical Branch, along with a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from Guru Nanak Dev University, India.

Previously, Dr. Sodhi completed postdoctoral research training in Cancer Control and Epidemiology at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She also held leadership and consulting positions in the corporate healthcare and data intelligence sector, including Director of Client Engagement and Research and Data Strategy Consultant. In these roles, she provided expertise in healthcare analytics, clinical research, population health data, and evidence-based decision-making.

Dr. Sodhi’s research interests include epidemiology, population health, healthy aging, chronic pain, frailty, functional decline, and health disparities among older adults. Her community-based research focuses on fall-risk assessment and prevention, frailty screening, and exercise-based interventions to promote healthy aging and functional independence. Her teaching and research integrate public health, epidemiology, and rehabilitation sciences to improve health outcomes among aging and underserved populations.

Dr. Anthony T. Woart is Professor in the Department of Public Health, College of Health Professions. He is also founder and director of the Minority Health Institute. His a recipient of numerous federal and state grants in support of his research and health education outreach activities focusing on reducing the burdens of health disparities among the minority and underserved populations in the Appalachia.
Dr. Woart holds MA and MBA degrees from Jackson State University and a Ph. D. from Boston University. He is a recipient of many academic and civil services honors. Most notably, he is a recipient of Minority Access Inc. National Role Model Award for Exemplary Achievements in research Worthy of Emulation. Since 2014 to present, he is a member of the Mid Atlantic Health Council Region III (US Office of Minority Health/US Department of Health and Human Services. Also since 2014, he is a member of the West Virginia Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission.

Selected Peer-reviewed Publications

• Belay T, Woart A, Graffeo V. Effect of cold water-induced stress on immune response, pathology and fertility in mice during Chlamydia muridarum genital infection. Pathog Dis. 2017;75(5).
• Belay T, Fu CL, Woart A. Active Hexose Correlated Compound Activates Immune Function to Decrease Chlamydia trachomatis Shedding in a Murine Stress Model. J Nutr Med Diet Care. 2015;1(1).
• Belay T, Woart A. Cold-induced stress increases the intensity of Chlamydia genital infection in mice. J Microbiol Immunol Infect. 2013;46(5):330-7.

Presentations at Professional Meetings

• Woart, Anthony T. “The Impact of Technology on Health Care: The Case of Liberia.” Presented at the Liberian Peace and Justice Foundation Conference on Liberia, Cincinnati, Ohio. August 8-10, 1999
• Woart, Anthony T. “The Evolution of the Name Identity of American Blacks: A Socio-Historical Perspective.” Presented at the Association of Black Sociologists Annual Meeting. Fall 2000
• Woart, Anthony T. “Patterns of Bluefield State College Student Enrollment, Drop-out, and Graduation rates: Implementation for Equality of Opportunity, Equal Opportunity, and Social Responsibility: 2004
• Woart, Anthony T. “The Research Process: From the Laboratory to the Community.” Presented at Minority Access Research Role Model Conference: September 2005.
• Woart, Anthony T. “Challenges, Strategies, and successes of Reaching Out to LGBT Population in Tobacco prevention and Cessation: experiences from the Field. West Virginia Tobacco Prevention Conference march 5-7. Charleston, West Virginia.
• Woart, Anthony T., and Tesfaye Belay “Bluefield State College Minority Health Institute Cancer Awareness and prevention Program”. Presented at National Cancer Institute/National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCI/NCMHD) Health Disparities Summit. July 17-19, 209
• T. Belay, J. Prol, T. Jamrose, and Anthony T. Woart. Stress Changes Production of Nitric Oxide and Proinflammatory Cytokines by Macrophage-rich Peritoneal Cells of a Mouse Model. The108th General Meeting of American Society for Microbiology. Boston, MA. June 1-5, 2008.