Meet Our Researchers

Lei Zhang, PhD, MBA

Dr. Zhang serves as PI of the Mississippi VIP Program. He is a Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Scholarship in UMMC's School of Nursing, with secondary appointments as professor in UMMC's John D. Bower School of Population Health and its School of Health-Related Professions. Prior to joining the faculty at UMMC, Dr. Zhang had a 20-year career with the Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH). During his tenure with MSDH, Dr. Zhang worked extensively with community groups in Jackson and throughout Mississippi in joint efforts to improve public health. A biostatistician by training, he previously directed MSDH's Office of Health Data and Research, where he was the PI for the Mississippi Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS), and Behavioral Risk Factoring Surveillance System (BRFSS). Dr. Zhang is a member of Mississippi Suicide Prevention Workgroup and participated in the development of the Mississippi Suicide Prevention Plan.

Matthew Kutcher, MD, MS

Dr. Kutcher serves as one of two Co-PIs of the Mississippi VIP Program. He is a board-certified surgeon and intensivist with appointments in both UMMC's Departments of Surgery and Emergency Medicine, and provides direct clinical care to injured patients. His fellowship training included trauma, acute care surgery, and critical care. Dr. Kutcher serves as the chair of Mississippi's state Committee on Trauma, and co-director of UMMC's surgical intensive care unit. An active NIH-funded clinical and translational researcher, Dr. Kutcher's publications include 16 articles related to inter-personal violence. Dr. Kutcher works closely with other members of the study team to assure that all specific aims are achieved.

Laura Vearrier, MD

An associate professor in UMMC's Department of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Vearrier serves as one of two Co-PIs of the Mississippi VIP Program. Dr. Vearrier is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Addiction Medicine and earned her doctorate in Bioethics (DBe) from Loyola University Chicago. She was mentored by Theodore Corbin, MD, a leader in violence prevention programs, PTSD in violently injured youth, and Healing Hurt People, with whom she co-authored an article on the economic costs of interpersonal violence. Dr. Vearrier works closely with other faculty members and community partners in identifying and enrolling study participants in our scope of work.

Erin Dehon, PhD

As associate professor of Emergency Medicine, Dr. Dehon is one of approximately 15 clinical psychologists in the nation with primary faculty appointments in Emergency Medicine. Dr. Dehon's scholarly interests include survey research, with specific training and expertise in evidence-based treatments for mental health conditions, behavioral and psychological assessments, and quantitative and qualitative research using social-psychological variables. She works closely with Drs. Karimi and Morris and our community partners to develop and administer the surveys described in our scope of work.

Fazlay Faruque, PhD

Dr. Faruque is a professor of Preventive Medicine at UMMC. He joined the faculty in 2000 as the founding director of UMMC's GIS and Remote Sensing Program. For the last thirty years, Dr. Faruque has been teaching and conducting research in the area of environmental health utilizing a variety of geospatial technology. He works closely with Dr. Hillegass and others, including our community partners, in the application of spatial methods in the research scope of work.

Roy Hart, MPH

Mr. Hart is the chief executive officer of the Mississippi Public Health Institute (MSPHI). He earned his MPH from the University of Southern Mississippi with a concentration in health education and a minor concentration in health administration, and is a Certified Public Manager and a Certified Health Education Specialist. Mr. Hart works with other members of the study team to assure broad a representation of relevant community groups and faith-based organizations.

William Hillegass, MD, MPH, PhD

Dr. Hillegass is a cardiologist and biostatistician who has been involved in the design, conduct, and/or analysis of 74 prospective studies and clinical trials as well as multiple observational studies. The observational studies are largely longitudinal clinical and population health studies/analyses utilizing multiple designs, methods, and data types (claims, electronic health record, area level data, economic, unstructured data). He has expertise in health economic and simulation studies.

Co-Director Benny Ivey

Benny Ivey is the co-director of Strong Arms of Mississippi. Ivey, a former gang leader and drug addict who had served 11 years in prison, and Terun Moore, a former gang member who served 19 and 1/2 years in prison along with other men and women who have been personally impacted by crime, drugs, and gangs started Strong Arms of Mississippi at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. They have proven to turn their lives around in a positive direction and use their influence to impact communities, and help to guide and mentor at-risk youth in and out of juvenile detention.

Masoumeh Karimi, PhD, MPH

Dr. Karimi is an assistant professor in UMMC's School of Nursing. She holds a PhD in Health Psychology and an MPH, with a major focus in epidemiology and biostatistics. She served as a co-PI of a national mental health screening program in Tehran, "Validity, Sensitivity and Specificity of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28, GHQ-12, and K-10) among Iranian Medical Students." Dr. Karimi works closely with Drs. Dehon and Morris and our community partners to develop and administer the surveys described in our scope of work.

John Knight

John Knight is part of Strong Arms of Mississippi. Strong Arms of Mississippi's motto is, "Rebuilding Communities We Once Helped to Destroy," and the organization works to impact the lives of youth in communities and detention centers in central Mississippi and beyond. Using similar life experiences, they can reach these young people where they are and guide them away from negative mindsets and lifestyles that could lead to prison or death. 

Rukia Lumumba, JD

Ms. Lumumba is the executive director of People's Advocacy Institute, a Mississippi-based nonprofit that works with communities, legal systems, public health agencies, and governments to develop solutions to violence. Having earned her Juris Doctorate from Howard University, Ms. Lumumba has worked both in courtrooms and communities to develop community-driven policy efforts and community-led public safety initiatives. She is responsible for the resource development of many public safety and health programs, including Mississippi's first credible messenger program - Strong Arms of Mississippi, Mississippi's first violence interruption program - Operation Good Cure Violence, and Mississippi's soon-to-be first Office of Violence Prevention and Trauma Recovery. Ms. Lumumba works with other team members in all aspects of the Mississippi VIP Program and oversees the contributions of community-based partners.

Carl Mangum, PhD

Dr. Mangum is an associate professor in UMMC's School of Nursing, where he directs the Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Track and specializes in Emergency Preparedness and Response. He will work with our community partners to administer surveys developed by our team and assist in the development of our study interventions.

Co-Director Terun Moore

Terun Moore is the co-director of Strong Arms of Mississippi. Strong Arms of Mississippi was founded by formerly incarcerated men, Benny Ivey and Terun Moore, in 2018. Strong Arms of Mississippi is a credible messenger program designed to guide and mentor youth who are in and out of the juvenile justice system to direct them on a more positive path.  Initial funds were established with help from The People's Advocacy Institute, allowing Strong Arms of Mississippi to be able to add additional mentors and staff. After numerous community meetings and networking, the program launched with boots on the ground in communities at the beginning of 2020.  Strong Arms of Mississippi now occupies Sykes Community Center in South Jackson, MS as well as working with the youth of Rankin County through Move Church in Pearl, MS.

Matthew Morris, PhD

Dr. Morris is a clinical psychologist and an associate professor in UMMC's Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. He has expertise in the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, PTSD, and chronic pain. His research is focused on trauma-related mental and physical health conditions, including psychosocial and neuroendocrine risk factors for PTSD and persistent pain, and understanding determinants of racial/ethnic disparities in acute and chronic pain. Dr. Morris works closely with Drs. Dehon and Karimi and our community partners to develop and administer the surveys described in our scope of work.

Director Fredrick Womack

Mr. Womack is the founder and executive director of Operation Good and Safe Streets - community group that has for over a decade been engaging in community mediation to prevent gun violence in the Jackson Metro Area. Mr. Womack has been a shooter in both Iraq and the Streets of Jackson. He has witnessed the best and worst times. He has committed his life to restoring Jackson to a place of hope, unity, wealth and wellness for all of its residents.  He is committed to preventing and ending gun violence. To this end, he has founded the Operation Good Cure Violence Program, an official member of the Cure Violence Global Network, a data driven, evidence-based gun violence prevention model that has been effective in significantly decreasing gun violence in cities across America and the world.  The Operation Good Cure Violence program currently operates in a 45 Block radius of the Oak Forest Community of South Jackson.