Jo Anne L. Earp, ScD, Professor, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is a medical sociologist whose research focuses on the role of social and attitudinal factors in explaining variation in health behaviors. Current research interests concern barriers preventing older minority women from getting mammograms and pap smears, community and physician strategies for overcoming these barriers, and factors responsible for high risk behaviors among persons with, or at risk for, STDs and AIDS. Earp has published over 110 articles in peer-reviewed journals and has extensive experience in curriculum development. She earned her ScD from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. In 2003, Earp became interested in patient advocacy as a topic of research, teaching and practice. She led two national conferences on the subject in 2003 and 2005, taught the first course at UNC-Chapel in 2006, and began speaking to national audiences, including AARP, on patient advocacy in 2007.Elizabeth A. French, MA, is a writer and lecturer in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the Gillings School of Global Public Health, UNC-Chapel Hill. With over 10 years in the profession, she teaches scientific writing, patient advocacy, and the history of public health for HBHE. She received her MA in English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently pursuing an MPH in public health. In collaboration with Earp, French helped launch two national conferences on patient advocacy in 2003 and 2005.Melissa Gilkey, MPH, is enrolled as a doctoral student at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She is specializing in healthcare communication. Prior to that, she received her MPH from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and was a research associate in the UNC Department of Health Behavior and Health Education. Her interests include service learning, health communications, and interdisciplinary training in the health sciences. Formerly a hospital health educator, she has experience in classroom teaching and curriculum development.
