Christy Lab
Christy Lab
Dr. Christy is an Associate Member in the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, holds a secondary appointment in the Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology, and is a Member of the Center for Immunization and Infection Research in Cancer at Moffitt Cancer Center. She also holds a courtesy appointment of Associate Professor in the Department of Oncologic Sciences at University of South Florida in the Morsani College of Medicine. Dr. Christy completed a BA in Psychology at Miami University, an MA in Counseling at Ball State University, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. She also completed National Cancer Institute-funded R25 predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in Behavioral Oncology. The overarching goals of Dr. Christy’s research program are to improve rates of evidence-based cancer prevention and screening behaviors and to reduce cancer disparities, incidence, and mortality. Her program of research includes examining the associations between psychosocial factors, health beliefs, affect, social drivers of health, patient-provider communication, and engagement in cancer preventive and early detection behaviors as well as designing and evaluating the efficacy of theory-based educational interventions aimed at promoting cancer preventive and early detection behaviors.
Research Coordinator II. Ashley support a research project for which Drs. Susan Vadaparampil and Shannon Christy are Multiple Principal Investigators. Ashley moved to Tampa from North Central Florida about 7 years ago to attend USF. She graduated from USF in 2017 with a Bachelors degree in Behavioral Healthcare and from 2016-2021 she worked as a behavioral therapist for individuals with ASD. In the spring of 2021, Ashley graduated with her MPH, with a concentration in public health education, from USF. Soon after, she began working at Moffitt Cancer Center. She is the research coordinator for HPV MISTICS (PIs: Vadaparampil & Christy). Her research interests include behavior modification, the preventative properties of diet and lifestyle on chronic disease, and the impact of the built environment on chronic disease. Eventually, Ashley would like to work on improving public health policies at the local level. Some of her hobbies include SCUBA diving, reading, painting, and hiking. She loves being outdoors and spending time with her dog, Ava. An interesting fact about Ashley is that she learned to drive stick when she was 15 and has only ever owned cars with a manual transmission.
Non-Therapeutic Research Operations (NTRO) Research Coordinator III. Melissa is the Moffitt-site research coordinator for the Multilevel Action Toward Colorectal Cancer and Hepatitis C Education and Screening (MATCHES) study. Her goal is to reduce health disparities through initiatives that promote cancer prevention and early detection. She has a Master of Public Health degree from the University of South Florida with a concentration in Public Health Education and a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Health with a Sociology minor from the University of Tampa. She is also a certified health education specialist (CHES).
Terri provides grants support to Dr. Christy as well as other Principal Investigators in the Division of Population Science at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Ashley is a Grants Administrator Associate in the Health Outcomes and Behavior Research Program. She joined Moffitt Cancer Center in 2022 and is currently providing administrative support to Dr. Christy and her research team. Ashley obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Health Information Management from Rasmussen University (2019). Her hobbies include photography, traveling, and SCUBA diving. She loves spending time with her husband, Elliot, and their dogs, Sophie, and Cooper.
Dr. Emily Courtney is a T32 Applied Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Oncology in the Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior. She also holds an appointment as Affiliate Graduate Faculty in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Florida. Dr. Courtney completed a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Biology at Cleveland State University, an M.A. in Experimental Research Psychology at Cleveland State University, and a Ph.D. in Psychology (Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social Psychology) at the University of South Florida, along with a Graduate Certificate in Applied Biostatistics from the USF College of Public Health. The overarching goals of Dr. Courtney's research program are to understand the psychological and existential processes that shape cancer prevention and screening behaviors and to reduce disparities in access to cancer risk information and care. Her program of research includes examining associations between existential threat, self-esteem, health beliefs, and engagement in cancer preventive and early detection behaviors, as well as designing and evaluating community-engaged, theory-based educational interventions aimed at improving genetic testing referrals and screening uptake among underserved populations.
Past trainees: Erin Park, left, and Joyce Cui.
Past trainee: Lily Stacy.