Nancy E. Schoenberg, Ph.D.

125 Medical Behavioral Science Building
Phone: (859) 323-8175
e-mail: nesch@uky.edu

Research Description

Dr. Schoenberg’s research interests address the long-term health and care needs of middle aged and older adults particularly those populations that suffer the greatest health inequities. Dr. Schoenberg, a medical anthropologist, maintains research interests in community-based participatory interventions, explanatory models of chronic diseases and their prevention and management, self-care decision-making and formal health care use, and qualitative and complementary methodology. Her research projects include a study of lifestyle management of rural women with diabetes and coronary heart disease; an investigation of the determinants of adherence to dietary recommendations among African-American elders with hypertension; ethnographic approaches toward cardiac decision-making; survey research into the characteristics associated with elders at risk of inadequate nutritional intake; and in-depth interviews on determinants of cancer screening. Dr. Schoenberg’s current projects include several faith-based lay health advisor interventions to prevent cancer (lung, cervical, colorectal, and breast) and an intergenerational diet-exercise program. In addition, Dr. Schoenberg and colleagues are examining how older adults, their caregivers, and health care providers manage complex multiple morbidities.  Throughout Dr. Schoenberg's work, there is an emphasis on the cultural context of health decisions and community-based participatory approaches.

2008 Accomplishments

In 2008, Dr. Schoenberg and colleagues made 9 national presentations.  Five peer reviewed manuscripts have been published this year and five have been accepted for publication.  Currently, Dr. Schoenberg retains an active funded grant portfolio, serving as PI or Co-PI on three R01s (National Cancer Institute), mentor on a new K award to a faculty member in the College of Nursing; faculty mentor on a BIRCWH to a Gerontology faculty member, and regional PI on a U01 Network grant (NCI). In addition, she serves as co-investigator on the Prevention Research Center grant, co-investigator on an R21 (NCI), and a P30 center proposal in nursing.  Dr. Schoenberg currently serves on seven doctoral committees, supervise five junior faculty members, and provide research opportunities for several medical students.  One of her graduate students was selected for the highly competitive fellowship at the National Cancer Institute and began her MPH at Harvard University this summer. Dr. Schoenberg serves on Kentucky Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program’s R25 and currently mentors three students in that capacity.  In 2008, Dr. Schoenberg increased her service and leadership capacities, both locally and nationally.  Within the university, Dr. Schoenberg has just completed six years of service on the steering committee for Graduate Center for Gerontology. She continues to serve on Markey Cancer Center’s Scientific Advisory Committee, Cancer Prevention and Control; on the University Senate, on the Senate Academic Program Committee; and on the College of Medicine’s Appointment, Promotions, and Tenure Committee. Dr. Schoenberg was elected to serve on the Faculty Council, College of Medicine, 2008-2011.  She continues to serve as a President’s Professor at the University of Alaska/Fairbanks/ Center for Alaska Native Health Research; as Associate Editor for The Gerontologist; regularly serves on NIH study section for Community Level Health Promotion IRG; and continues her service a Member-at-Large on the Board of Directors for the Behavioral and Social Sciences for the Gerontological Society of America and on the editorial board of The Journal of Applied Gerontology and The Gerontologist.  She recently was reappointed as Chair of the Publication’s Committee for the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Research Funding

Principal Investigator, “An Intergenerational Intervention to Reduce Appalachian Health Disparities.”National Institutes of Health/ NIDDK. R01 DK081324.  10/08-9/13.

Principal Investigator, “Faith Moves Mountains: A CBPR Appalachian Wellness & Cancer Prevention Program.” National Institutes of Health/ National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities. R24 MD002757. 8/08-2/13.

Principal Investigator, “Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening for Patients with Multiple Morbidities.” National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute. R21CA129881-01   5/08-4/10.

Principal Investigator, “An Appalachian Cervical Cancer Prevention Project.” National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute/National Institute on Aging, R01 CA108696-01 9/04-9/09.

Co-Principal Investigator,” Increasing Colorectal Cancer Screening in Rural Kentucky.” National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute, R01 CA113932 4/05-3/10.

Principal Investigator for UK Site, National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute, “Appalachian Community Cancer Network.” U01 CA114622-01 5/05-4/10.

Co- Principal Investigator, “Patient Navigation for Cervical Cancer in Appalachia.” National Institutes of Health/ National Cancer Institute (PI: Mark Dignan). R01 CA120606. 4/06-3/11.

Co-Investigator, Prevention Research Center. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 5/1/05- 9/29/10.

Co-Investigator, “Kentucky Cancer Prevention and Control Training Program” 5 R25 CA098220-03. 7/05-6/10.

Representative Publications

Schoenberg, N.E., Hatcher, J., Dignan, M.B. Appalachian women’s perceptions of their community’s health threats. Journal of Rural Health. 24(1): 75-83, 2008.

Traywick, L.S., Schoenberg, N.E. Determinants of Exercise among Female Heart Attack Survivors. Journal of Applied Gerontology. 27 (1): 52-77, 2008.

Schoenberg, N. E., Kim, H., Edwards, W., Fleming, S.T. The burden of multiple morbidities on out-of-pocket medical expenditures among older adults. The Gerontologist. 47 (4): 423-437, 2007.

Leach, C.R., Schoenberg, N.E. The vicious cycle of inadequate early detection: A complementary study on barriers to cervical cancer screening among middle aged and older women Preventing Chronic Disease. 4(4), 2007.

Hatcher, J, Schoenberg, N.E.  Human subjects protection training for community workers: An example from the Appalachian Cervical Cancer Prevention Project. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education and Action. 3 (1): 257-265, 2007.

Schoenberg, N.E., Hopenhayn, C., Christian, A., Knight, E., Rubio, A. An in-depth and updated perspective on determinants of cervical cancer screening among central Appalachian women. Journal of Women and Health, 42 (2): 89-105, 2006

Schoenberg, N.E., Amey, C.H., Stoller, E.P.& Drew, E.M. The Pivotal Role of Cardiac Self-Care in Treatment Timing. Social Science and Medicine. Medicine 60: 1047-1060, 2005.

Schoenberg, N.E., Peters, J., Drew, E.M. Unraveling the mysteries of timing: Emically-derived explanations for time to treatment for women with cardiac symptoms. Social Science and Medicine, 56: 271-284, 2003

Schoenberg, N.E., Amey, C.H., Stoller, E.P., Muldoon, S.B. Lay referral patterns involved in cardiac treatment seeking among middle-aged and older adults. The Gerontologist, 43(4): 493-502, 2003.

Schoenberg, N.E., Drew, E.M. Articulating silence: experiential certitude and biomedical controversies over hypertension symptomatology. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 16(4): 458-75, 2002.
Rowles, G.D., Schoenberg, N.E. Qualitative Gerontology. New York, Springer Publishers, 2002