Biography

Dr. Lemon is an epidemiologist whose program of research focuses on public health approaches to understanding and reducing the obesity epidemic. Current funders of her work include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Cancer Institute and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Previous funders include the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and the American Cancer Institute. Dr. Lemon is the Director of the Worcester County Prevention Research Center, which establishes local capacity to conduct community-based participatory research addressing obesity and associated chronic conditions. Dr. Lemon is an active member of the Massachusetts Comprehensive Cancer Coalition Advisory Committee and its Survivorship Working Group and the Common Pathways Coalition. She is a core faculty member in the Ph.D. Program in Clinical and Population Health Research. Dr. Lemon serves as first year student advisor, director the Student Research Seminar and director of the Proposal Development Seminar in this program. She additionally serves on the admissions and academic policy committees. Within the Division of Preventive and Behavioral Medicine, she serves on the Division Chief’s Senior Advisory Group.

Research Overview

Dr. Lemon is an epidemiologist whose program of research focuses on public health approaches to understanding and reducing the obesity epidemic using a social ecology framework. Her research addresses:

• Translation of evidence-based programs and policies in real world settings
• Community-based participatory research
• Health promotion in under-served populations
• Worksite health promotion
• Physical activity policy research
• Influence of social norms and social networks on health behaviors

Current Funded Research

The Fresh Start Trial: A Weight Loss Intervention for Low-Income Postpartum Women
NIH, NIMHD P60 MD006912-01(Role: MPI; PI: Allison) 2012-2017
This study, under the UMass Center for Health Equity Intervention Research (CHEIR) Community Engagement Core, collaborates with the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program to create opportunities for weight loss among participants in Worcester, MA.

GIS Mapping of Unsupervised Indoor Tanning and User Characteristics
CDC U48DP001933 SIP 12-054 (Role: Co-I with Sherry Pagoto, Ph.D.) 2012-2014
This study will use social networking tools to map unsupervised indoor tanning locations and analyze user characteristics.

Barriers and Facilitators of Mental Health Services Utilization among Latinos
NIMH R01MH085653 (Role: MPI with Milagros Rosal, Ph.D.) 2011-2015
This prospective cohort study will use an ecological framework to examine the impact of culturally specific sources of stress and resources on mental health services utilization among Latinos in Lawrence, MA.

Psychosocial Factors and Rehospitalization after AMI
NHLBI (Role: Co-Investigator; PI, Jane Saczynski, Ph.D.) 2011-2013
This is an ancillary study to the ongoing (25+ years) Worcester Heart Attack study, which will examine the influence of a range of psychosocial factors in the likelihood of rehospitalization of acute myocardial infarction.

Community-Based Social Networking Intervention to Increase Walking in Dog Owners
UMMS CCTS (Role: Co-Investigator; PI, Kristin Schneider, Ph.D.) 2011-2013
This pilot study will determine the feasibility and initial effectiveness of a multi-component intervention that uses social networking strategies to promote walking among dog owners in Worcester and Lowell, MA.

University of Massachusetts Clinical and Translational Science Award: Community Engagement and Research
NIH (Role: Co-Director, Community Engagement; PI, Katherine Luzuriaga, MD) 2010-2015
This award is intended to enhance the capacity of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in the conduct of clinical and translational research, with a focus on infrastructure development. The Community Engagement and Research component of this award specifically aims to enhance academic and community capacity to address urgent health priorities among communities in Massachusetts using community-based participatory research approaches.

UMMS Prevention Research Center for Obesity and Related Conditions
CDC U48DP001933 (Role: PI/Director) 2009-2014
This center grant is developing community-based participatory research infrastructure among organizations in Worcester, MA to develop public health workforce capacity and community-responsive interventions and programs.

Diabetes Self-Management for Disengaged Low-Income Latinos
CDC U48DP001933 (Role: Co-PI; PI, Milagros Rosal, Ph.D.) 2009-2014
This RCT will test the effectiveness of disseminating of an evidence-based self-management intervention among low-income Latinos with diabetes who are disengaged from safety net institutions using community health workers.

School Worksite Weight Gain Prevention Study
NCI R01CA132941 (Role: MPI with Lori Pbert, Ph.D.) 2009-2013
The goal of this cluster RCT will test the effectiveness of a school-nurse coordinated ecological obesity prevention intervention among high school workers in central Massachusetts.

UMass Worcester Physical Activity Policy Research Collaborating Center
CDC U48DP001933 SIP 09-010 (Role: PI) 2009-2014
This grant establishes the UMMS Prevention Research Center as a collaborator in a network of academic institutions dedicated to developing and evaluating methods for successfully implementing local and state policies that promote physical activity.

Educational Background

2002: Ph.D. Epidemiology, Brown University
1999: M.S. Epidemiology, University of Massachusetts School of Public Health
1995: B.S. Psychology, University of Massachusetts

Worcester County Prevention Research Center

Dr. Lemon is the Director of the Worcester County Prevention Research Center, one of 35 prevention research centers funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in U.S. schools of public health and medicine. The Worcester County Preventon Research Center focuses on conducting intervention and policy research addressing overweight, obesity and associated chronic conditions among adults living in central Massachusetts. Community partners include:

• Great Brook Valley Health Center
• Worcester Division of Public Health
• Massachusetts Department of Public Health
• Central Massachusetts Area Heatlh Education Center
• Common Pathways
• UMass Memorial Health Care System Commnity Benefits Program

Primary activities include: 1) Building community capacity to engage in scientific research-addressing obesity; 2) Training to improve the capabilities of academic researchers, community clinicians and public health professionals to conduct community-based participatory research on obesiy and related conditions; 3) Training to ensure that public health, clinical and academic research workforces are effective in implementing evidence-based health promotion programs to reduce obesity; 4) Research to develop, implement and test interventions that utilize principles of CBPR to address obesity; 5) Dissemination efforts that effectively communicate research findings and make available evidence-based obesity reduction/prevention programs