Henrietta L. Logan, Ph.D., a professor in the department of community dentistry and behavioral science and director of the Southeast Center for Research to Reduce Disparities in Oral Health, was one of 30 UF faculty members who received a UF Research Foundation Professor award.
Logan was selected for her notable record of research and strong research agenda likely to lead to further distinction in her field. This three-year award garners a $5,000 annual salary supplement and a $3,000 grant.
The UF Research Foundation selects award winners based on recommendations from deans and department chairs and takes into account evaluations of research accomplishments evidenced by publication in scholarly journals, external funding and honors and awards. Logan has investigated models of pain as a complex multifactorial experience, extending stress and pain research to understanding the etiology of pain memory and its impact on subsequent pain response. Her examination of models of health behavior and health promotion, and health disparities focusing on head and neck cancer, has provided valuable insight into early detection and cancer survival as well as late effects from cancer treatments.
Currently she and her colleagues at the center are conducting studies related to early detection and prevention of head and neck cancer in rural areas of North Central Florida. Baseline data from these studies on attitudes and beliefs, including cultural assumptions about undergoing cancer screenings among ethnoracial minorities, will serve as the foundation for the center’s media campaign to increase knowledge and participation in head and neck cancer screenings.
With the motto, “Taking the bite out of head and neck cancer,” the center serves as a magnet to pull together groups with interest and capacity in reducing the disparities resulting from head and neck cancer. The center promotes interdepartmental collaboration across the University of Florida campus; the initial grant included investigators from four colleges and has already attracted interest from excellent researchers in colleges across campus, other areas in Florida and around the country.