Associates

Associates of the Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center are individuals at East Carolina University, in the community and in the region who are concerned about and working to address childhood obesity and who want to stay abreast of what is happening both here and across the state. The center has more than 80 Associates including ECU faculty, researchers, health professionals and community members.

Find out more about our Associates with interests in:

• Basic Science
• Clinical
• Community
• General Health / Wellness
• Mental / Behavioral Health
• Nutrition
• Physical Activity
• Schools
• Other
• View a list of all Associates

Become an Associate

The Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center is continuing to accept applications for Associates.

If you are interested in applying to become an Associate, contact Yancey Crawford at crawfordy@ecu.edu for more information, or download a copy of the application form here.

Terry Jones, PhD
Dr. Jones is a faculty member in the ECU Department of Physical Therapy. Her research interests is in hormones related to appetite, satiety and insulin sensitivity and how they are altered by weight gain/loss and interventions (diet, exercise, etc.) in children and adolescents. The methods she uses to measure circulating hormone levels from blood samples include multiplex immunoassays and ELISA.

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Check back at a later date for profiles of Associates with clinical expertise and interests.

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Justin Moore, PhD
Dr. Moore is a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine/MPH Program. His research is aimed at understanding the role of the physical and social environments in promoting or discouraging physical activity in rural youth. He is also interested in understanding the determinants of physical activity at an intrapersonal level including self-efficacy, self-perception, and intrinsic motivation. His research is focused on designing physical activity interventions at the policy and community level which promote regular physical activity through modification of the physical and social environment. Dr. Moore has conducted community based, participatory research aimed at the prevention of inappropriate increases in adiposity in elementary school children, increasing walking behaviors in rural communities, and reducing obesity in inner city children. Other areas of research interest include measurement issues in research, including planning and evaluation of community based programming and psychometric analysis of evaluation tools. He is currently funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the role of the physical environment of physical activity behavior in urban and rural youth.

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Allison Spain
Allison is a Health Fitness Specialist at the ViQuest Center in Greenville. She coordinates ViQuest's youth weight management programs that are funded by the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation. She is currently collaborating with the Food Literacy Partners Program, Community Schools of Pitt County and Pitt County Schools on a physical activity and nutrition program supplemental to the Healthful Living curriculum in several Pitt County high schools. She is interested in the psychological aspects of obesity and weight management and enjoys collaborating on obesity projects involving both children and adults. She is also interested in pre- and post-care/weight maintenance for bariatric surgery patients. Allison is an AFAA Certified Personal Fitness Trainer.

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Angela Lamson, PhD
Dr. Lamson is the Program Director for the Medical Family Therapy Program at ECU and an Associate Professor in the Department of Child Development and Family Studies. She is an AAMFT Clinical Member and Approved Supervisor as well as a NC licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She has collaborated with the Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center to provide Medical Family Therapy interns at the Pediatric Healthy Weight Clinic for the past several years. Her research interests include integrative and collaborative practices, compassion fatigue among care providers, Alzheimer's disease, and the influence of trauma, illness and loss on family members and providers.

Keeley Pratt, MS, MFTA
Ms. Pratt is a doctoral student in the Medical Family Therapy Program in the ECU Department of Child Development and Family Studies. Her current research focuses on quality of life and depressive symptoms in overweight children and their families. She is also interested in collaborative and integrative care as it relates to the treatment of childhood obesity. Ms. Pratt's clinical experience includes conducting group therapy for ECU's Camp Golden Treasures and providing family therapy for ECU Pediatric Healthy Weight clinic patients and their families.

Paul Toriello, RhD, CRC, LCAS, CCS
Dr. Toriello is a faculty member in the ECU Department of Rehabilitation Studies. His primary research interest is in therapeutic engagement with clients/patients who are resistant or ambivalent about change. As an empirically supported strategy for addressing resistance/ambivalence, Dr. Toriello has been training and researching "Motivational Interviewing" for over 10 years.

Cecelia Valrie, PhD
Dr. Valrie is a faculty member in the ECU Psychology Department. Her research focuses on the influence of sleep, development, and socio-cultural factors on physiological and behavioral indicators of health in children, adolescents and young adults with a chronic illness. She is also interested in exploring these issues with ethnic-minority children and adolescents.

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Nancy Harris, MS, RD, LDN
Nancy Harris is a clinical dietitian in the ECU Department of Nutrition and Dietetics. She has worked as a registered, licensed dietitian providing nutrition care and education for acute and chronic diagnoses for hospitalized inpatient, ambulatory outpatient, medical school, private practice, dialysis and residential care facilities. Specifically related to pediatric weight management, she has worked with Growing Up Fit! and KIDPOWER grant supported programs as well as the nutrition component of ECU's Camp Golden Treasures. She was a pediatric dietitian with the ECU Department of Pediatrics and has also worked with camps for children with congenital heart disease, diabetes, cancer and sickle cell. Her expertise is primarily related to service delivery.

Linda Kean, PhD
Dr. Kean is a faculty member in the ECU School of Communication, with a focus on health communication. She is interested in how the media presents messages about food consumption and the effects those messages have on media consumers. She is specifically interested in looking at media literacy as an intervening variable.

Kathy Kolasa, PhD, RD, LDN
Kathy Kolasa is a professor and associate director of the ECU Pediatric Healthy Weight Research and Treatment Center. She has more than 30 years experience in projects focused on applied nutrition, eating habits and nutrition education in school-based and child care settings, nutrition education for nutrition staff and teachers, nutrition interventions in clinical settings and evaluation of nutrition education and dietary interventions. She is approaching retirement but would enjoy being a nutrition consultant on a project that is designed to prevent or treat childhood overweight/obesity.

Bonnie Lesko-Franklin, RD, LDN
Bonnie Lesko has worked in Public Health and WIC programs for 11 years. She also has experience with Medicaid reimbursable nutrition services for high risk pregnant women and pediatric patients. She is rostered in NC to submit Children's Special Health Services (CSHS) applications for children with special needs. She completed NC Lactation Educator Training in 2004 and has experience in culinary arts and hospitality management.

Allison Spain
Allison is a Health Fitness Specialist at the ViQuest Center in Greenville. She coordinates ViQuest's youth weight management programs that are funded by the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation. She is currently collaborating with the Food Literacy Partners Program, Community Schools of Pitt County and Pitt County Schools on a physical activity and nutrition program supplemental to the Healthful Living curriculum in several Pitt County high schools. She is interested in the psychological aspects of obesity and weight management and enjoys collaborating on obesity projects involving both children and adults. She is also interested in pre- and post-care/weight maintenance for bariatric surgery patients. Allison is an AFAA Certified Personal Fitness Trainer.

Donna Ware, MS
Donna Ware has a BS and MS in Home Economics Education and a BS in Institutional Management. She is a certified School Nutrition Specialist. She has worked with Pitt County Schools as the Child Nutrition Director for over 34 years. Ms. Ware has also served as the Fit Together Grant Coordinator for Pitt County Schools and the Health Promotions Coordinator at the Pitt County Farmers Market. She has also done contract work for Pate-Dawson Company in Goldsboro NC to promote cooperative purchasing for the Child Nutrition Program in North Carolina. Her areas of interest are getting children to eat healthier and consume more fruits and vegetables and in promoting fresh fruits and vegetables at the Farmers Market.

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Katrina DuBose, PhD
Dr. DuBose is a physical activity epidemiologist in the Department of Exercise and Sport Science and has an adjunct appointment in the Department of Family Medicine, Brody School of Medicine. Her research interests are in the area of pediatric obesity and metabolic syndrome. A secondary interest is physical activity measurement using activity monitors and questionnaires. Dr. DuBose also has experience working with and managing large data sets such as NHANES.

Justin Moore, PhD
Dr. Moore is a faculty member in the Department of Family Medicine/MPH Program. His research is aimed at understanding the role of the physical and social environments in promoting or discouraging physical activity in rural youth. He is also interested in understanding the determinants of physical activity at an intrapersonal level including self-efficacy, self-perception, and intrinsic motivation. His research is focused on designing physical activity interventions at the policy and community level which promote regular physical activity through modification of the physical and social environment. Dr. Moore has conducted community based, participatory research aimed at the prevention of inappropriate increases in adiposity in elementary school children, increasing walking behaviors in rural communities, and reducing obesity in inner city children. Other areas of research interest include measurement issues in research, including planning and evaluation of community based programming and psychometric analysis of evaluation tools. He is currently funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the role of the physical environment of physical activity behavior in urban and rural youth.

Allison Spain
Allison is a Health Fitness Specialist at the ViQuest Center in Greenville. She coordinates ViQuest's youth weight management programs that are funded by the Pitt Memorial Hospital Foundation. She is currently collaborating with the Food Literacy Partners Program, Community Schools of Pitt County and Pitt County Schools on a physical activity and nutrition program supplemental to the Healthful Living curriculum in several Pitt County high schools. She is interested in the psychological aspects of obesity and weight management and enjoys collaborating on obesity projects involving both children and adults. She is also interested in pre- and post-care/weight maintenance for bariatric surgery patients. Allison is an AFAA Certified Personal Fitness Trainer.

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Donna Ware, MS
Donna Ware has a BS and MS in Home Economics Education and a BS in Institutional Management. She is a certified School Nutrition Specialist. She has worked with Pitt County Schools as the Child Nutrition Director for over 34 years. Ms. Ware has also served as the Fit Together Grant Coordinator for Pitt County Schools and the Health Promotions Coordinator at the Pitt County Farmers Market. She has also done contract work for Pate-Dawson Company in Goldsboro, NC to promote cooperative purchasing for the Child Nutrition Program in North Carolina. Her areas of interest are getting children to eat healthier and consume more fruits and vegetables and in promoting fresh fruits and vegetables at the Farmers Market.

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Linda Kean, PhD
Dr. Kean is a faculty member in the ECU School of Communication, with a focus on health communication. She is interested in how the media presents messages about food consumption and the effects those messages have on media consumers. She is specifically interested in looking at media literacy as an intervening variable.

Cecelia Valrie, PhD
Dr. Valrie is a faculty member in the ECU Psychology Department. Her research focuses on the influence of sleep, development, and socio-cultural factors on physiological and behavioral indicators of health in children, adolescents and young adults with a chronic illness. She is also interested in exploring these issues with ethnic-minority children and adolescents.

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