Adjunct Faculty

Katherine Leith, PhD Adjunct Faculty DeSaussure College College of Social Work University of South Carolina Columbia, SC 29208 Phone: (803) 777-0317 Fax: (803) 777-0391 e-mail: leith@sc.edu

Educational Background:

Research Interests:

Selected Publications:

Leith, K. (In preparation). "So you call that depression?"...The culturally mediated experience of depression for low-income women in primary care.

Leith, K. (Submitted and under review). The South Carolina Family Caregiver Support Program: Using qualitative data to measure program effectiveness. Social Work..

Leith, K., & Hardin, J. (Submitted and under review). Exploring the preferences of older South Carolinians: What matters most when making long-term care decisions? Social Policy Journal.

Leith, K. (In press). Home is where the heart is...or is it: A phenomenological exploration of the meaning of home for older women in congregate housing. Journal of Aging Studies.

Leith, K., & Phillips, L. (2005). In their own voices: Using Qualitative Research and Consumer Narratives for Systems Change. Social Policy Journal, 4(3/4), 19-35.

Patterson, D., Probst, J., Leith, K., Corwin, S., & Powell, P. (2005). Recruitment and retention of emergency medical technicians: A qualitative study. Journal of Allied Health, 34(3), 153-162.

Jaeger, T., & Grasso [Leith], K. (1993). Contour lightness and separation effects in the Ebbinghaus illusion. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 76(1), 255-8.

Selected Presentations:

"Depression and the Elderly - An Overview" Lunch & Learn training given at McLeod Regional Medical Center, Florence, SC, November 2005

"The Meaning of Home: Aging in Place or Placement with Age." Oral presentation at the South Carolina Summer School of Gerontology, Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, Myrtle Beach, SC, August 2005

"Depression and the Elderly - An Overview"  Workshop given at the University of South Carolina College of Social Work Friday / Saturday Workshops - Continuing Education & Lifelong Learning, Columbia, SC, May 2005

"The South Carolina Family Caregiver Support Program Evaluation: Using qualitative methods for systems change." Oral presentation at the Southern Gerontological Society, Orlando, FL, March 2005

"Home is where the heart is...or is it? A qualitative exploration of the meaning of home for older women." Poster presentation at the 133^rd Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Washington, DC, November 2004

"Depression and the Elderly - An Overview" Workshop given at the South Carolina Summer School of Gerontology, Lt. Governor's Office on Aging, Myrtle Beach, SC, August 2004

"In their own voices. Using qualitative research for systems change."  Oral presentation at the Social Policy Conference, University of South Carolina College of Social Work, Charleston, SC, May 2004

From Research to Policy...Not! The Perceptions of Aging Researchers Regarding the Importance and Dissemination of Their Work. Oral presentation at the 132^nd Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, San Francisco, CA, November 2003.

Making it by hook or by crook. The service experiences of persons with TBI and their families in South Carolina. Oral presentation at the annual meeting of the SC Public Health Association, May 2003.

The Values Maps of Older South Carolinians: What Matters Most When Making Long-Term Care Decisions? Poster presentation at the 131st Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Philadelphia, PA; November 2002.

When Ethics and Managed Care Collide: The Right of Patients to Informed Consent. Poster presentation at the 130th Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association, Atlanta, GA.; October 2001.

Funded Research:

Project: South Carolina Systems Transformation ($2.9 Million - October 2005-September 2010)
Goals: The project seeks to improve access to long-term care supports by creating a visible and trusted point of entry into the LTC system and by using technology to streamline and coordinate service referrals.
Support: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Role: Evaluator

Project: African American Women and Depression in Primary Care ($10,000 - January 2005-December 2006)
Goals: The project seeks to clarify and delineate African American women's experiences of depression to examine the suspected discrepancy between African American women's and traditional medical definitions of depression.
Support: USC Center for Health Promotion and Risk Reduction in Special Populations / NINR
Role: PI

Project: SC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Strategic Planning Assistance and Facilitation ($36,000 - October 2005-June 2006)
Goals: The project seeks to provide planning/facilitation assistance for the SC DHEC Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Program. Responsibilities include revising the strategic plan to be submitted to CDC, making recommendations for implementing the plan, and coordinating/facilitating meetings of Advisory Committee/workgroups.
Support: SC Department of Health and Environmental Control
Role: PI

Project: SC Access Plus ($131,000 - October 2003-September 2006)
Goals: SC Access Plus seeks to: 1) pilot an Aging and Disability Resource Center to serve as a visible single point of entry for target population; and 2) streamline/simplify the Medicaid eligibility determination and service application process. The evaluation uses largely qualitative techniques to determine whether performance goals are being met.
Support: Administration on Aging/Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Role: Evaluator

Service:

1999 - present Court-Appointed Special Advocate Volunteer, Richland County CASA, Columbia, SC
2001 - present Meals on Wheels Volunteer, Senior Resources, Columbia, SC
2000 - present Member, American College of Health Care Executives
2001 - present Member, American Public Health Association
2001 - present Member, Gerontological Society of America
2001 - present Member, American Society on Aging
2005 - present Member, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Special Interest Project 15 - Depression

Honors and Awards:

1991 Lucius Stacey Weaver Award for Academic Excellence, Methodist College
2001 Michael D. Jarrett Scholarship for Leadership Potential, Arnold School of Public
Health, University of South Carolina
2001 Outstanding Student Award for Academic Excellence, College of Social Work,
University of South Carolina
2001 Student Research Poster Award, Delta Omega
2002 Student Research Poster Award, Delta Omega
2004 Lawrence G. Branch Doctoral Student Research Award - Honorable Mention, American Public Health Association

Social Work Experience:

1990 - 1993 Research Interviewer, Fayetteville-NC Site, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
1993 - 1994 Assistant Site Coordinator, Fayetteville-NC Site, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
1994 - 1997 Adult Day Program Coordinator, Scotland County Mental Health, Laurinburg, NC
1997 -1999 Social Work Case Manager, Gambro Healthcare Clinic, Lancaster, SC
1999 Quality Assurance, Social Work Solutions, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
2000 - 2002 Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Health Services and Policy Research
University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
2003 - present Research Associate, Center for Health Services and Policy Research, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC

Teaching Experience:

2004 - present University of South Carolina College of Social Work, Adjunct Professor

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