Research Scientist

Wasilewski has a rich history of research experience in public health in both urban and rural settings. Trained in socio-medical sciences, she has applied social, psychological, and educational theory to develop rigorously designed public health education interventions to reduce the impact of chronic illnesses such as asthma, HIV/AIDS, and cancer on minority children and their families. One intervention, Open Airways for Schools (OAS) has been cited by the CDC as a “…model environmental justice intervention,” and is in the process of dissemination to all elementary schools in the United States. Another, The North Carolina BEAUTY and Health Project focuses on cancer prevention and targets mothers and daughters frequenting African American beauty salons.

Wasilewski is also known for her expertise in "real world" program evaluation, and is currently engaged in several projects at the community, state, and international level. These include a project to identify and respond to the needs of children and adolescents living in domestic violence shelters in North Carolina; the evaluation of the Medical Legal Partnership of Durham, and evaluation of the effectiveness of India's program for women and children (ICDS) in reducing chidlhood malnutrition.

Dr. Wasilewski is co-recipient of NHLBI's National Asthma Health Education Research Award. She was recently elected to the National Asthma Educator's Certification Board, and serves as chair of its research committee.

Education:

• Ph.D.: Socio-Medical Sciences, Columbia University - 1984
• M.P.H.: Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill - 1999
• M.A.: Sociology, New School for Social Research, Graduate Faculty - 1973
• B.A.: Political Science, Seton Hill College - 1970

Recent Publications

1. Solomon, F., Linnan, L., Wasilewski, Y., Lee, A.M., Katz, M., Yang J. (2005). Obervational study in ten beauty salons: Results informing development of the North Carolina Beauty and Health Project. Health Behavior and Health Education, 31(6), 790-805.


2. Linnan, L., Ferguson, Y., Wasilewski, Y., Lee, A.M., Yang, J., Solomon, F., Katz, M. (2005). Results of the North Carolina BEAUTY and Health Project Pilot Project. Health Promotion Practice, 6(2), 164-173.

1. Test Performance andCandidate Demographic Analyses fromthe National Asthma Educator Certification Exam, American Thoracic Society International Conference San Diego, CA, May 21, 2006
2. Using community-based participatory research methods to train cosmetologists to deliver cancer prevention health message: Results from the North Carolina Beauty and Health Project, American Public Health Association annual meeting, San Francisco, California, November 2003
3. Self-management skills of HIV-infected mothers: Implications for health education interventions, American Public Health Association Annual Meeting, New York, New York, November 1996
4. Personal, family, and health-related correlates of depressive symptoms in mothers with HIV, International Conference on Management of HIV/AIDS, Vancouver, Canada, June 1996
5. Pilot test of the diffusion of an educational program to help school-age children with asthma manage asthma, American Lung Association and American Thoracic Society World Conference on Lung Health, Boston, Massachusetts, May 1991

Curriculum Vitae