Today is a discussion of COVID-19 in the “Cancer Alley” region of southern Louisiana with Wesley James and Kimberly Terrell.
Wesley James currently serves as Associate Professor of Sociology and Executive Director of the Center for Community Research and Evaluation (CCRE) at the University of Memphis. He received his Ph.D. from Mississippi State University in 2009.
Dr. James' primary research interests are medical sociology, demography, and rural health. He has been involved in several externally supported research projects exploring a variety of health-related issues. Currently, his research agenda is focused in three areas: (1) U.S. mortality disparities across time and place, (2) social determinants of health and mortality in rural America, and (3) evaluating health and educational interventions in the Mississippi Delta.
Dr. James has been published in American Journal of Public Health, Social Science and Medicine Population Health, Demographic Research, N-IUSSP, Population Research and Policy Review, Journal of Rural Health, and many others.
Kimberly Terrell earned a Ph.D. in Conservation Biology (a field of biology focused on protecting nature) from the University of New Orleans in 2011 and dual bachelor’s degrees in Biology and Political Science from Tulane University in 2005. Dr. Terrell’s graduate research was conducted at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Washington, DC) and focused on endangered cat species. Throughout her experience as a scientist, Dr. Terrell has always felt strongly connected to the culture and environment of the Gulf Coast. Inspired by this connection, Dr. Terrell joined the Environmental Law Clinic in 2018 as the Director of Community Outreach. With her knowledge of environmental issues and experience working with diverse communities, Dr. Terrell helps concerned citizens engage in environmental decision-making and access the legal resources of the Environmental Law Clinic. Dr. Terrell considers herself a native of the Mississippi River Basin, having lived most of her life in New Orleans, Chicago, and Memphis.