Publications

the relationship between contraceptives, sexual practices, and cervical human papillomavirus infection among a college population.	four hundred and sixty-five college women were evaluated to determine if specific variables of social and sexual behavior correlated with the presence of human papillomavirus (hpv) dna in the genital tract, and if these associations differed between women who were hpv dna positive, hpv dna positive/clinically (cytologically) negative, or who reported previous hpv-related disease by a history of an abnormal papanicolaou (pap) smear or genital warts. hpv positive women had more sexual partners in ...	1992	1331341
human papillomavirus vaccination: the policy debate over the prevention of cervical cancer--a commentary.	the human papillomavirus (hpv) family causes a variety of benign, premalignant, and malignant lesions in men and women. hpv types 16 and 18 are responsible for causing 70% of all cases of cervical cancer each year. recently, a vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer by protecting women from infection with the most common types of hpv has been made available. following food and drug administration approval and endorsement by the centers for disease control and prevention, it is the right and the ...	2008	18596458
disconnects between news framing and parental discourse concerning the state-mandated hpv vaccine: implications for dialogic health communication and health literacy.	in 2007, virginia became the first state in the us to mandate the human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine. in 2009, the mandate required that parents of girls entering sixth grade (ages 11-12) vaccinate their daughters or sign the 'opt-out' waiver. this investigation is the first to explore how both the news media and parents framed and responded to the newly-mandated hpv vaccine. this research reveals disjoints between news media framing and parental framing. implications of these gaps for parental ...	2010	21462859
using biomarkers as objective standards in the diagnosis of cervical biopsies.	histopathologic diagnosis of cervical biopsies determines clinical management of patients with an abnormal cervical cancer-screening test yet is prone to poor interobserver reproducibility. immunohistochemical staining for biomarkers related to the different stages of cervical carcinogenesis may provide objective standards to reduce diagnostic variability of cervical biopsy evaluations but systematic, rigorous evaluations of their potential clinical utility are lacking. to address diagnostic uti ...	2010	20661011
human papillomavirus vaccination recommendation may be linked to reimbursement: a survey of virginia family practitioners and gynecologists.	concerns have been raised about gynecologists as vaccinators. this survey evaluated use of the human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine, attitudes, and barriers among gynecologists and family practitioners for differences between the 2 specialties.	2011	21906978
human papillomavirus infection, vaccination, and cervical cancer communication: the protection dilemma faced by women in southern appalachia.	human papillomavirus is the most frequently occurring sexually transmitted infection and has been recognized as the necessary cause of cervical cancer. understanding the shift in public awareness caused by recent changes to cervical prevention is critical to addressing cervical cancer disparities in appalachia. since the human papillomavirus vaccine was approved for prevention, little data have been collected regarding human papillomavirus risk assessment and vaccine perceptions among appalachia ...	2011	22185292
knowledge of hpv in west virginia high school health students and the effects of an educational tool.	study objective: to assess the knowledge of human papillomavirus (hpv) in west virginia high school students, create an educational dvd that could be used as a supplement to health class, and evaluate whether our intervention increases student knowledge of hpv. design: prospective, randomized experimental design with analysis of questionnaire data. setting: west virginia high school health class. participants: a total of 626 students participated. interventions: hpv educational dvd designed by h ...	2011	21600809
implications of the virginia human papillomavirus vaccine mandate for parental vaccine acceptance.	in 2009, virginia became the first state in the united states to enact a school vaccine mandate for the human papillomavirus (hpv), putting it at the forefront of the national hpv vaccine mandate controversy. it is critical to explore the public response and sensemaking where the mandate has already been enacted. thus, we conducted 8 focus group discussions among 33 virginia parents to explore how they conceptualized the virus and vaccine and their responses to the mandate. findings suggest that ...	2012	23275459
assessing the burden of hpv-related cancers in appalachia.	appalachia is a geographic region with existing cancer disparities, yet little is known about its burden of hpv-related cancers outside of cervical cancer. we assessed the burden of hpv-related cancers in three appalachian states and made comparisons to non-appalachian regions. we examined 1996-2008 cancer registry data for ohio, kentucky, west virginia and the surveillance, epidemiology and end results (seer) 9 program. for each gender, we calculated age-adjusted incidence rates per 100,000 pop ...	2013	23143774
the politics of hpv vaccination policy formation in the united states.	this article explores the political dimensions of policy formation for the human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine through case studies of six states: california, indiana, new hampshire, new york, texas, and virginia. using thematic content analysis of semistructured key informant interviews with policy stakeholders, newspaper articles, and archival materials, we describe the trajectory of public health policy developments for hpv immunization and analyze key influences on policy outcomes through the ...	2013	23645875
print news coverage of school-based human papillomavirus vaccine mandates.	in 2007, legislation was proposed in 24 states and the district of columbia for school-based human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccine mandates, and mandates were enacted in texas, virginia, and the district of columbia. media coverage of these events was extensive, and media messages both reflected and contributed to controversy surrounding these legislative activities. messages communicated through the media are an important influence on adolescent and parent understanding of school-based vaccine man ...	2014	25099421
prevalence of major risk factors and use of screening tests for cancer in the united states.	much of the suffering and death from cancer could be prevented by more systematic efforts to reduce tobacco use, improve diet, increase physical activity, reduce obesity, and expand the use of established screening tests. monitoring the prevalence of cancer risk factors and screening is important to measure progress and strengthen cancer prevention and early detection efforts. in this review article, we provide recent prevalence estimates for several cancer risk factors, including tobacco, obesi ...	2015	25834147
designing for dissemination: lessons in message design from "1-2-3 pap".	despite a large number of evidence-based health communication interventions tested in private, public, and community health settings, there is a dearth of research on successful secondary dissemination of these interventions to other audiences. this article presents the case study of "1-2-3 pap," a health communication intervention to improve human papillomavirus (hpv) vaccination uptake and pap testing outcomes in eastern kentucky, and explores strategies used to disseminate this intervention t ...	2015	25470444
rates of human papillomavirus vaccine uptake amongst girls five years after introduction of statewide mandate in virginia.	the commonwealth of virginia enacted statewide school-entry human papillomavirus vaccine mandate in 2008 requiring all girls to receive the vaccine before starting the 6th grade. the mandate, one of very few in the country, has been in effect for 5 years. this study assesses the impact that it has had on the rates of human papillomavirus uptake.	2016	27001221
provider-identified barriers to cervical cancer screening and perceptions toward self-collection of human papillomavirus in southwest virginia.	to explore health care workers identified barriers to cervical cancer screening in rural southwest virginia.	2016	27444141
impact of virginia's school-entry vaccine mandate on human papillomavirus vaccination among 13-17-year-old females.	the link between human papillomavirus (hpv) and anogenital cancers is well established in the literature. many states have passed laws requiring funding for hpv education or vaccination. mandatory hpv vaccination policies have been considered and passed in several states; yet their effectiveness has not been evaluated. this study sought to assess the impact of virginia's hpv vaccine mandate for school-entry on hpv vaccine uptake among females aged 13-17 years.	2017	27697003