Department of Family Medicine
Meet the Research Faculty

Helen McIlvain, PhD
Professor
Director of Research
402/559-5367
hemcilva@unmc.edu

 

Research Interests:

  • Smoking cessation
    • Improving physician counseling
    • Adult and adolescent cessation
  • Preventive service delivery

    Promoting change in primary care practice

    Qualitative research

    Naomi Lacy, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    402/559-8492
    nlacy@unmc.edu

     

    Research Interests:

    • Verbal, nonverbal and relational components of patient-physician communication
    • Negotiating smoking cessation in primary care encounters
    • Cancer-risk reduction communication between primary-care physicians and their patients
    • Patients' use of the Internet

     

     

    W. David Robinson, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Medical Family Therapist
    402/559-5868
    wdrobins@unmc.edu

     

    Research Interests:

    • Depression treatment in primary care
    • Doctor-patient relationship
    • Chronic illness adjustment and adaptation
    • Medical family therapy

     

     

    Kristine McVea, MD, MPH
    Associate Professor
    402/559-8085
    kmcvea@oneworldomaha.org

     

    Research Interests:

    • Adolescent smoking cessation
    • Healthcare for underserved populations

     

     

     

     

     

    Laeth Nasir, MD
    Professor
    402/559-5328
    lnasir@unmc.edu

     

    Research Interests:

    • Infectious disease
    • International health
    • Culture and medicine
    • Complementary medicine

     

     

     

    Elisabeth Backer, MD
    Clinical Associate Professor
    402/595-2292
    ebacker@unmc.edu

     

    Research Interests:

    • Preventive medicine
    • Women's health care
    • Rural medicine
    • Smoking cessation

     

     

    Ivan Abdouch, MD
    Associate Professor
    Associate Director, Residency Program
    402/559-8085
    mailto:iabdouch@unmc.edu

  • Patients: Please call me at
    Durham Outpatient Clinic: 559-7200 

     

    Research Interests:

    • Hypertension
    • Distance learning
    • Media streaming

     

     

    Heath A. Grames, PhD
    Assistant Professor
    Medical Family Therapist
    402-559-8085
    hgrames@unmc.edu

     

    Research Interests:

    • Family therapy in primary care setting
    • Medical & mental health collaboration
    • Smoking cessation
    • Marital satisfaction, health and illness

     

     

    Kalpana P Padala, MD, MS
    Assistant Professor
    Research Geratrician
    402-559-8069
    kpadala@unmc.edu

    Research Interests:

    • Alzheimer's Dementia
    • Impact of statins on cognition
    • Gait problems in eldrly

     

     

      Meet the Research Support Team:

      Jenenne Geske, PhD
      Research Coordinator
      402-559-6758
      jgeske@unmc.edu

       

      Shelley Baldwin
      Grants Accountant
      402-559-6983
      sjbaldwin@unmc.edu

       

      Linda Ferring
      Support Coordinator
      402-559-8085
      lferring@unmc.edu

       

      Mary McAndrews
      Secretary
      402-559-9328
      mmcandre@unmc.edu

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