Denise H Britigan, MA, PhD, CHES

Assistant Professor

Department of Health Promotion, Social, and Behavioral Health
University of Nebraska Medical Center
College of Public Health

Professional Summary

• 2011-present Assistant Professor; Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health, College of Public Health, UNMC
• 2009-2011 Adjunct Instructor; University of Cincinnati (UC), College of Education Criminal Justice, and Human Services (CECH), School of Human Services, Dept. Health Promotion and Education (HPE)
• 2010-2011 Contributing faculty/ online; Walden University, Minneapolis, MN
• 2009-2010 guest lecturer; Wright State University-Miami Valley, College of Nursing and Health; and the University of Phoenix, Nutrition 
• 2006-2009 doctoral student; Health Promotion & Edu./Community Health, UC-CECH
• 2004-2006 Research Associate/Health Sciences Librarian; Academic Information Technology & Libraries (AIT&L), currently called Harrison Health Sciences Library
• 2000-2004 Reference & Education Coordinator, Hardin Library for the Health Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA

Education

• PhD, Health Education, University of Cincinnati, 2009
• MA, Library and Information Science, University of Iowa, 2002
• BS, Medical Technology, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri, 1978

Research interests

Dr. Britigan’s research experience is in the area of health promotion/community health, with an emphasis on health communication and health literacy. Her research focuses on sources of health information and barriers associated with them. Dr. Britigan also has an interest in the roles that demographics and social determinants of health play as they influence health communication and health literacy, especially in the area of health disparities. 

Selected Publications

• Lewis K.O., Baker R.C., Britigan, D.H. (2010). Current Practices and Needs Assessment of Instructors in an Online Masters Degree in Education for Healthcare Professionals: A First Step to the Development of Quality Standards. Journal of Interactive Online Learning,10(1),135-142.
• Britigan, D.H. (2009) Health Information Sources and Health Literacy Levels of Latinos in a Midwestern Tri-state Area. This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK. 
• Britigan, D., Murnan, J. & Rojas-Guyler, L. (2009). A Qualitative Study Examining Latino Functional Health Literacy Levels and Sources of Health Information. Journal of Community Health, 34, 222-230.
• Holten, K. & Britigan, D. (2006). “What is the best treatment for patients with an outbreak of herpes zoster?” American Family Physician, 73 (5), 882-4.
• Shah, K., Rogers, J., & Britigan, D. (2006). Clinical Inquiries. Should we identify and treat hyperlipidemia in the advanced elderly? The Journal of Family Practice, 55(4), 356-357.
• Britigan, D.H. (2006).“And other duties as assigned”: Iowa City Public Library’s first children’s services Intern. In: C. Medivilla (Ed.), Public Library Internships: Advice from the Field (pp.73-77). The Scarecrow Press, Inc.:Lanham, MD.
• Britigan, D.H. & Gehringer, A.K. (2005) Hardin Library for the Health Sciences: Experiencing Change. In: Elizabeth Connor (Ed.). A guide to developing end user education programs in medical libraries. (pp. 61-71). Haworth Information Press: Haworth Medical Press: New York.

Professional Affiliations

• American Public Health Association
• Society for Public Health Educators