Education and Child Development
Munroe-Meyer Institute
985605 Nebraska Medical Center
Omaha, NE 68198-5605
Phone: 402-559-9661
Email
Professional Summary
Dr. Drissa Toure is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Education and Child Development at the Munroe-Meyer Institute at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Toure has dedicated his evaluation and research career to building community-based participatory programs to improve healthcare access for children and women. He is an established evaluator and researcher in the field of child and maternal health in minority populations. Before moving to Omaha, Dr. Toure worked with the George Washington University School of Public Health – NIH-DC Initiative to conduct community-based interventions to optimize early childhood development in underserved communities.
Dr. Toure has demonstrated experience in clinical settings and leading research to understand the social, epigenetic and biological factors associated with environmental and child health. With degrees in Medicine (M.D.) and Public Health (Ph.D., M.P.H), he has gained more than 20 years of experience working with diverse populations. He worked with students and researchers to design evaluation and research projects using robust mixed methods (quantitative and qualitative). Dr. Toure has hands-on experience evaluating programs and conducting research in hard-to-reach settings and the ability to build interdisciplinary local, national and international collaboration to improve equity and reduce disparities for women, newborns and children.
Specialty Certifications
- Certificate of Completion – Monitoring & Evaluation for Global MCH, Global Health eLearning Center, 01/2020
- Certificate of Achievement – Completing Teaching Online: Course Design, Delivery, and Teaching Presence, 11/2019
- Certificate in Teaching Evidence-Based Public Health. The National Association of Chronic Disease Prevention Research Center, 08/2012
- Certified Physician, Mali, 06/2001
Education
- Ph.D. Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Research, University of Nebraska Medical Center, College of Public Health, Omaha, NE, 2017
- M.P.H. Maternal and Child Health, George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC, 2006
- M.D., Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmacy of Mali, Mali, Bamako, 2001
Teaching
- CPH 514/HPRO 814 – Planning & Evaluation
- CPH 546/HPRO 880 – Introduction to Maternal & Child Health (Online/Hybrid/Campus)
- CPH 627/HPRO 840 – Maternal & Child Health Epidemiology
Research Interests and Projects
- Parenting Education & Parent-child Relationship
- Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Healthcare Access
- Equip child educators with knowledge and strategies to cultivate optimal learning experiences
- Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Maternal and Child Health
- Epigenetics and Infant Development
- Improving African Immigrant Health Through Research and Action
Publications on PubMed
Selected Publications (within the last 5 years)
Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles- Toure, DM., Kumar, G. and Walker, C. (2021). Perspectives of African American and Hispanic Families Regarding Parent Education. International Journal of Birth and Parent Education, 8(2):14-18.
- Toure, D., Ouattara, B., Wiens, J., Pounds, L., Moore, T., Su, D. (2019). Gender Differences in Determinants of Self-Rated Health Among African American in Omaha Nebraska: A Church-Based Study. Journal of Social Service Research, 1-9.
- Toure, D., Rajvi, W., Do K. Su, D. (2019). Exploring African American and Latino Populations Perceptions of Parenting Education Programs: A Qualitative Assessment of Enablers and Barriers. Journal of Social Service Research, 46(2), 256-263.
- Su, D., Toure, D., Do K., Ramos A. (2018). Assessing Racial and Ethnic Differences in Attitudes towards the Use of Physical Discipline in Parenting: A Mixed-Methods Approach. Journal of Social Service Research, 1-11.
- Su, D., Wang, H., Tzeyu Michaud, T., Toure, D., Do, K., Hyo Jung Tak, HJ. (2018). Acculturation and Unmet Health Needs among Refugees in Omaha, Nebraska. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 1-7.
- Toure, D., ElRayes, W., Barnes-Josiah, D., Hartman, T., Klinkebiel, D., Baccaglini, L. (2017). Placental epigenetic modifications and preterm birth: A systematic review. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 1-12.
- Toure, D., Baccaglini, L., Opoku, S., Barnes -Josiah, D., Cox, R., Hartman, T., Klinkebiel, D. (2016). Epigenetic dysregulation of the IGF system and pregnancy outcomes: A systematic review. Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 29(21), 3542-3552.
- Su, D., Huang, T., Anthony, R., Ramos, A., Toure, D., Wang, H. (2014). Parental Perception of Child Body Weight and Health among Mexican American Children with Acanthosis Nigricans. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 16(5), 874-88.
Professional Affiliations
- American Public Health Association (APHA)
- Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP)
- Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH)
- Foresight Institute of Research and Translation (FIRAT)
- Public Health Association of Nebraska (PHAN)
- Life Course Intervention Research Network (LCIRN)
- Nebraska Partnership for Mental Healthcare Access (NEP-MAP)
- Nebraska Perinatal Quality Improvement Collaborative (NPQIC)
- Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
Awards
- MeTRC Health Disparities Grantees Conference’s Best Abstract Travel Award, Nashville, TN (2018)
- Chancellor’s Council Silver ‘U’ Award: Recognizes UNMC’s top performers whose daily contributions or special achievements help meet UNMC’s mission (2017)
- Outstanding Ph.D. Student Research Award, UNMC-COPH, Department of Health Promotion, Social and Behavioral Health (2015)
- Holland Research (Reproductive, Sexual, Maternal and Child Health) Award, UNMC-COPH (2015)
- Public Health Association of Nebraska, Best Research Poster Award, Omaha, NE (2014)
- Regional Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Conference Award, San Francisco, CA (2011)