Brief Biography:
Dr. Ferraro has 15 years of experience conducting mixed-methods research within a variety of public health settings, including nonprofits, universities, and government agencies. After completing a CDC/CSTE Applied Epidemiology Fellowship with the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Dr. Ferraro has been conducting epidemiological research on infectious diseases in Lima, Peru. Her work has been published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and Pediatrics. Dr. Ferraro joined Walden University’s faculty in 2008, teaching courses in the Ph.D. and Master’s programs of Public Health. She also mentors and serves as University Research Reviewer for over 50 dissertation students. Her work has been published in Pediatrics, Vaccine, International Health, and Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Academic positions:
Contributing Faculty, Walden University, College of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, 2008-Present
Teaching Assistant and Guest Lecturer, University of Colorado at Denver, Health and Behavioral Sciences Program, 2004-2006
Research interests:
Applied epidemiology; infectious disease epidemiology; ethnography of drug (ab)use; HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C, and STIs; mixed methods research; cross-cultural research
What I think of the idea behind WebmedCentral:
In the new age of information technology, the idea of open publication with the option of peer-review is much needed. Researchers need forums to disseminate findings that may be overlooked by traditional journals (e.g., non-statistically significant findings, studies with small sample size, etc). Students and scientists need resources to locate scholarly information that is valid and reliable (not always the case with Wikipedia). It appears as if WebmedCentral Plus is well-placed to fill this niche.