Willie H. Oglesby, PhD, MSPH, FACHE

Appointments

Assistant Professor of Health Policy & Management
College of Public Health

Assistant Director
Office of Public Health Practice and Partnerships

Director of Family Health
The Center for Community Solutions

Biography

Dr. Oglesby is a member of the founding faculty at the Kent State University College of Public Health.  Dr. Oglesby came to Kent State in 2009 from the University of South Carolina where he served in several research and administrative roles in the School of Public Health and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Health Sciences. His research and practice expertise includes sexuality and reproductive health, economic evaluation of health interventions, and community health policy. New areas of interest include lifestyle medicine and the integration of public health and health care.

Dr. Oglesby has worked on a career total of more than $26M in externally-funded projects, including more than $7M as principal or co-principal investigator. Current externally-funded projects include conducting an ACA-compliant community health needs assessment and implementation plan for three hospital systems; directing the Northeast Ohio Family Planning Program, which provides reproductive health services to low income Ohioans; and developing community health policy initiatives at the state level around reproductive health and chronic disease prevention. Current academic projects include coordinating the Practicum Experience for all Master of Public Health (MPH) students; teaching graduate courses in health care systems, cost-benefit analysis, and policy analysis; and developing a graduate program in interprofessional health care.

Dr. Oglesby is a reviewer for several leading journals in public health and medicine, including serving as Executive Editor of the Global Journal of Medicine and Public Health. He is a former policy consultant to the National Academies of Practice and is currently a member of the Lifestyle Medicine Standards Committee for the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. In 2010, he was named Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

Education

PhD, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
MSPH, University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health
BS, University of South Carolina Moore School of Business

Current Research and Projects

Below is a summary of my current projects, all of which have research- or practice-based opportunities for students as independent studies, individual investigations, practicums, internships, or dissertations.  Please contact me if you would like to work on any of these projects.  

• Akron Hospitals Community Health Needs Assessment:  The goal of this 3-year project is to conduct a community health needs assessment and develop facility-specific implementation plans for hospitals in the Akron Children's Hospital system, Akron General Hospital system, and the Summa Health System that conform to new IRS regulations mandated by the Affordable Care Act.  I am the principal investigator on this project with Assistant Dean Skenkovich and Dr. Beaird. 
  
• The Collaborative for Comprehensive School-Age Health:  The focus of the Collaborative for Comprehensive School-Age Health is to improve the health and well-being of young people throughout Northeast Ohio by encouraging and expanding comprehensive sexuality education through policy analysis and action at the state and local levels.  I oversee this project in my role at The Center for Community Solutions.  For more information about the project, please visit our web site: www.ccsah.org
• Northeast Ohio Family Planning Program:  This project provides family planning services to ~20,000 low-income men, women, and teens in Northeast Ohio through a network of 10 partnering clinics.  In addition to providing access to affordable family planning services, we engage in policy analysis and advocacy at the state and local level on issues that affect low-income Ohioan's access to affordable reproductive health care services.  Recent achievements include collaboration on the development and eventual approval of a Medicaid State Planning Amendment that expands coverage for family planning services to all low-income Ohioans up to 200% of federal poverty and the development of a Internet-based marketing strategy to increase utilization of this new Medicaid benefit (web site coming soon).  I am the Principal Investigator and Director of this project in my role at The Center for Community Solutions.  For more information about the project, please visit our web site:  www.neo-fpp.org
• AIDS Funding Collaborative:  The purpose of the AIDS Funding Collaborative is to pool private and governmental resources to maximize the impact of HIV prevention in Cuyahoga County and to increase advocacy policy analysis in Northeast Ohio and in the State of Ohio.  I oversee this project in my role at The Center for Community Solutions.  For more information about the project, please visit our web site:  www.aidsfundingcollaborative.org
• Analysis of Ohio's Public Health Laws: Do They Support or Hinder Chronic Disease Prevention?:  This project is a collaboration between the College of Public Health, the Case Western Reserve School of Law, and The Center for Community Solutions that focuses on identifying state and local public health laws that support or hinder chronic disease prevention.  The analysis will be used to develop a set of recommendations to change the public health laws in the State of Ohio.  I am the co-principal investigator on this project with Assistant Dean Slenkovich.
• Do Health Impact Assessments Achieve Desired Results: An Analysis at the National and Local Levels:  This project is a collaboration between the College of Public Health and The Center for Community Solutions that focuses on the outcomes of Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) nationally and locally.  The analysis will be used to develop a set of recommendations to change urban planning and development regulations in the State of Ohio.  I am the co-principal investigator on this project with Assistant Dean Slenkovich.
• Characteristics of Women Who Access Emergency Contraception in Northeast Ohio:  This is a secondary data analysis project using existing patient visit data from the Northeast Ohio Family Planing Program (see above).  The analysis will be used to develop an intervention for women who frequently access emergency contraception and/or who use emergency contraception as a primary means of birth control.  I am the principal investigator on this project and am working with Drs. Zullo and Cheruvu.

Current Courses

• HPM 53003 Health Care Systems:  In this master's-level course, students will examine the conceptual basis for the US health care system; its historical origins; the structures, resources, and processes of care; how quality and costs are supported and constrained; and the impact of recent legislation.  This course is a requirement for students pursing an MPH in Health Policy & Management.  It can also be an elective for other master's degree students (obtain faculty advisor approval before enrolling).  Doctoral students may take this course (with advisor approval) and will complete additional assignments.
  
• HPM 53006 Cost-Benefit Analysis of Public Health Programs:  This master's-level course provides an overview of cost-benefit analysis as applied to the evaluation of public health programs.  Students will apply principles of cost-benefit analysis and related cost-utility analysis to case studies in the public health sector.  This course is a requirement for students pursuing an MPH in Health Policy & Management.  It can also be an elective for other master's degree students (obtain approval before enrolling).  Doctoral students may take this course (with advisor approval) and will complete additional assignments.
• HPM 73031 Public Health Policy Analysis:  This doctoral-level course provides a framework for conducting public health policy analysis and applies concepts to case studies of health policies at the local, state, and Federal levels.  This course is a requirement for students pursuing a PhD in Health Policy & Management.  It can also be an elective for other doctoral degree students (obtain approval before enrolling).  Master's students may take this course with advisor approval. 
• HPM 6/80195 ST: Obamacare: Socialized Medicine or Better Health Care?:  This masters- and doctoral-level "special topics" course provides an overview of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) including political and policy discourse leading up to its passage, analysis of the law’s impact, the Supreme Court’s ruling that affirmed and changed the legislation, and the future of public health and health care in the context of the ACA.  Other historical attempts at national health care reform will also be discussed.  Students will draw upon and apply an interdisciplinary literature base to analyze the ACA.
• PH 60172 and PH 60192 Practicum:  Toward the end of the MPH degree, students are required to complete an intensive research- or practice-based public health project, which serves as evidence that s/he has successfully applied the knowledge and skills gained during the course of instruction.  This is a requirement for all MPH students and only MPH students can enroll in these courses.  I am the Practicum Coordinator for all departments in the College.  Please see the MPH Practicum page for more information.
• Culminating Experience Comprehensive Exam:  In the last semester of study, MPH students must register to take the Culminating Experience Comprehensive Exam.  The exam is divided into two parts:  Part A covers the five core areas of public health knowledge (addressed in the core courses) and Part B covers the discipline-specific knowledge in the student's concentration area (addressed in the discipline-specific required courses).  Students have two hours to complete Part A and two hours to complete Part B.  The majority of the exam is short answer and essay.  Students must register in advance to take the exam.  I am the Exam Coordinator for all departments in the College.  Please see the MPH Culminating Experience Comprehensive Exam page for more information (link coming soon).