Leadership

 

 

Email: jeb@uthsc.edu 

Phone: 901.448.2475

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Annie B. Ninan, MBA, MA (Economics), MSN (FNP-BC)

 

Annie Ninan brings diverse business, informatics and clinical experience to the Consortium and Tennessee Heart Health Network team. As a board-certified Family Nurse Practitioner, she saw patients in the primary care setting prior to moving into the operations and informatics arena of healthcare. At Hospital Corporations of America (HCA) she managed and led the clinical informatics team across the enterprise. She was responsible for piloting new programs, implementing them and rolling out these programs and products in the Ambulatory setting across the Enterprise. At HCA, she and her team received the Innovators Award for rolling out and standardizing documentation in the electronic health record (EHR) to capture documentation for Healthcare Quality Patient Assessment forms for Medicare patients across all payors. As the Director of strategic operations, she implemented Annual Wellness and Episodes of Care programs throughout the LifePoint Health organization’s network of rural hospitals and practices. At Elevance Wellpoint, she worked closely with TennCare and developed greater knowledge of TennCare initiatives and programs. She has collaborated with all the Tennessee managed care organizations (MCO) on several programs. She brings her vast knowledge and experience to drive, roll-out, implement, and evaluate several programs including Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), Episodes of Care (EOC) program, Center for Medicare Services (CMS) quality initiatives such as MACRA/MIPS/CCM/CPC+ and value-based programs. In her current role, Annie is responsible for all the operational and business aspects of the consortium and serves as the program director of the TN- HHN. She is passionate about pursuing greater equity, inclusion, and opportunity, from a focus of better health and access to care for all.

 

Email: aninan@uthsc.edu

Phone: 615.828.8985

Umar Y. Kabir, DVM, MPH, PhD
Director of Operations 

Umar Kabir serves as Director of Operations for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium as well as Research Leader at the Center for Health System Improvement at UTHSC College of Medicine. With a PhD in Health Systems Management at the University of Memphis School of Public Health, he brings a wealth of research experience in various areas including process improvement, health information technology (HIT), health systems strengthening, and healthcare disparities in low-resource communities and among vulnerable populations. Dr. Kabir earned his Master of Public Health from Western Kentucky University in 2016 and holds a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Ahmadu Bello University (2011). He is a published author in several peer-reviewed journals and is a seasoned presenter at both national and international conferences. As an educator Dr. Kabir has taught at the University of Memphis and the National Institute for Hospitality and Tourism in Abuja, FTC. He also completed a fellowship in Process Improvement at Qsource. Dr. Kabir’s professional experience includes working as an epidemiologist fellow for the Shelby County government, where he managed the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Cluster Investigation Unit and Special Investigations Teams. Early in his career, he was a clinician at the State House Veterinary Clinic in Abuja.

Email: ukabir@uthsc.edu 

Phone: 901.448.2453

 

Satya Surbhi, an Assistant Professor in the Center for Health System Improvement, College of Medicine, UTHSC, serves as Director of Measurement and Reporting for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium. Dr. Surbhi obtained her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree in India, completed her Master's in Pharmacy Administration from St. John’s University, and obtained her PhD in Health Outcomes and Policy Research from UTHSC. Her current work focuses on medication adherence, social determinants of health, care transitions, quality improvement, and comparative effectiveness of therapies, among vulnerable patients with multiple chronic conditions. She has experience in conducting health services research among medically underserved populations using administrative claims data and electronic medical records, as well as in conducting pragmatic randomized controlled trials. Currently, she is the principal investigator of a study funded through the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). The major goal of this project is to test the effectiveness of a pharmacy-led care transitions intervention to provide free medications, convenient medication delivery, and care coordination in improving adherence and reducing hospitalizations, emergency department use, and costs. She is also the principal investigator on the CDC 1815 project in collaboration with the Tennessee Department of Health, which focuses on CDC strategies to improve prevention and management of diabetes, heart disease, and stroke in Tennessee. Additionally, she is the Co-Investigator on quality improvement projects funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and by UnitedHealthcare.

Email: ssurbhi@uthsc.edu  
Phone: 901.448.4166
Curriculum Vitae

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Asos Mahmood

 

Asos Mahmood is an Assistant Professor in the Center for Health System Improvement at the UTHSC’s College of Medicine and serves as Director of Population Health Research Education for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium. Dr. Mahmood received his Ph.D. in Health Systems Management and Policy from the University of Memphis School of Public Health and received his Master of Public Health from the same school. He also earned a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) degree from the University of Sulaimani School of Medicine. Dr. Mahmood’s research is focused on the biopsychosocial determinants of health, chronic medical conditions, health care disparities, and health services access and utilization among aging, low-income, and underserved populations. He is also interested in research assessing and evaluating the role of evidence-based interventions and health policies in prevention and improving health outcomes for patients with chronic medical conditions. His other research interests include examining impacts of health informatics and patient-empowering tools, such as mobile health (mHealth) apps, in enhancing the quality of life and quality of delivered care. Dr. Mahmood has presented his research at various scientific conferences and has successfully published in many peer-reviewed prestigious national and international journals including the European Heart Journal, Health Services Research, Cancer Causes & Control, and Journal of Medical Internet Research.

 

Email: amahmoo5@uthsc.edu

 

Ashley Ellis is Director of Practice Implementation for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium and serves as Assistant Dean for Strategic Partnerships & Innovation at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy. Dr. Ellis received her PharmD degree at the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy in 2007 and completed a PGY-1 Community Pharmacy Residency program at Shenandoah University with Leesburg Pharmacy. She earned her MBA from the University of Tennessee. Dr. Ellis has served in academia in positions at Shenandoah University and the University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy with practice sites in underserved populations, community pharmacy and ambulatory care. She has also worked in independent pharmacy as an owner, within a primary care clinic building clinical services, and in account management and clinical operations as Vice President in chronic care management and remote patient monitoring. In her position as Assistant Dean at the College of Pharmacy she is leading expansion of pharmacy services specifically in primary care to better serve Tennesseans and training opportunities for student pharmacists. She was named as one of Memphis Business Journal's Super Women in Business in 2021. Her daughter's battle with severe eczema has led to some of her favorite work with the National Eczema Association as an ambassador, the Global Parents for Eczema Research as a Senior Caregiver Mentor, and the 2020-2022 Spokesperson for the educational Understand AD Campaign.

 

Email: aellis46@uthsc.edu 

Phone: 901.448.3806

 

Susan Butterworth serves as an Associate Professor in the Center for Health System Improvement, College of Medicine, at UTHSC, and serves as Director of Patient Engagement for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium. As Director of Patient Engagement, Dr. Butterworth oversees the curriculum, program development, delivery, and competency assessment for UTHSC Motivational Interviewing, Health Coach, and Community Health Worker Training and Certification programs for lay and clinical health care workers. She has a clinical background in exercise physiology and received her doctoral degree in adult education and training, with a cognate in health promotion from Virginia Commonwealth University. During her 20-year tenure as faculty at Oregon Health & Science University, she founded Health Management Services which won several national awards. Dr. Butterworth's special area of expertise and research is the practical application of behavior change science, such as Motivational Interviewing-based health coaching, to various healthcare settings. She has been the principal investigator or co-investigator on numerous NIH, HRSA and PCORI grants to study the efficacy and impact of health management interventions and has published multiple articles on the theory and outcomes of health coaching. Dr. Butterworth has been an active member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) since 2002, and has developed certification courses on motivational interviewing and health coaching for clinicians, health coaches, and community health workers for premier health systems nationwide.

 

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Cori Grant, MBA, PhD

Cori Cohen Grant is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine, the Center for Health System Improvement, and Tennessee Population Health Consortium. As a co-investigator, she leads the qualitative and implementation science teams for the Tennessee Heart Health Network. In her role, Dr. Grant conducts research in partnership with healthcare systems and community-based organizations. Dr. Grant has held a variety of roles which included leading large-scale quality improvement initiatives on behalf of CMS, implementation studies, and learning collaboratives. As the director of marketing research and planning for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, she conducted research, often including consumers, to guide business decisions and quality improvement initiatives for the organization. During this time, she designed and analyzed dozens of qualitative and quantitative research studies utilizing market research techniques such as focus groups, qualitative interviews, and surveys. Cori is a six-sigma green belt and earned a Master of Science in Public Health from The University of Texas School of Public Health and an MBA from The University of Tennessee. She received a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Memphis School of Public Health. Dr. Grant’s research interests are focused on improving chronic disease management and prevention and removing barriers to care that promote equitable health outcomes. Outside of work, Cori enjoys playing competitive tennis and volunteering on the Assisi Foundation Community Board to help identify health and social needs in the Memphis community.

 

Email: cgrant1@uthsc.edu

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Nicky Hitching, BA

 

 

Email: nhitchin@uthsc.edu

Phone: 901.448.2477

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Gladys Icaza Hunt, BA

 

Gladys Hunt serves as the Research Coordinator for the TN Heart Health Network initiative and Patient Advisory Council Coordinator for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium. As PAC Coordinator she is responsible for organizing patient partner experts in patient advisory councils in hub cities in each of Tennessee’s grand regions. She received her BA in International Business at Memphis State University. After a long career in management for an international corporation, she shifted her focus to healthcare in 2002. Prior to joining the Center for Health System Improvement, she worked for a healthcare consulting organization working to improve healthcare quality in all clinical settings.

 

Email: ghunt7@uthsc.edu

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Avinash Pakker, MS, Pharm-D

 

Avinash Pakker serves as Data Analyst for the Center for Health System Improvement and Tennessee Population Health Data Network (TN-POPnet). He is responsible for the analysis of EHR and administrative claims databases, production of quality/practice improvement reports for TN-POPnet participating health systems and practices and for assisting with the design, analysis, and interpretation of various health services research studies. He also helps to operationalize research questions, create study cohorts, apply analytic approaches, and assist with interpretation. Avinash has a MS in Health Informatics from Indiana University and a Doctor of Pharmacy from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University in Hyderabad, India.

 

Email: apakker@uthsc.edu

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Anissa J. McHenry serves as the Administrative Coordinator for the Tennessee Population Health Consortium. In her role, she helps coordinate & create materials needed for grants, budgets, contracts, etc. as it relates to the work for the Consortium. With her finance background, Ms. McHenry also ensures accuracy and compliance with UT fiscal and research policies, as well as sponsor policies. She received her BBA in Accounting and Finance from the University of Memphis in Spring of 2020 and will receive her MBA in Fall of 2024.

 

Aravind Dhanabal serves as a Data Analyst for the Center for Health System Improvement and the Tennessee Population Health Data Network (TN-POPnet). His responsibilities encompass the analysis of Electronic Health Records and administrative claims databases by generating quality and practice improvement reports for TN-POPnet, supporting participating health systems and practices. He assists in supporting the design, analysis, and understanding of various health services research studies. Aravind's responsibilities also include operationalizing research queries, establishing study cohorts, utilizing analytical methods, and providing significant assistance with interpretation tasks. Aravind has a master’s degree in business Analytics from Oklahoma State University and bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from PSG College of Technology from India.

Email: adhanaba@uthsc.edu

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