Deana Williams, PhD, MPH

Experience

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  Miami University Women's Center

  Aug 2014 - May 2016

  Project Management Intern

  • Developed, implemented, and assessed diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism programs, activities, outreach initiatives, and procedures designed to enhance the academic success, retention, health and wellbeing, and personal development of historically underrepresented student populations• Created and provided services, resources, and opportunities for engagement and leadership around women’s and gender issues such as sexual violence, disability justice, voting equity, racial justice, LGBTQ+ allyship, women’s global rights, and health equity• Drafted, edited, and published The Femellectual, a multimedia literary publication focused on stimulating discourse around women’s and gender issues, in collaboration with additional internal stakeholders• Founded and facilitated a monthly holistic wellness workshop series improving students' stress management and self-care skills• Recognized with the Employee Service Leadership Award in 2015 and 2016 for my diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism contributions on campus Show less

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  Sexual Health Advocacy Group

  Aug 2016 - Aug 2017

  Program Consultant

  • Spearheaded event planning, management efforts, and content development for campus-wide sexual health outreach initiatives and interactive events• Engaged diverse community stakeholders and leveraged partnerships to procure various event donations (e.g., sexual wellness products)• Coordinated and facilitated sexual health activities for 1,000+ college students• Assisted with process evaluation and rendered recommendations for improvement of future events

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  Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington

  Aug 2016 - Dec 2017

  • Executed literature reviews on the newly emerging Zika virus within the US •Supported colleagues in interpreting quantitative data from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior•Coauthored one scholarly manuscript on knowledge of Zika virus and perception of risk that was published within a peer-reviewed journal•Conducted relevant literature searches for future data publications on reproductive decision making and implications for Zika virus in Peru • Assisted with curriculum development for three classes within the Department of Applied Health Science: Introduction to Lifespan Development (Fall 2016, Spring 2017); Personal Health (Fall 2017)• Guest lectured over 100 students on sexuality, HIV/STIs, sexual violence, gender identity, and LGBTQ+ health• Provided academic and professional support to students and faculty by creating assignments, grading papers and exams, facilitating class discussions, and answering student questions

  • Research Coordinator

    Jan 2017 - Dec 2017

  • Graduate Teaching Assistant

    Aug 2016 - May 2017
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  Sexual Assault Crisis Service

  Jan 2017 - Sept 2019

  • Organized and implemented trauma-informed affirmative consent, Title IX, gender equity, and sexual violence prevention programming, workshops, and monthly outreach initiatives on Indiana University’s campus, reaching 5000+ students • Conducted practice-based training for 300+ sorority and fraternity representatives, strengthening their bystander intervention and survivor-centered support skills• Supervised a team of 4 interns; assisted with the recruiting, interviewing, and hiring process; facilitated training Show less • Developed the proposal, budget, and strategic plan for The Clothesline Project, a multi-day, annual event that brings awareness to sexual violence on college campuses and allows survivors the opportunity to share their stories and build community; effectively addressed a major public health issue via education, supportive resources, and community advocacy • Obtained $2.5K in university awarded funding; managed event costs, ensuring the annual event occurred under budget and within scope• Established, built, and maintained relationships and collaborative partnerships with internal and external stakeholders (e.g., 15 student organizations, campus offices, community establishments); served as a liaison between these partners resulting in the ability to organize and implement multiple components of the project effectively• Managed, monitored, and evaluated all project life cycle components which successfully connected 500+ sexual violence survivors to healing and supportive resources and initiated a sustainable annual event Show less

  • Program Specialist

    Jan 2017 - Sept 2019

  • The Clothesline Project Director

    Jan 2017 - Apr 2019
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  Meadowood Senior Living

  May 2017 - Jul 2018

  Dietary Assistant | Dietary Clerke

  • Maintained a high quality of life for a geriatric community• Attended to the health needs of nutritionally at-risk individuals• Ensured nutritional adequacy was provided to each resident by following established procedures and giving appropriate feedback to the Registered Dietician• Trained in dementia and memory loss care, resulting in the ability to skillfully deescalate stressful situations and help residents feel safe and respected

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  Planned Parenthood Federation of America

  Jun 2018 - Dec 2018

  Healthcare Assistant

  • Recognized as a sexual and reproductive health subject matter expert (SME)• Provided trauma-informed education and services to diverse clients on family planning, STIs and HIV, safer sex practices, and self-care resulting in improved patient comfort and experiences

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  Indiana University Center for Sexual Health Promotion

  Aug 2018 - Mar 2022

  Researcher and Project Coordinator

  • Lead, design, and support pioneering LGBTQ+ health and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) studies through a health equity lens• Develop study protocols and research parameters; construct data collection instruments; collect and analyze qualitative data via expert utilization of qualitative data management software• Create study recruitment plans, and preside over study advertisement and recruitment to skillfully and strategically reach and engage communities whose voices and perspectives have been historically left out of research• I have expertise in numerous qualitative methodologies, including content analysis, thematic analysis, and narrative analysis, and have skillfully used a variety of these methodologies in my independent scholarship and within multidisciplinary research teams• Author and co-author manuscripts, several of which have been published in peer-reviewed journals or are forthcoming• Collaboratively develop grant proposals, one of which secured a highly competitive grant from the Racial Justice Research Fund in the amount of $14,805 Show less

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  Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington

  May 2019 - Jul 2021

  Associate Instructor

  • Instructed 80-140 students per semester in the Department of Applied Health Science’s Human Sexuality course, receiving ratings as an “outstanding educator” in 100% of my student evaluations• Taught a culminating Practicum in Sex Education to undergraduate students (Spring 2021), which effectively strengthened students’ lesson planning, discussion facilitation, and DEI leadership skills within the sexuality field• Developed a collection of anti-racist, LGBTQ+ inclusive, and anti-ableist curricula and resources• Collaborated with colleagues to visualize, develop, and implement our department’s first online Human Sexuality course• Provided student mentorship and opportunities for personal and professional developmentStudents had this to say about my teaching and coursework:“The material was extremely interesting and I have learned a lot within this course. The instructor was also extremely helpful and understanding. Wish every professor was like her!”“She is a great instructor and her open–mindedness, kindness, and interesting coursework made this class great and she was very helpful in my learning.”“When people tell you that education is fun and essential, this is the kind of education they are referring to.""I initially took this course to boost my grade, but it ended up making a serious impact on me. This is the first course I’ve taken in a long time where I’ve actually wanted to learn the information, and not just memorize it for a test or quiz. " Show less

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  Multicare Institute for Research and Innovation

  Mar 2022 - now

  Research Investigator

  • Conceptualize and lead a portfolio of health equity studies benefitting the LGBTQ+ community and Communities of Color in collaboration with strategic community partners, including being: -Co-PI of a near million dollar grant funded by the Andy Hill Care Fund to improve the engagement and participation of Communities of Color in cancer research-PI of an NIH funded study exploring bisexual Women of Color's perinatal healthcare experiences-PI of a study funded by the Andy Hill Care Fund that aims to increase cervical cancer screenings among queer women• Provide qualitative methodological guidance to clinicians and assist with proposal development, grant writing, project implementation, manuscript writing, and data dissemination Show less