Faculty and Staff Profiles

Dr. Fedoria Rugless is a Research Assistant Professor for the School of Health Studies and serves as the Director of Research for Church Health. Prior to joining the University of Memphis, her research interests have spanned from exposure effects and neuromotor performance, to patient centered outcomes, HIV surveillance, and cancer research. She has presented her research in various publications, and at many conferences nationally and internationally.  Dr. Rugless also has a passion for education and has served as adjunct faculty at various institutions within the region. She is also a Certified Clinical Research Professional through the Society of Clinical Research Associates. She is very enthusiastic about this role as it embodies both of her passions and areas of service in both the healthcare and research arenas.

This dual position was developed from the President’s office in collaboration with Church Health leadership, with the vision of developing a nationally recognized collaborative research program between The University of Memphis and Church Health.  In this role, Dr. Rugless works as a liaison between University of Memphis investigators and Church Health, with the goal of building a strong collaborative research network that enhances the community-based clinical work being done at Church Health, while providing  University faculty with the opportunity to conduct research within a model healthcare organization. Dr. Rugless is very enthusiastic about this role as it embodies both of her passions and areas of service in both the healthcare and research arenas. Ultimately, she has a desire to reduce healthcare disparities within underserved populations, and for all to obtain holistic health and wellness.

• Ph.D. Epidemiology - University of Cincinnati College of Medicine - 2012
• B.S. Biomedical Sciences - Oakwood University - 2007

• Director of Research, Research - Church Health Center -  
• Project Director, Memphis Breast Cancer Consortium; Let's Change B5210 - Common Table Health Alliance -  
• Public Health Program Director, Department of Health - State of Tennessee -  
• Lead Study Manager, Baptist Cancer Center - Baptist Memorial Hospital -  
• Adjunct Faculty, College of Arts and Sciences - Odessa College, Concorde Career College, Victory University, Oakwood University -  
• Grants and Contracts Administrator, Anatomy and Neurobiology - University of Tennessee Health Science Center -  
• Contractor, College of Medicine - University of Cincinnati -  
• Education Facility Specialist,   - University of Phoenix -  
• Research Assistant, Department of Environmental Health - University of Cincinnati -  
• Research Assistant, Department of Biology - Oakwood University -  
• Researcher, Science and Engineering - NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center -  

• Top 40 Under 40 - Memphis Business Journal - 2021
• New Memphis Fellow - New Memphis Institute - 2021-2022
• Mid-South Woman of Impact - American Heart Association - 2022

• Anatomy and Physiology - Victory University
• General Biology - Victory University
• Anatomy and Physiology - Concorde Career College
• Microbiology - Concorde Career College
• Anatomy and Physiology - Odessa College
• General Biology - Odessa College
• Medical Terminology - Odessa College
• Principles of Epidemiology - Oakwood University
• Introduction to Biostatistics - Oakwood University
• Public Health Administration - Oakwood University
• Intro to Public Health - University of Memphis
• Epidemiology - University of Memphis
• Assessment/Program Evaluation - University of Memphis
• Wellness Concepts Practices - University of Memphis

• Empowering Church Health Outreach - Stand Together - $225,000 - 2021-
• Church Health: Coaching and Care for Managing Diabetes - Janssen Foundation - $163,000 - 2020-2021
• University of Memphis Division of Research and Innovation - Communities of Research Scholars Award - $2500 - 2020-2021
• University of Memphis Division of Research and Innovation - Communities of Research Scholars Award - $2500 - 2020-2021
• University of Memphis - Loewenberg College of Nursing -   - 2020-

• University of Memphis - Preparedness Work Group on Student Support and Activities - 2020-present
• University of Memphis - African American Male Academy - 2020-present
• University of Memphis - Arts and Health Initiative - 2018-present
• University of Memphis - Arts and Health Subcommittee - 2018-present
• University of Memphis - Association of Black Faculty & Staff - 2019-present
• University of Memphis - Shelby County Health & Human Services Nonprofit Committee - 2020-Present
• University of Memphis - Covid-19 Communications Workgroup - 2021-Present
• University of Memphis - Health Disparities & Academic Achievement Workgroup - 2021-Present

• Harmon B, San Diego E, Pichon L, Powell T, Rugless F, McCann L, Minor L, Davis R, Underhill C, Campbell B, Smith J, McNeal S, Evans, J, Calvin V. (2020). Developing a congregational Health Needs Assessment: Lessons Learned from Using a Participatory Research Approach. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action. November 2020.
• Stauber Z, Razavi A, Sarris L, Harlan T, Monlezun D, Rugless F. (2019) Multisite Medical Student-Led Community Culinary Medicine Classes Improve Patients’ Diets: Machine Learning-Augmented Propensity Score – Adjusted Fixed Effects Cohort Analysis of 1381 Subjects. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. December 30, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619893602
• Rugless F, Bhattacharya A, Succop P, Dietrich K, Cox C, Alden J, Kuhnell P, Barnas M, Wright R, Parson P, Praamsma M, Palmer C, Beidler C, Wittberg R, Haynes E.  Chronic childhood exposure to manganese and postural instability in children living near a ferromanganese refinery in southeastern Ohio.  NeuroToxicology. December 2013.
• Lee, Hyo; Ju, Feng; Osarogiagbon, Raymond; Faris, Nick; Yu, Xinhua; Rugless, Fedoria; Jiang, Shan; Li, Jingshan. A System-Theoretic Method for Analysis and Improvement of Lung Cancer Diagnosis-to-Surgery Process. IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering.  January 2017.
• Reducing bottlenecks to improve the efficiency of the lung cancer care delivery process: A process engineering modeling approach to patient-centered care.  Journal of Medical Systems. November 2017.
• Kedia S, Ward KD, Digney SA, Jackson BM, Collins AC, Rugless FR, Faris NR, Roark KS, Osarogiagbon RU.  A qualitative assessment of patients’ and caregivers’ experience of organizational barriers to optimal lung cancer care. Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology. 2018; 16(2): e89-e96.
• Smeltzer MP, Rugless FE, Jackson BM, Berryman CL, Faris NR, Ray MA, Meadows M, Patel AA, Roark KS, Kedia SK, DeBon MM, Crossley FJ, Oliver G, McHugh LM, Hastings W, Osborne O, Osborne J, Ill T, Ill M, Jones W, Lee HK, Signore RS, Fox RC, Li J, Robbins ET, Ward KD, Klesges LM, Osarogiagbon RU. Pragmatic trial of a multidisciplinary lung cancer care model in a communtiy healthcare setting: study design, implementation evaluation, and baseline clinical results. Transl Lung Cancer Res 2018 Feb; 7(1):88-102. PMID: 29535915 PMCID: PMC5835591
• Ju F, Lee HK, Yu X, Faris NR, Rugless F, Jiang S, Li J, Osaroigagbon RU. Reducing Bottlenecks to Improve the Efficiency of the Lung Cancer Care Delivery Process: A Process Engineering Modeling Approach to Patient-Centered Care. J Med Syst (2018) 42:16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-017-0873-6.
• Kedia S, Ward K, Collins A, Jackson B, Rugless Stewart F, Faris N, Roark K, Osarogiagbon R. “All boats will rise”: Physicians’ perspectives on multidisciplinary lung cancer care in a community-based hospital setting. Support Care Cancer. 2019 Jul 15. doi: 10.1007/s00520-019-04950-7.
• Stauber Z, Razavi A, Sarris L, Harlan T, Monlezun D, Rugless F. (2019) Multisite Medical Student-Led Community Culinary Medicine Classes Improve Patients’ Diets: Machine Learning-Augmented Propensity Score – Adjusted Fixed Effects Cohort Analysis of 1381 Subjects. American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. December 30, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1177/1559827619893602
• Harmon B, San Diego E, Pichon L, Powell T, Rugless F, McCann L, Minor L, Davis R, Underhill C, Campbell B, Smith J, McNeal S, Evans, J, Calvin V. (2020). Developing a congregational Health Needs Assessment: Lessons Learned from Using a Participatory Research Approach. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action. November 2020.
• Collins-Barnes C, Kopruluoglu B, Guerrero G, Todd L, Bell J, Odom B, Rugless F. Diabetes Intervention: A Study of the Effectiveness of a Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) System and Health Coaching on Type 2 Diabetes Management. Harvard Public Health Review Journal. January 2022.

• Rugless, Fedoria, Haynes, Erin; Bhattacharya, Amit, Succop, Paul, and Kim Dietrich.  Airborne manganese exposure and postural balance in children. 4202.0 Environmental Epidemiology. Oral Presentation presented at: Healthy Communities Promote Healthy Minds and Bodies.  APHA Annual meeting & Expo. October 29-November 2, 2011, Washington, DC. (Oral Presentation) 
• Fedoria Rugless, Erin Haynes, DrPH, Cyndy Cox, Amit Bhattacharya, Ph.D., CPE.  Airborne Manganese Exposure and Postural Balance in Children.  Center for Environmental Genetics Regional Showcase.  University of Cincinnati Department of Environmental Health. September 18, 2010, Cincinnati, Ohio.
• O. Osborne, K.D. Ward, S. Kedia,  F.E. Rugless, B. Jackson,  K.S. Roark, L. McHugh,  C. Foust, M. Sheean,  R.U. Osarogiagbon.  Lung Cancer Patients’ Perspectives on Multi-Disciplinary Care in a Community Setting.  International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Conference, September 2015, Denver Colorado.
• F. E. Rugless, M. Smeltzer, M. Ray, A. Patel, N. Boateng, B. Jackson, C. Foust, L. Klesges, N. Faris, K. Roark, R. Signore, L. McHugh, E. Robbins, R. U. Osarogiagbon. The Reach and Adoption of a Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program within a U.S. Community Healthcare System. International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Conference, December 6, 2016, Vienna, Austria.
• F. E. Rugless, M. Smeltzer, L. Klesges, M. Ray, A. Patel, B. Jackson, C. Foust, N. Boateng, N. Faris, K. Roark, R. Signore, L. McHugh, E. Robbins, R. U. Osarogiagbon. Reach and Adoption of a Multidisciplinary Thoracic Oncology Program within a U.S. Mid-South Community Healthcare System. 9th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health; December 14-15, 2016; Washington, DC.
• M. Ray, N. Faris, F. E. Rugless, M. Smeltzer, C. Foust, B. Jackson, N. Boateng, A. Patel, C. Fehnel, C.Houston-Harris, R. U. Osarogiagbon. Multidisciplinary (MultiD) Care and the Use of Treatment Modalities for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in a Large Community Healthcare Setting.  Multidisciplinary Thoracic Cancers Symposium, March 16-18, 2017; San Francisco, California
• Rugless, Fedoria. The Healthy Memphis Initiative: Bridging the Research Chasm Through Collaboration. University of Tennessee Health Science Center Health Systems Research Conference. March 2019, Memphis, Tennessee.
• Rugless, Fedoria. Key Note Address. University of Memphis Loewenberg College of Nursing Student Research Forum. November 2019, Memphis, Tennessee.
• V. Watson, F. Rugless, T. Spentzas, K. Boone, S. Moore, S. Johnson, S. McKelvie. Eat to live: Effects of Mediterranean diet cooking classes on blood pressure, hemoglobin-A1C, and BMI in hypertensive and diabetic patients. UTHSC Longitudinal Scholar’s Project Showcase, Memphis, TN. 2020.