معرفی
Elizabeth A. Beverly, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Primary Care at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Ohio University, and serves as Co-Director of the Diabetes Institute. She holds the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Endowed Professorship in Behavioral Diabetes, recognizing her leadership in diabetes research and education.
Her educational background includes a PhD in Biobehavioral Health from Pennsylvania State University (2008), with a minor in Gerontology, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in diabetes at Harvard Medical School’s Joslin Diabetes Center (2013). She also holds a Certificate in Biostatistics from Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center (2012).
Dr. Beverly’s research centers on behavioral diabetes, focusing on psychosocial issues, diabetes self-care, and health outcomes, particularly in underserved Appalachian populations. She employs mixed and qualitative methods to explore the cultural and contextual dimensions of diabetes care. A key innovation in her work is the use of cinematic virtual reality (cine-VR) to train healthcare providers in empathy, cultural awareness, and patient-centered care. Her collaborations with the OHIO GRID Lab have produced immersive patient story simulations that significantly enhance affective learning and reduce stigma.
Her recent publications reflect a strong trajectory in virtual reality applications in medical education, psychosocial aspects of diabetes, health disparities, and statewide quality improvement initiatives. Themes include empathy training, diabetes stigma, social determinants of health, and the integration of technology in chronic disease management. Her work has demonstrated that cine-VR increases short-term empathy in healthcare learners more effectively than traditional video formats.
- Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Endowed Professor in Behavioral Diabetes
Dr. Beverly has led and participated in numerous grant-funded projects, including a Medicaid-funded statewide diabetes quality improvement collaborative and research on Tranquil VR for reducing healthcare worker stress during the pandemic. She mentors health professional students and collaborates with institutions such as OhioHealth, Case Western Reserve University, and the University of Toledo. Her future research aims to assess the long-term sustainability of empathy gains from cine-VR and expand its application to areas such as hypoglycemia recognition, elder abuse, and maternal health.
She is actively involved in interdisciplinary teams, including the Cardi-OH statewide cardiovascular health collaborative, and leads efforts to translate research into improved clinical practices for diabetes and chronic disease management in rural and underserved communities.
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