College of Public Health - Center for Health Outcomes, Policy and Evaluation Studies (HOPES)

Senior Research Staff

Allard E. Dembe, ScD
Director, Center for HOPES
174 W. 18th Ave.
5042 Smith Labs
Columbus OH 43210
Phone: 614-292-2129
Fax: (614) 292-3572
Send me an email

Dr. Allard E. Dembe - Chair and Associate Professor, Division of Health Services Management and Policy, College of Public Health - specializes in health care policy and management, health services research, outcomes evaluation, occupational health, and social aspects of health. Dr. Dembe comes to us from the University of Massachusetts Medical School where he was an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health and senior research scientist at the UMass Center for Health Policy and Research. He has held adjunct appointments at several institutions including Harvard University, McGill University, and Northeastern University. Dr. Dembe served as deputy director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Workers' Compensation Health Initiative and co-directed the doctoral and postdoctoral degree programs in Occupational Health Services Research at the Harvard University School of Public Health.

Jamie Partridge, PhD
Research Specialist, Center for HOPES
College of Public Health
174 W. 18th Ave.
5049 Smith Labs
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-2383
Send me an email

Dr. Partridge has a Ph.D. in Bioresource Policy, Business, & Economics, an MBA in Operations Management and Finance from Indiana University, and a BA in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Partridge has served as an adjunct assistant professor teaching Principles of Agribusiness Management at The Ohio State University, and has taught economics, management and statistics courses at other universities. She has published extensively on economics, trade, health services and policy issues.

Lauren Phelps, MPA
Research Specialist, Center for HOPES
College of Public Health
174 W. 18th Ave.
5036 Smith Labs
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-3609
Send me an email

Lauren Phelps holds a Master of Public Administration degree from Ohio State and a BA in Political Science from Ohio Wesleyan University. She has over 8 years of experience with the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, including 5 years in the area of Inter-Agency Policy Special Projects, and she was responsible for disability policy development. She has also served as Government Programs Manager for UPMC Health System and as Government Program Administrator for United HealthCare of Ohio.

Cynthia Sieck, PhD
Reasearch Specialist, Center for HOPES
College of Public Health
174 W. 18th Ave.
5036 Smith Labs
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-3609
Send me an email

Cindy Sieck has served as a research specialist in the Center for HOPES since July 2007. Having earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in Health Behavior and Health Education, her research interests include program evaluation, individual health interventions, substance abuse prevention, and worksite wellness. In addition to her role as Research Specialist in the Center for HOPES, Dr. Sieck currently serves as a Research Director and Assistant Professor at Wright State University within the School of Professional Psychology.

Carol Smathers, MS
Manager, Center for HOPES
College of Public Health
174 W. 18th Ave.
5051 Smith Labs
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 247-4245
Send me an email

Carol Smathers serves as the first full time administrative manager for the Center for HOPES. Smathers received her MPH from The Ohio State University in June 2009. She also holds a Master of Science degree in Education with a Community Health emphasis from Western Oregon University. Smathers has previously coordinated public health programs and grant-sponsored research projects, taught health education in public and alternative schools, and served as the Executive Director of a community non-profit organization.

Kenneth Steinman, PhD, MPH
Research Specialist, Center for HOPES
College of Public Health
174 W. 18th Ave.
3184 Smith Labs
Columbus, OH 43210
Phone: (614) 292-3158
Send me an email

Barry Jamieson, MA
Research Specialist, Center for HOPES
College of Public Health
Ohio Colleges of Medicine Government Resource Center
Phone: (614) 366-0329
Send me an email