Stanysha Lowery is a master’s student in the Department of Population Health Sciences. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology with a minor in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Stanysha’s research focuses on understanding and addressing the social drivers of health, particularly how the built environment and food insecurity contribute to adverse health outcomes among socially and economically disadvantaged populations.
During her undergraduate studies, Stanysha gained valuable experience through various roles, including positions with the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA), the UNC Greensboro Center for Housing and Community Studies, and the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency. In these roles, she worked directly with communities to identify and address challenges related to vaccination access, healthcare disparities, and inadequate living conditions. She utilized both qualitative and quantitative research methods to develop solutions that aimed to improve the daily lives of those most impacted by these issues.
As a graduate student, Stanysha has continued her dedication to health improvement by serving as a graduate assistant at the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where she contributed to randomized controlled trials exploring the use of Battlefield Acupuncture therapies to manage pain among veterans. Her work on this project led to her becoming the first author of a manuscript analyzing the implementation outcomes of these therapies. Additionally, Stanysha has strengthened her analytical skills through an internship at Datashare, where she assisted in using Truveta, a healthcare analytics platform, to analyze patterns of nonadherence to anti-obesity medications.
Currently, Stanysha is a NC Medicaid Fellow with the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, within the Division of Health Benefits. In this role, she monitors, analyzes, and presents key data related to the evaluation of tailored care management plans. Stanysha is deeply committed to addressing health disparities and improving access to quality healthcare services, with a particular focus on historically marginalized populations.