The Center for Health and Human Services
Staff
Cynthia Chafin, Ph.D., MCHES®,NBC-HWC
Director
615-898-5493
cynthia.chafin@mtsu.edu
Dr. Chafin has served as CHHS Director and Interim Director since October 2015. She has been with the center as a project director since 2002. Dr. Chafin received her doctoral degree from MTSU Department of Health and Human Performance with a specialization in health. She has a Master of Education in health promotion and education from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Middle Tennessee State University. She was part of the first national cohort to receive advanced-level certification as a master certified health educator from the National Commission on Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC). Dr. Chafin has a lengthy history in public health having worked for and with the state health department along with multiple local, state, and national non-profit and community-based organizations as a volunteer, project director, and consultant. She has been awarded the Health Educator of the Year award from the Tennessee Public Health Association and received the inaugural Eloise Q. Hatmaker Distinguished Service Award from the Rural Health Association for her public health work in rural Tennessee communities. She recently was recognized in the Spring 2023 MTSU Research Magazine as one of seven members of the $5.0 Million Club for receiving externally funded awards totaling over $5.0 million over her career at MTSU as CHHS Director.
Dr. Chafin’s interest and experience in public health is broad, though specific areas of interest and experience include substance use and misuse, mental health, healthy lifestyles and chronic disease prevention, cancer control and prevention as well as cancer survivorship. She is interested in health and wellness coaching as a strategy for addressing individual and population health and completed the Vanderbilt Health Coaching Program as is now certified as a National Board of Health and Wellness Coach. Some of the work she is currently involved in includes research and projects focusing on substance use and misuse (including opioid use disorder), mental health, and diabetes and obesity prevention. She provides oversight to multiple other current CHHS projects as director of the center. She managed the Tennessee Comprehensive Cancer Control project from 2004-2016 and was instrumental in the development of 3 state cancer plans and implementing 12 state cancer Summits as part of that project. She has co-founded internship programs for three organizations and has served as a mentor and supervisor to more than 70 students as of fall 2024 and is a frequent guest lecturer on the MTSU campus. She along with colleagues founded the MTSU Office of Prevention Science and Recovery in 2023. She is active in multiple public health and community services activities. Her projects have received numerous national and state awards and recognition.
Sarah Gwinn
Pre-Award Grant Coordinator
615-494-8986
sarah.gwinn@mtsu.edu
Ms. Gwinn has served as the Grant and Program Coordinator since March of 2018, transitioning in late 2022 into the Pre-Award Grant Specialist role. She came to MTSU with a background in grant writing, grant management, and fundraising from the local nonprofit community. Ms. Gwinn has earned a Revenue Development Certificate from the Center for Nonprofit Management, holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from East Tennessee State University, and is currently working to complete her master’s in Public Administration with a city management concentration from ETSU.
Ms. Gwinn’s interest in public health is rooted in her background addressing the unique needs and barriers to food security, health care access, and housing issues that individuals living in poverty face daily. The activities of the Center for Health and Human Services are a natural extension of her interests, allowing for state-wide impact, education, and systems change in Tennessee’s public health outreach.
Ron Cail, MHA
Post-Award Grant Coordinator
615-898-2196
ron.cail@mtsu.edu
Mr. Cail serves as the Post-Award Grant Coordinator since April 2024 when he joined CHHS. He came to MTSU with a Master’s in Healthcare Administration from Washington University in St Louis and a Bachelor’s in Science with an emphasis in Secondary Education from Memphis State University. Mr Cail is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a Certification in Supply Chain Management. He served as Senior Department Administrator for the Department of Tropical Medicine at the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine involved in extensive grant contract work and international administrative work establishing foreign bases for malaria research as well as leadership roles in various academic healthcare institutions throughout his career. He has served on several national and state Boards promoting leadership in supply chain finance and management. Mr Cail’s interest in public health is centered on the country’s opioid and drug addiction epidemic as well as support and funding for the homeless population.
Michelle Sterlingshires
Project Evaluator and Technical Writer
615-494-8685
michelle.sterlingshires@mtsu.edu
Michelle is trying her best and appreciates your patience.
Christina Byrd, MPH, CHES®
Program Coordinator
615-574-8634
christina.byrd@mtsu.edu
Ms. Byrd began her journey with CHHS as an intern in January 2017 while completing her undergraduate degree in Community and Public Health. After graduating, she joined the team as a part-time Special Project Coordinator and has since advanced to the role of Senior Program Coordinator as of December 2021.
A proud alumna of MTSU, Ms. Byrd earned her Bachelor of Science degree and a graduate degree in Public Health in December 2020. She also became a certified Health Education Specialist through the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC) in 2018.
In her current role, Ms. Byrd manages and implements three large-scale grants, including two funded by the Tennessee Department of Health and one by the Health Resources and Services Administration, totaling over $4 million. She launched the Blue Raiders Drink Up program in August 2019, a three-year initiative aimed at combating diabetes and obesity among over 22,000 students by promoting healthier beverage choices. The program has educated more than 3,900 MTSU students, leading to a second round of funding for an additional three years, amounting to approximately $900,000.
Over the past seven years, Ms. Byrd has coordinated seven programs funded by the Centers for Disease Control and the Tennessee Department of Health, focusing on critical health topics such as diabetes, obesity, opioid misuse, smoking cessation, and nutrition. Her efforts have garnered over $5.5 million in funding, significantly impacting public health education and prevention.
In addition to her program management, Ms. Byrd has supervised multiple student interns and project assistants. She often lectures at MTSU to various Health and Human Performance classes and Meharry Medical College School of Dentistry on the Smile SMART curriculum for the past seven years. Her interests in public health are diverse, with a particular focus on healthy lifestyles, chronic disease prevention, and exercise science.
As of September 2024, Ms. Byrd is also pursuing her certification in personal training and nutrition coaching, further enhancing her commitment to promoting health and wellness.
Vacant
Project Coordinator – Mental Health First Aid (SAMHSA)
Jill Thomas
Senior Project Coordinator-Office of Prevention Science and Recovery HUSTLE Respite Housing & Infrastructure Projects
jill.thomas@mtsu.edu
Jill rejoined the CHHS team in January 2021 but is no stranger to the Center as she served as a project coordinator on numerous projects from 2007 – 2013. During her time away from the Center, she was an elementary school educator as well as a full-time professor in the MTSU’s College of Education. Jill received her Master’s degree in Elementary Education from MTSU and her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Biology from the University of Minnesota. Her experience in the Tennessee public schools as well as her work as a professor in the School of Education will be a valuable addition to the Center.
Gabiral Cathey
Senior Project Coordinator – Office of Prevention Science and Recovery Statewide Projects
gabiral.cathey@mtsu.edu.
Gabiral Cathey is a Rutherford County native that continues to pour her love into the community she has grown up in. Gabiral received her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from MTSUs Department of Health and Human Performance in 2020. After graduating during the height of COVID, she took a role with the Prevention Coalition for Success (PC4S) as a Prevention Specialist in September 2021. Since starting her time with PC4S, she has obtained her Certified Prevention Specialist Certification, graduated from the Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America’s (CADCA) National Coalition Academy, and was in the first graduating class of the Prevention Alliance of Tennessee’s (PAT) Coalition Business Academy. During this time, she has also assisted with growing the PC4S Youth Coalition, #teens4success, planning the inaugural Teen Wellness Fest, and participating in the Tennessee Teen Institute. Gabiral is also a local Rutherford County tnAchieves mentor that helps high school seniors navigate enrollment for their post-secondary education. In a part time capacity, she works for the Cannon County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition providing technical assistance and growing their youth group by working with their school sponsors and county health educators. Outside of work, Gabiral is planning a wedding and building a house while finding the time to spend with her 4 dogs.
Other Staff and Support
The center employs experienced and qualified personnel for programs, projects, and research facilitated through the center, including staff located remotely who allow the center to serve all areas of Tennessee through its work. A student internship program allows the center to provide learning opportunities and practical experience for students while supporting the work of the center. The center also collaborates with faculty from multiple departments and disciplines to assist with research, evaluation, and other needs vital to successful completion of grant-funded activities of the center.
The center reports to and has the full support of the Vice Provost for Research & Dean of the College of Graduate Studies as well as the support and involvement of the many faculty and staff on campus involved with its grants and projects.
