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Dr. Scharff is a faculty member in the Department of Community Health and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Saint Louis University School of Public Health. She is the practice experience advisor for the behavioral science and health education division. She teaches CMH-592 Community Health Rounds: Integrating Public Health Practice, a course that demonstrates the ways in which the various public health disciplines work together to reduce and prevent disease and health problems. Her research and practice interests include health disparities, cultural competence, equitable access, and workforce preparedness. She regularly collaborates with a number of local community agencies (e.g., the St Louis county and city health departments, American Cancer Society, Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, the St. Louis American, the St. Louis Regional Health Commission, Mid-America Transplant Services, the St. Louis Maternal, Child, and Family Health Coalition) to reduce disparities and increase access. She is the founder of Mother to Mother Telephone Support, a program that provides support to pregnant and postpartum women who are experiencing emotional adjustment disorders. She is a member of the American Public Health Association and the Society for Public Health Education.

Education
PhD - Saint Louis University

Courses

• CMHC-592: Community Health Rounds: Integrating Public Health Practice
• CMH-594: Behavioral Science practice experience

Research Her research interests include health disparities, cultural competence, and equitable access.

Publications

Scharff, DP, Rabin, BA, Cook, RA, Wray, RJ, Brownson, RC. Bridging Research and Practice through Competency-Based Public Health Education. Journal of Public Health Management and Policy. 2008;14(2):126-132.

Scharff, DP, Mathews, K. Working with communities to translate research into practice. Journal of Public Health Management. 2008;14(2):145-149.

Galvin, J, Fu, Q, Nguyen, JT, Glasheen, C, and Scharff, DP. Psychosocial determinants of intention to screen for Alzheimer’s disease: A population-based study. Alzheimer’s Disease and related Disorders. 2007, 3(3) Suppl 1: A1-A8.

Scharff, DP, O’Neall, M. Complementary and Alternative Medicine. In SE Boslaugh (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Epidemiology 2007. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Kurz, RS, Scharff, DP, Terry, T, Alexander, S, Waterman, A. Factors Influencing Organ Donation Decisions by African Americans. A Review of the Literature. Medical Care Research and  Review. 2007;64(5):475-517.

Galvin, J, Scharff, DP, Glasheen, C, Fu, J. Development Of A Population-Based Questionnaire To Explore Psychosocial Determinants Of Screening For Memory Loss And Alzheimer’s Disease. Alzheimer’s Disease and Associated Disorders. 2006;20(3):186-91.

Kreuter, MW, Lukwago, SN, Brennan, LK, Scharff, DP, Wadud, ES. Effectiveness of tailored and non-tailored educational materials to promote nutrition label reading. Health Education. 2002;102(6):271-279.

Scharff, DP, Haughton, L, Adams, B, Williams, C, Parks, S, Anwuri, V, Richard, R. SOPHE’S resolution to Eliminate Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities: Process and Recommendations for Accountability. Health Promotion Practice. 2002;(3)2:313-323.