Public & Community Health

Dr. Elizabeth A. Gordon serves as program director and assistant professor in the Department of Public & Community Health at Murray State University. Dr. Gordon is a west Kentucky native and received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology from Murray State in 2008. She also attended the University of Louisville, where she completed her Master’s in Public Health and Doctorate in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology. Dr. Gordon is a certified public health professional with over 10 years of experience in the field. Previously she has worked in administrative positions with both Susan G. Komen and Vanderbilt University Medical Center focused on managing effective operations of cross-disciplinary work through program development and improvement, relationship management and effective communication strategies. In addition to her administrative role at Murray State, Dr. Gordon teaches a variety of courses related to public health including: Introduction to Public Health, Ethics of Healthcare Decision Making, Health Promotion Program Planning, Environmental Health, Health Assessment and Evaluation, Minority Health Disparities, and Senior Seminar. Dr. Gordon is an avid traveler and loves exploring the culture and history of new places. She recently led a study abroad course exploring the history of London and delving into its impacts on modern day health. In her personal time, she enjoys trying new recipes in the kitchen, strolling through the Arboretum, and spending time with her husband, Josh, and daughter, Abigail.

Kimberly Minter-Verge serves as an instructor and internship coordinator in the Department of Public & Community Health at Murray State University. She was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Studies from Middle Tennessee State University in 2011. She also earned a Master’s of Science degree in Health and Human Performance: Public Health Leadership from Austin Peay State University in 2016. Currently she is pursuing a Doctor of Education degree in Assessment, Learning and Student Success: Higher Education from Middle Tennessee State University. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist with 15 years of experience in the field. She has previously served in direct patient care and public health roles focusing on pediatric acute care and epilepsy, long-term care, cancer treatment, nutrition education, diabetes prevention and family and consumer sciences. She teaches courses in: Personal Health, Health Behavior, Health Administration and Management, Healthcare Delivery System, Financial Aspects of Health Service Organizations, Mental Health and Professional Experience in Public and Community Health.

Dr. Azaher Molla, a long-experienced versatile public health expert, and presently an Associate Professor of Public and Community Health in the School of Nursing and Health Professions. Dr. Molla received his PhD from the Oregon State University, MSc in Health Economics from the University of Dhaka, MPH from the Mahidol University, and MD from the Zaporozhye State Medical University. Previously, he worked as a tenured faculty (Associate Professor) in the Institute of Health Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. At Murray State, he teaches graduate and undergraduate courses including Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Healthcare Financing, Healthcare Planning, Healthcare Quality Management, and Research Methods. He has published 17 research articles in peer-reviewed journals, including BMC Health Services Research and BMC International Journal for Equity in Health. His present research includes Determinants of Access to Preventive Healthcare, Financial Hardship of Medicare Patients, and healthcare expenditure and poverty. Dr. Molla is a recipient of Lana Porter Open Access Award from MSU, World Health Scholarship from Tulane University, JICA Scholarship to study MPH in Mahidol University, and Bangladesh Ministry of Education Scholarship to study MD in Ukraine. He is an active member of the International Health Economics Association (iHEA), APHA, KPHA, and the Global Forum for Health Research. Dr. Molla likes to teach quantitative Research Methods and supervise research students at masters and doctoral levels. He also serves as the Editorial Board Member of the Amity Journal of Health Care Management. At leisure time he likes to study ancient history, philosophy, and literature. He enjoys to relax with the classical music.