Background

Dr. Felder received her BA in sociology, from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC in 2001. She received her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, with specializations in social policy and evaluation (practice method concentration) and community and social systems (practice area concentration) in 2002.  In 2010, she graduated with a PhD in behavioral sciences, with minors in epidemiology and health policy, from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health. After receiving her PhD, Dr. Felder was a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of South Carolina (2010-2023), jointly affiliated with the Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Outcomes Sciences in the College of Pharmacy, and the Cancer Prevention and Control Program of the Arnold School of Public Health.  She is a proud first-generation college graduate and a native of South Carolina.

Research

Dr. Felder is committed to conducting research that promotes health equity among minoritized populations. 

Areas of interest:
Community-engagement, mixed methods, Black women’s health, racial and socioeconomic disparities, health equity, social and structural drivers of health, breastfeeding and breast cancer prevention and survivorship, mentoring and training, workforce diversity 

Teaching

Dr. Felder teaches graduate courses focused on applied research methods and topics related to health equity and social drivers of health. Outside of the classroom, she is also passionate about teaching through student and faculty mentorship.  

Courses designed and/or taught:
NURS 791: Seminar in Clinical Nursing Research 
NURS 818: Social and Structural Determinants of Health
NURS 870: Grant Proposal Development

Dissemination

Dr. Felder has disseminated her research through peer-reviewed publications (see below) and presentations at local, regional, national and international conferences.  She also actively raises awareness and informs the general public about her research and related topics. 

Selected dissemination activities

The Conversation/Yahoo News, Breastfeeding benefits mothers as much as babies, but public health messaging often only tells half of the story

WLTX, News 19, Dr. Tisha Felder and Mocha Mamas Milk making a difference

The Conversation, What kind of support do breat cancer patients want? Food, rides and prayer

Professional Service

Dr. Felder is a member of the American Public Health Association, American Association for Cancer Research, and the South Carolina Cancer Alliance. 

Professional Practice

Dr. Felder is a member of professional organizations and initiatives, including:

• Society for Behavioral Medicine (Special Interest Groups: Women’s Health, Health Equity, Cancer)
• International Society for Research in Human Milk 
• South Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition
• South Carolina Maternal Health Task Force 

Research Studies (Selected)

It Takes a Village: Increasing Capacity for Breast/chest feeding Equity among African Americans. Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) - $241,502 (2023-2025). Project Lead.

Faculty Initiative for Improved Recruitment, Retention, and Experience (FIIRRE). National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute - $13,193,466 (2022-2027). Multiple Principal Investigator.

Recruiting and retaining Black pregnant women to evaluate postpartum breastfeeding outcomes: A prospective feasibility study (“Follow Me” Study). USC Prisma-Transformative Research Seed Grant - $19,915 (2022-ongoing). Principal Investigator.

Racial and Rural Disparities among Early-onset Breast Cancer Survivors. University of South Carolina – ASPIRE. $99,978 (2021- ongoing). Co-Principal Investigator. 

Improving Adherence to Adjuvant Hormonal Therapy among Disadvantaged Breast Cancer Survivors. National Institutes of Health. National Cancer Institute. $630,827 (2015-2022). Principal Investigator.  

Publications (selected)

A complete listing of all published manuscripts.

Felder TM, Braun K, Brandt HM, Khan S, Tanjasiri S, Friedman DB, Armstead CA, Okuyemi KS, Hebert JR. Mentoring and training of cancer-related health disparities researchers committed to community-based participatory research. Progress in Community Health Partnerships, 2015; 9 Suppl: 97-108.

Felder TM, Bennett CL. Can patients “afford” to be adherent to expensive oral cancer drugs? unintended consequences of pharmaceutical development. Journal of Oncology Practice, 2013 Nov; 9 (6s): 64s-66s.

Palmer N, Geiger A, Felder T, Case D, Lu L, Weaver K. Racial/ethnic disparities in health care receipt among male cancer survivors. American Journal of Public Health, 2013 Jul;103(7):1306-13.

Friedman DB, Young VM, Freedman DA, Adams SA, Brandt HM, Xirasagar S, Felder TM, Ureda JR, Hurley T, Khang L†, Campbell D†, Hébert JR. Reducing cancer disparities through innovative partnerships: A collaboration of the South Carolina cancer prevention and control research network and federally qualified health centers.  Journal of Cancer Education. 2012 Mar;27(1):59-61. PMCID: PMC3272325

Felder TM, Palmer NR, Lal LS, Mullen PD. What is the evidence for pharmaceutical patient assistance programs? A systematic review. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 2011 Feb;22(1):24-48. PMCID: PMC3065996.

Finnie RK, Kneuper S, Felder TM, Mullen PD.  Beyond reading level: a systematic review of the suitability of cancer education print and web-based materials. Journal of Cancer Education. 2010 Dec; 25(4): 497-505. PMCID: PMC2933274.

Fowler T*, Steakley C, Garcia AR, Kwok J, Bennett LM.  Reducing disparities in the burden of cancer: the role of patient navigators. Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine. 2006;3(7): e193.. PMCID: PMC1489186.

*Maiden name