Qualitative Research

 

 

Lee worked as a research associate for Public Health Management Corporation in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 9 1/2 years.  During his tenure with the organization, he worked on several research studies, collecting and analyzing qualitative research data.  Over that time, Lee became proficient in conducting focus groups and individual interviews with research participants for both formative and evaluative aspects of the studies he worked on.  His background as a therapist has been instrumental in making him effective at developing semi-structured inteview guides and conducting in depth interviews.

 

Studies Lee worked on include:

 

Project RISE (Reclaiming Inner Strength EveryDay)

RISE was an individual level HIV prevention intervention developed for behaviorally bisexual Black men which was funded by the Centers for Disease Control.  The theoretical underpinnings for the intervention are Social Cognitive Theory, Stress & Coping Theory and includes elements of life coaching and Ecosystems Perspective.  Lee was the lead curriculum developer for this study and was instrumental in forming and soliciting feedback from the community advisory board convened for this study.  Lee was also the lead counselor on the study and supervised the other counseiors, including conducting quality assurance reviews to ensure fidelity to the curriculum.

 

Black Men in HD

This was a study funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to culturally tailor guides for Black men created by the agency to help a general population of persons living with hyperstension and diabetes manage their conditions more effectively.  On this study Lee was instrumental in developing the semi-structured interview guides at all phases of the study, including formative and evaluative stages.  He was also the lead facilitator of all focus groups conducted on behalf of the study.  These focus groups were with Black men who had a diabates and/or hypertension diagnosis to solicit information from them to help tailor the guides to be culturally relevant for Black men.

 

Transgender Health & Wellness Needs Assessment- Philadelphia

Lee spearheaded this needs assessment with the assistance of a community advisory board to gain a better understanding of the health and wellness needs of transgender populations in the city of Philadelphia.  This was a small study funded by a Commonwealth Universal Researcch Enhancement (CURE) grant.  In this mixed methods study, Lee worked with stakeholders in the community to develop a quantitative survey instrument as well as a semi-structured interview guide.  With the assistance of advisory board members and community based organizations, the study was successfully executed.  Before the recommendations based on the study findings were solidified, a town hall meeting open to the community was conducted to share the findings and solicit final feedback before solidifying the report.  The final report was released in 2008.