• E.mail: tonya.thornton@ssrc.msstate.edu
• Phone: (662) 325-7033
• Fax: (662) 325-7966

Curriculum Vitae                    

Tonya is a Project Coordinator at the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) of Mississippi State University (MSU), where she works closely with the Director of the Center, Dr. Arthur G. Cosby, on various research projects.  Tonya’s current research portfolio includes working as a Co-PI on The National Highway Watch Analysis and Improvement Program and researcher on Healthy and Unhealthy Places.  Some of her past projects include working as an internal program evaluator for The Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Geographic Minority Health, researcher and data manager on An Assessment of Cardiovascular Disease in the Mississippi Delta, and data manager for both An Assessment of Cardiovascular Health in Mississippi and The Southern Pain Prevalence Study.  For the past several years, Tonya has also coordinated a foreign exchange program with the University of Catania in Italy, and, more recently, with the University of Zagreb in Croatia.

Tonya is also pursuing a Doctorate in Public Policy and Administration from Mississippi State University, where she also holds Master’s Degree in Public Policy and Administration and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science with a minor in Geosciences.  Some of her university honors include being named as the Mississippi State University’s 2006 Outstanding Graduate Woman and the Department of Political Science and Public Administration’s Outstanding Graduate Student.  Tonya’s honor societies include, Pi Alpha, Alpha and Pi Sigma Alpha, and she is a current member of the American Society of Public Administrators and the Academy of Political Science.

Recent Publications

2008     Neaves TT, Feierabend N, Butts CC, and Weiskopf W.  “A Portrait of the Delta:  Enduring Hope and Despair.”  Journal of Health and Human Services Administration.  Accepted; anticipated publishing date is this summer.

2008.    Cosby AG, Neaves TT, Cossman RE, Cossman JS, James WL, Feierabend N, Mirvis DM, Jones AC, Farrigan T.  “Preliminary Evidence for an Emerging Non-Metropolitan Mortality Penalty in the Unites States.”  American Journal of Public Health.  Accepted; anticipated publishing date is summer.   

2007.    Hitt HC, McMillen RC, Thornton-Neaves T, Koch K, and Cosby AG.  Article.  “Co-morbidity of obesity and pain in a general population: Results from the Southern Pain Prevalence Study.”  The Journal of Pain.  Vol. 8, No. 5:  430-436.

2006.    Cosby AG, Brown L, Taylor H, Thornton-Neaves, T Hutchins L, McMillen RC, and W James.  Manuscript.  “Racial Disparities in the Cardiovascular Health of Mississippians:  A Focus on Racial Disparities in Mortality, Behavioral Risk Factors, and Knowledge.”  A technical report of the Social Science Research Center, Mississippi State University, MS.

Recent Grants

2008     The National Highway Watch Analysis and Improvement Program.  Co-Principal Investigator.  Funding Agency:  American Trucking Associations, U.S. Department of Homeland Security  

2006     The Mississippi Institute for Improvement of Evaluation Component.  Project Coordinator and Evaluator.  Funding Agency:  University of Mississippi Medical Center, U.S. Department Health Research Human Services, Office of Minority Health. 

 2005     Assessment of Cardiovascular Disease in the Mississippi Delta as a contracted project through The Program of Applied and Policy Research to Support the Delta Health Initiative.  Project Coordinator and Researcher.  Funding Agency:  Delta Health Alliance, U.S. Department Health Research and Services Administration, Office of Rural Health. 

2005     The Assessment of Cardiovascular Health Disparities in Mississippi.  Data Manager and Researcher.  Funding Agency:  Mississippi State Department of Health. 

2004     The Southern Pain Prevalence Study.  Data Manager and Researcher.  Funding Agency:  American Cancer Society, Mid-South Division.