Editors

Editor-in-Chief

Randy Wykoff, MD, MPH & TM

Randy Wykoff is Founding Dean of the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University, in Johnson City, Tennessee. Trained as a physician (Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics), he now focuses on the public health challenges facing rural and other resource-limited settings. He received his dual MD–MPH &TM from Tulane in 1981. From 1999 to 2002, Dr. Wykoff served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) for the United States Department of Health and Human Services, which included a stint as Acting Executive Director for the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (2001). He has also held positions within the US Food and Drug Administration and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. More recently, Dr. Wykoff served as Co-Editor (alongside the late Dr. F. Douglas Scutchfield) of Appalachian Health: Culture, Challenges, and Capacity (2022), published by the University Press of Kentucky to highlight long-term trends affecting the health and well-being of the people of Appalachia.

Dr. Wykoff has no competing editorial or research interests regarding his role as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Appalachian Health.

Senior Associate Editor

Matthew Fifolt, PhD

Matthew Fifolt is a Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Organization in the School of Public Health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He also serves as Director of the Survey Research Unit and Senior Evaluator for the Applied Evaluation and Assessment Collaborative. Dr. Fifolt is the Principal Investigator on multiple state and federal grants and cooperative agreements, with a strong emphasis on initiatives designed to address the needs of under-resourced populations.

Dr. Fifolt has no competing editorial or research interests regarding his role as Senior Associate Editor of the Journal of Appalachian Health.

Statistics Editor

Mildred Maisonet, PhD

Mildred Maisonet is an Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health. She earned a Master of Science in Epidemiology from the University of Puerto Rico School of Public Health and a PhD in Epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Dr. Maisonet’s research focuses on environmental and community-based epidemiology, integrating exposure assessment, community engagement, and applied analytic methods to address public health challenges in underserved populations, particularly rural and Hispanic communities. She has contributed to research on environmental exposures, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals, as well as community-based studies of population health outcomes. In addition, she is actively engaged in teaching and curriculum development across undergraduate, MPH, and doctoral programs and collaborates with the Tennessee Department of Health and community partners to support practice-based research and training aligned with regional public health priorities.

Dr. Maisonet has no competing editorial or research interests regarding her role on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Appalachian Health.

Managing Editor

Emily Wilson

Emily is an editor and former English composition instructor. She holds a deep love for and personal connection to the Appalachian Region, as well as the people who reside within it. Their interest in public health is part and parcel of her investment in the wellbeing and uplifting of Appalachia’s voices. Her particular areas of interest include women's health, LGBTQ+ healthcare, rural healthcare equity, and transgender advocacy.

Emily received their Master of the Arts in English Literature from East Tennessee State University in May 2024. There, she served as one of two executive editors of ETSU’s creative writing magazine, The Mockingbird, and used her platform as editor to amplify LGBTQ+ voices on campus.

Ms. Wilson has no competing editorial or research interests regarding her role as managing editor of the Journal of Appalachian Health.