Fern J Webb, Ph.D.

Fern J. Webb, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville’s department of Surgery. Dr. Webb is one of two co-Directors for the UF Center for Health Equity and Engagement Research, an initiative designed to improve population health and conduct research using a health equity and community engagement framework. Her research includes implementing holistic strategies to improve overall health and quality of life for African-Americans.

Dr. Webb also directs community research engagement programs to increase community awareness on health research. She is currently involved with several federally funded initiatives: CDC-funded telemedicine program for person with HIV (PI: Grewal); NIH NIA-funded JAX-ASCENT (PIs: Anton, Pahor), a translational program designed to learn research and share new knowledge on aging; NIH NCI-funded Florida-California Health Equity Center (PIs: Odedina, Wilkie) designed to eliminate prostate and pancreatic disparities among African American and Latino/Latinx populations in Florida and in California; and the PCORI-funded Patient-Centered Research Collaborative (PI: Bilello) where patients and other key stakeholders are actively involved in the development, conduct and evaluation of health research. She also is the Co-Principal Investigator of the NIA-funded Florida Registry for Aging Studies (PI: Gaillard, FIU), a tri-institutional project designed to examine intergenerational influence among older adults who are African American, Caribbean and/or Hispanic/Latino living throughout Florida. Her published work is on holistic health programs, effective community engagement strategies and patient-centered medical models. Her professional skills include epidemiological designs and methodology, and on community engagement strategies. Along with serving on academic, civic and educational boards and councils designed to improve health outcomes and life quality, she acts as a reviewer for leading academic and scientific journals.