joan r. griffith, MD, mha, mph.
Joan R. Griffith, MD, MHA, MPH. Associate Professor
of Pediatrics and Chief, Division of General Academic Pediatrics.
Dr. Griffith received her MD degree from the University of
Cincinnati College of Medicine in 1978, and carried out her
Pediatrics residency in Tulane University, New Orleans. More recently, she
was selected for the Commonwealth Fund/Harvard University Fellowship in
Minority Health Policy and received her Masters in Public Health, concentrating
in Health Policy Management, in June 2007. She joined the University
of Todelo College of Medicine in November 2007 as Associate
Professor in Pediatrics.
Dr. Griffith served in the United States Air Force for 21 years,
performing an array of duties including serving as Chief of
the Medical Staff for a Health Maintenance Organization with over
300 military and civilian personnel; Executive Director for a Health
Maintenance Organization integrating military and civilian health care
resources with a budget of $2.7 million; Chief of Pediatrics, Interim Director
of Outpatient Services; Director of Adolescent Medicine and Coordinator for
Quality Improvement/Risk Management. She retired in the rank
of colonel.
In November 2002, she joined the Division of General Pediatrics
at the University of Kentucky as Assistant Professor of Pediatrics.
She was also adjunct faculty in the Graduate Center for Nutritional
Sciences where she provided direct and supervisory patient
care, taught residents and medical students in both inpatient and outpatient
pediatric settings. Dr. Griffith served as the Medical Director
for the Pediatric Exercise Physiology Laboratory and Director
of the U.K. pediatric weight management clinic, TEAMS (Teens Enjoying
Active Management Systems). She was also an active member of BIRSCH (Build
Interdisciplinary Reach Careers in Women’s Health).
Dr. Griffith has published more than 7 peer-reviewed articles
and served as reviewer of several books on weight management
in children. She is a frequent guest speaker and circuit lecturer on
adolescent and pediatric health care issues. She is also involved in active
research in the area of pediatric overweight. She was selected
as one of America’s Top Pediatricians 2005-2006 and Marquis
Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare 2006-2007.
Dr. Griffith has recently received a community access for child
health (CATCH) planning grant from the American Academy of
Pediatrics to assess the status of adolescent health in the
Toledo-Lucas county area.