Author | Contributor

Curriculum Vitae
Academic Version, January, 2014
Reginald Finger, MD, MPH

SUMMARY:

I bring twenty-eight years of professional experience in public health leadership, clinical and statistical research, public health policy development, consulting, writing, and public speaking.  I have worked in environments including state and local health departments, a large non-profit ministry, as an independent consultant, researcher, and lecturer, and now as a faculty member of a large Christian university.  My experience and interests in Christian higher education also extend to recruiting and mentoring students, raising funds, conducting alumni and church relations business, giving guest academic lectures, organizing special events, and connecting Christian universities to Christian physicians and medical organizations.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

INDIANA WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY, Marion, IN, July 2013 - present

Serve as Assistant Professor and Academic Coordinator for Clinical Education, Master of Public Health Program, School of Health Sciences.

• Teach biostatistics, epidemiology, and research methods for the MPH program and for the School of Nursing.
• Co-ordinate clinical placements for graduate students in public health and related agencies.
• Work with faculty team to build overall School of Health Sciences programs.

INDEPENDENT MEDICAL RESEARCHER, Colorado Springs, CO 2006 – 2013

Conducted medical, public health, legal, and bioethical research, wrote and edited for publication, on independent contracts

• National Embryo Donation Center (Oct 2006 – Aug 2013)
  • Served as information source on all matters related to embryo donation and adoption for professionals and the general public
  • Gave lectures to medical and academic audiences about embryo donation and adoption
  • Designed, conducted, and published research studies about embryo donation and adoption
• American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists – analyzed literature studies in consulting role (May – Oct 2009)
• Discovery Health Network – edited medical content on the web for the general public (Aug 2006 – Mar 2007)
• Christian Medical and Dental Associations – researched and wrote for publication on human trafficking (Mar – July 2007)
• Teen-Aid, Inc. – reviewed sexuality education curricula (Aug 2007)
• Planning 2.0 – researched HPV doses administered data (Oct 2008 – Jan 2009)

FOCUS ON THE FAMILY, Colorado Springs, CO 2001 - 2005

Medical Issues Analyst. Conducted special research projects and provided scientific and public health policy consultation to ministry leadership, other community agencies and constituencies, and the general public.

• Conducted research demonstrating that teens abstaining from sex until adulthood derived measurable gains in educational, economic, and marital stability over 20 years later. Published results in professional journal.
• Conducted survey of student life leaders in 10 Christian colleges showing mixed track record of success in helping students hold to sexual lifestyle standards as espoused by the colleges. Gave feedback to participants.
• Reviewed scientific research representing both sides of the abortion / breast cancer debate. Prepared policy options for Focus on the Family. Prepared and presented issues to national Physicians Resource Council in November 2005.
• Conducted detailed review of declining global birth rates. Wrote two policy papers from this review and published them on-line.
• Conducted cost analysis of abortion, evaluating overall and public-sector costs due to lives lost to abortion, offset by savings resulting from not having to raise and educate the children. Published results on-line.

ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 2003 - 2006

Voting member (part-time responsibility).

• Chaired meningococcal meningitis work group, co-led process that resulted in universal recommendation for use of new meningitis vaccine in teens.
• Participated in work group and / or full committee debates and votes on influenza, hepatitis B, pertussis, varicella, and other vaccines.
• Participated in national policy process surrounding cost-effectiveness of vaccine programs.

EL PASO COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT, Colorado Springs, CO 1998 – 2000

Director, Preventive Medicine, 1999-2000.

• Directed five countywide public health programs including immunizations and public health laboratory.
• Investigated outbreaks, participated in bioterrorism preparedness campaign.

Research Epidemiologist, 1998-1999.

• Conducted countywide health assessment, published in department monograph and on-line.
• Led effort to evaluate and develop strategies to prevent domestic and drug-related violence in County.

RESOURCE EXCHANGE INTERATIONAL, Colorado Springs, CO 1997-1998

Research assistant (half-time volunteer assignment).

• Conducted research project in cooperation with Children’s Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, demonstrating that rapid streptococcal screening worked in that environment and could better target antibiotic use in clinic.  Published results in international professional journal.

KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT FOR PUBLIC HEALTH, Frankfort, KY 1985-1997

State epidemiologist, 1989 – 1997.

• Directed 13 statewide public health programs with up to 80 staff and annual budget of $34 million.
• Led state government’s response to the HIV / AIDS epidemic.
• Implemented new Vaccines for Children program at the state level.
• Oversaw establishment of new Community Health Education and Breast / Cervical Cancer Detection programs.
• Directed investigation of about 12 disease outbreaks per year.
• Supervised three Epidemic Intelligence Service officers assigned from CDC.
• Represented Kentucky in national public health conferences.
• Served as lead consultant on immunizations to CDC, representing all state / territorial health departments nationally.

Communicable Disease Branch Manager, 1985 - 1989.  Led TB, STD, Immunization, outbreak investigation, and communicable disease surveillance programs at the state level.

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING and EDUCATION:

Preventive Medicine Residency, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 1984-1985
Flexible Internship, Ball Memorial Hospital, Muncie, IN 1983-1984
Master of Public Health, Epidemiology, University of Washington 1983
Doctor of Medicine, University of Washington 1981
Bachelor of Arts, Mathematics, Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, ID 1976

BOARD CERTIFICATION:

American Board of Preventive Medicine, 1987 (permanent)

PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS:

Christian Medical and Dental Associations (since 2003)

PUBLICATIONS:

1) Keenan JA, Gissler M, Finger R.  Assisted Reproduction Using Donated Embryos: Outcomes from Surveillance Systems in Six Countries.  Hum Reprod 2012; 27:747-52.

2) Finger R, Qi Y, Fabian M, Keenan JA, Stoddart R.  Experiences of Families Inquiring About Donating or Adopting Embryos: Results of an On-Line Survey.  Adoption Quarterly 2012; 15:57-66

3) Finger RF, Sommerfelt C, Freeman M, Wilson CK, Wade A, Daly D.  Embryo Donation is Cost-Effective Compared to Oocyte Donation.  Fertil Steril 2010; 93: 379-81

4) Keenan JA, Sommerfelt C, Finger R.  Birth of Twins Unrelated to Each Other or to Their Gestational Mother.  Reprod Biomed Online 2009; 19 (supp 1):27-28

5) Keenan J, Finger R.  The Impact of Single Embryo Transfer on Embryo Donation. In Gerris J, Adamson D, Racowsky C, De Sutter R, eds. Single Embryo Transfer, Cambridge Press, 2009, pp. 139-41.

6) Barrows J, Finger R.  Human Trafficking and the Healthcare Professional. South Med J 2008; 101:521-4.

7) Keenan J, Finger R, Check JH, Dodds W, Daly D, Stoddart R.  Favorable Pregnancy, Delivery, and Implantation Rates Experienced in Embryo Donation Programs in the United States. Fertil Steril 2008; 90:1077-80.

8) Finger RF, Shoemaker J.  Preventing Pertussis in Infants by Vaccinating Adults (editorial). Am Fam Physician 2006; 74(3):382.

9) Finger RF, Thelen T, Vessey JT, Mohn JK, Mann JR.  Association of virginity at age 18 with educational, economic, social, and health outcomes in middle adulthood. Adolesc Fam Health 2005; 3(4):164-170

10) Mohn JK, Tingle LR, Finger RF.   An analysis of the causes of the decline in non-marital birth and pregnancy rates for teens from 1991 to 1995. Adolesc Fam Health 2003;3(1):39-47

11) Mainous AG 3rd, Hueston WJ, Love MM, Evans ME, Finger R.  An evaluation of statewide strategies to reduce antibiotic overuse. Fam Med 2000 Jan;32(1):22-9.

12) Finger R, Ho SH, Ngo TT, Ritchie CD, Nguyen TN.  Rapid streptococcal testing in Vietnamese children with pharyngitis. Asia Pac J Public Health. 1999;11(1):26-9.

13) Prevots DR, Watson JC, Redd SC, Atkinson WA, Burks-Weathers L, Snyder S, Wainscott B, Finger R.  Re: "Outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations: implications for studies of vaccine performance". Am J Epidemiol 1997 Nov 15;146(10):881-2.

14) Evans ME, Finger R.  Current recommendations for empiric therapy for tuberculosis.
J Ky Med Assoc 1997 Jul;95(7):290.

15) Finger R, Auslander MB.  Results of a search for missed cases of reportable communicable diseases using hospital discharge data. J Ky Med Assoc 1997 Jun;95(6):237-9.

16) Duchin JS, Breiman RF, Diamond A, Lipman HB, Block SL, Hedrick JA, Finger R, Elliott JA.  High prevalence of multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae among children in a rural Kentucky community. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1995 Sep;14(9):745-50.

17) Mohle-Boetani JC, Stapleton M, Finger R, Bean NH, Poundstone J, Blake PA, Griffin PM.  Communitywide shigellosis: control of an outbreak and risk factors in child day-care centers. Am J Public Health 1995 Jun;85(6):812-6.

18) Meade BJ, Finger RF, Sosin DM.  Incidence of Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Kentucky. Relationship to immunization, 1988 through 1993. J Ky Med Assoc 1994 Dec;92(12):490-5.

19) Finger R, Hughes JP, Meade BJ, Pelletier AR, Palmer CT.  Age-specific incidence of chickenpox. Public Health Rep 1994 Nov-Dec;109(6):750-5.

20) Hughes JP, Stapleton MP, Finger RF.  Cigarette smoking in Kentucky: progress toward year 2000 objectives and reduction of smoking-attributable mortality. South Med J 1994 Jul;87(7):696-701.

21) Leach RC, Finger R, Palmer CT.  Newborn immunizations. J Ky Med Assoc 1993 Oct;91(10):471.

22) Stapleton M, Adams K, Finger R.  Survival of persons with AIDS in Kentucky. J Ky Med Assoc 1992 Nov;90(11):548-54.

23) Pelletier AR, Finger RF, Sosin DM.  Shigellosis in Kentucky, 1986 through 1989. South Med J 1991 Jul;84(7):818-21.

24) Pelletier AR, Finger RF, Sosin DM.  The epidemiology of Lyme disease in Kentucky, 1985-1990. J Ky Med Assoc 1991 Jun;89(6):266-9.

25) Finger R, Palmer CT.  Sexually transmitted disease reporting. J Ky Med Assoc 1991 Apr;89(4):185.

26) Finger R, Anderson LJ, Dicker RC, Harrison B, Doan R, Downing A, Corey L.  Epidemic infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus in institutionalized young adults. J Infect Dis 1987 Jun;155(6):1335-9.

27) Harris JR, Finger RF, Kobayashi JM, Hadler SC, Murphy BL, Berkelman RL, Bussell KE.  The low risk of hepatitis B in rural hospitals. Results of a seroepidemiologic survey.
JAMA 1984 Dec 21;252(23):3270-2.