Meet our Team
Leanne Woods-Burnham, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery, Morehouse School of Medicine (PCP3 Atlanta)
Dr. Leanne Burnham is an assistant professor in the Department of Surgery at MSM in
Atlanta, Georgia. Her team focuses on prostate cancer outcome variations using a translational
approach. Her research evaluates ancestry-associated HER2 expression as it relates
to worse clinical variables and survival outcomes for Black men with prostate cancer.
In addition to bench and preclinical studies, Dr. Burnham has fostered several multidisciplinary
collaborations with clinicians and pharma to conduct translational race-stratified
research studies and clinical trials.
Dr. Burnham co-directs the Prostate Cancer Precision Prevention Program (PCP3) at MSM which leverages community partnerships to provide health education and PSA testing at no cost to at-risk men in metropolitan Atlanta area. In its inaugural 2 years, PCP3 provided PSA testing to over 2000 Black men and provided clinical follow-up. Prior to Atlanta, Dr. Burnham co-directed a community-based prostate cancer screening program in Los Angeles and southern California at City of Hope and Loma Linda University which provided PSA testing at no cost to over 1300 Black men between 2018-2019. Dr. Burnham has dedicated her career to this cause following the early diagnosis of aggressive prostate cancer of her father, a Black man, at age 50.
Pamela Cooper, Director, Translational Community Engagement, Morehouse School of Medicine (PCP3
Atlanta)
Ms. Cooper is a dynamic and experienced leader with over 23 years in community-engaged
research, 26 years in clinical settings, and 17 years in management at Grady Health
and MSM in Atlanta. Adept at bridging the gap between scientific research and community
engagement, with a proven ability to translate research findings into impactful programs
and policies, she is endearingly referred to as “Ms. Atlanta” in the community. She
is skilled in managing multidisciplinary teams, fostering strategic collaborations,
and addressing health outcome variations. Her track record reveals her passion to
leverage community outreach and research initiatives to improve public health and
empower historically marginalized communities.
Rick A. Kittles, Ph.D., SVP for Research, Professor of Community Health & Preventive Medicine, MSM (PCP3
Albany)
Dr. Rick Kittles is the Senior Vice President for Research and Professor of Community
Health and Preventive Medicine at MSM. Over the last 20 years, he has been at the
forefront of prostate cancer research in men of African descent with over 200 publications.
His world-renowned research addresses the complex issues surrounding race, genetic
ancestry, and health outcome variations.
Dr. Kittles co-directs the Prostate Cancer Precision Prevention Program (PCP3) at MSM focusing efforts in rural Georgia in partnership with Phoebe Putney Health. PCP3 has provided PSA testing to over 2000 Black men with clinical follow-up since inception in 2023. Prior to Atlanta, Dr. Kittles co-directed a community-based prostate cancer screening program in Los Angeles and southern California at City of Hope. Dr. Kittles established one of the first successful community-based prostate cancer screening programs in Chicago which provided PSA testing and prostate health education to several thousand men between 2006-2014.
Brian Rivers, Ph.D., Director, Cancer Health Equity Institute, MSM (PCP3 Albany)
Dr. Rivers is nationally and internationally recognized as a leader in health disparities
research and a retired member of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National
Advisory Council on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NACMHD). Dr. Rivers is
an active member in the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) community
and serves in several leadership capacities.
Dr. Rivers is a behavioral scientist with a broad background in implementation science and public health, with specific training and expertise in methodologies commonly used to addressing health disparities. To date, Dr. Rivers has secured more than $30 million in extramural funding through NIH. The goal of Dr. Rivers’ program of research is to contribute to advancing cancer health equity. More specifically, Dr. Rivers’ research portfolio has endeavored to expand the application of population-based intervention science to understand how to address cancer health disparities in clinical and community-based settings, using multi-level approaches, such as medical mobile apps and/or Community Health Workers/Patient Navigators. Dr. Rivers supports Dr. Kittles’ PCP3 efforts in rural Georgia in partnership with Phoebe Putney Health.
Kitty Carter-Wicker, MD, Physician of Record
Kitty Carter-Wicker, MD, affectionately known as "Dr. Kitty" is a proud native Atlantan. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from the University of Georgia. While attending UGA, she worked at Grady Memorial Hospital. She received her Doctor of Medicine degree from Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and completed her residency in Family Medicine.
Following residency, Dr. Kitty joined the Maternal Child Health (MCH) team at MSM. She was recently promoted to Professor of Family Medicine and currently serves as the Medical Director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC) Student Health and Wellness Center (SHWC) and a board member of the Georgia Health Care Workforce. Throughout her tenure at MSM, she has served as Family Medicine Clerkship Director, Medical Director of the Clinical Skills Center, Clinical Skills Scholar for the Family Medicine Clerkship, and Co-Principal Investigator on several training grants.
She has served on numerous institutional committees and has received multiple honors, including the Leonard Tow Humanism Award, Educator of the Year Award, and the Dean’s Award. In 2022, she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. Dr. Kitty serves as the Physician-of-Record for PCP3.
PCP3 Team: Includes 50+ dedicated students, nurses, physicians, and scientists committed to community service and research.