Listening – really listening – and having patients and their families feel heard serves as the cornerstone of Dr. Tilicia Mayo-Gamble’s work. With an understanding of the healthcare challenges facing rural Georgians, she shares her own family’s experience and the hope that sharing stories and traditions can inspire. Dr. Tilicia Mayo-Gamble, affectionately known as “Dr. TMG” to her students, is the Associate Dean for Practice and Research in the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University. She is a Certified Health Education Specialist who earned her M.A., M.P.H., and Ph.D. from Indiana University.

A caregiver to her husband, who is a cancer survivor, Tilicia has seen the lived-disease experience of caring for a loved one and has taken steps to change it through nearly 20 years of advocacy and research. Her research focuses on implementing community and patient engagement methods to enhance patient-centered care for adults with chronic diseases and marginalized populations.

In addition to her research, Tilicia serves as an evangelist and missionary and recently published her first book When the Holy Spirit Calls: Embracing Your Unique Spiritual Gifts.