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Elizabeth Beverly, PhD, serves as the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Ralph S. Licklider, D.O., Endowed Professor in Behavioral Diabetes and ORG Special Assistant for Research Partnerships in the Department of Primary Care at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. She earned a PhD in Biobehavioral Health with a minor in Gerontology from The Pennsylvania State University in 2008, an MS in Biobehavioral Health in 2006, and a BS in Biobehavioral Health in 2003 from the same institution. Beverly completed a Diabetes Post-Doctoral Fellowship at the Joslin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School in 2013 and obtained a Certificate in Biostatistics from the Harvard Clinical and Translational Science Center in 2012. Her research focuses on the linkages among psychosocial issues, diabetes self-care, and health outcomes, using mixed methods to explore the culture and context of diabetes care in Appalachian Ohio. She develops and implements evidence-based interventions, including patient navigation, community health workers, and peer support, to address health disparities in behavioral diabetes, Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, psychosocial factors, Appalachian and rural health, social determinants of health, qualitative research, virtual reality applications, and osteopathic medical education. Beverly co-directs the Southeastern Ohio Regional Quality Improvement Hub and the Diabetes Institute Summer Interprofessional Research Experience.
Beverly has significantly influenced diabetes care through leadership in the American Diabetes Association, where she was selected as president-elect of health care and education in 2026, chaired the behavioral medicine planning committee from 2023 to 2025, and serves on the Professional Practice Committee as section lead for facilitating positive health behaviors and well-being to improve health outcomes. She contributed to multiple editions of the Standards of Care in Diabetes, including diagnosis and classification (2026), pharmacologic approaches to glycemic treatment (2024), and facilitating positive health behaviors (2025). In 2023, she received the Ohio University Presidential Research Scholar Award. Her publications address diabetes disparities in Appalachia, coping styles in diabetes distress, continuous glucose monitoring, and virtual reality for empathy and stress reduction, with substantial impact evidenced by thousands of citations.