Meet Our Team

Piedmont Research Strategies, Inc. is a private, for-profit research consulting firm that was incorporated in North Carolina in 2009. For the past 14 years, we have supported researchers who have innovative research ideas that aim to improve people’s health and quality of life.

We provide guidance in research design, expertise in methodology and data analytics, and formal reporting of health outcomes in experimental, descriptive, and correlational studies. The company is staffed by 4 PhD-prepared researchers. 

William N. Dudley, PhD

President & CEO of Piedmont Research Strategies

Although his doctoral training (University of Georgia, 1992) is in aging and cognitive psychology, he has focused his entire career on the application of standard approaches to study health outcomes, as well as the use of innovative multivariate statistical approaches within chronic disease research. His personal research interests examine the quality of life among those who experience incurable, chronic diseases. He brings to PRS over 30 years of quantitative behavioral research with a strong focus on cancer outcomes. His work has led to over 150 scientific publications in peer review journals as well as dozens of conference presentations and abstracts. As measured by his h-index of 55, his work has significant impact in the field of health outcomes research.

Emily R. Beamon, PhD, MA, MPH

Chief Operating Officer

Dr. Emily R. Beamon has a master’s degree in both clinical psychology (UNC Wilmington, ‘12) and public health (UNC Greensboro, ‘18), and a PhD in public health education and a minor in educational research methodology (UNC Greensboro, ‘22). She began her career as a clinical psychologist, with a specialization in the treatment of addiction. She has worked within a diverse range of settings including outpatient treatment (for children and adults), substance use treatment for college students, VA clinics, as well as the department of corrections. While her personal interests lie in substance use and mental health disparities, she is also a public health scientist. Shifting out of clinical spaces, Dr. Beamon has spent a number of years within program development and evaluation, as well as data analytics for a variety of health outcomes. She has experience in conducting large-scale, grant funded evaluations both domestically and abroad. Dr. Beamon is the Chief Operating Officer, and uses her expertise to inform project conceptualization, methodology, and data analytics.

Nicholas C. Coombs, PhD, MSTAT

Chief Scientific Officer

Dr. Nicholas C. Coombs is a public health scientist and research statistician. After obtaining his master’s degree in statistics (University of Vermont, ‘15), he moved to Montana to work for the Center for Clinical Translational Research at Billings Clinic (since renamed Collaboration Science & Innovation). Upon gaining perspective of Montana’s unique health challenges, he transitioned back into academia to earn his PhD in public health (University of Montana, ’22). His research explored the multidimensionality of barriers to healthcare access in the United States, namely its effects on rural health systems and persons at risk for mental health impairment. Dr. Coombs’s work examines the intersection between health systems and clinical research. In 2021, he joined PRS as their lead data analyst, and is now acting as the Chief Scientific Officer. His long-term objectives are to help facilitate a more comprehensive philosophy for how Americans conceptualize overall health and well-being.

Leah Dudley, RN, BSN

Project Coordinator / Research Nurse

Leah Dudley has been a nurse for over seven years with extensive experience as a critical care nurse. She has worked for PRS over the past year as a research nurse and project coordinator. Her research interests include disease prevention, health disparities, and improving health outcomes.

Angela Kabbe, PhD, FNP-BC

Chief Clinical Officer 

Clinical Nurse Dr. Angela Kabbe has been a nurse for over 20 years, a Family Nurse Practitioner for more than 15 years. Her nursing experience was in women’s health, including GYN-oncology and breast cancer care. Her FNP experience includes family practice, emergency medicine, and urgent care. Dr. Kabbe’s research interests include women’s health, cancer care, survivorship, cancer prevention, health disparities, and health outcomes.

Hunter Hahn, PhD

Associate Data Analyst 

Dr. Hunter Hahn is a licensed psychologist based in Ohio. He completed his PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Quantitative Methods from The Ohio State University. His research has focused on health disparities among LGBTQ+ populations, health risk behavior, and the development of psychopathology. As a clinician, he has worked in various settings such as primary care, academic medical centers, and outpatient mental health clinics. He is passionate about using research to guide practice in a way that improves the wellbeing of individuals, vulnerable populations, and organizations. Dr. Hahn joins PRS to share his analytical expertise and in automating analytical processes.