Throughout the course of my career, I have had many unique opportunities facilitating health promotion and healthful living to diverse communities, and teaching and training future health educators. From these experiences, I truly believe that health promotion can be an effective tool to helping people make changes to improve the quality of their life. I have seen this through my work, starting as an elementary teacher among the Native American community in northern New Mexico, to my academic work at the University of Texas at El Paso and Ciudad Juarez on the US Mexico Border, to rural villages in India. I have taught health promotion and education first at the University of Texas at El Paso and at the University of Utah since 2001. I am currently the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Department of Health and Kinesiology. In the past I was the Undergraduate Coordinator, departmental academic advisor, and supervisor for students in the Honors College, as well as teach multiple courses each semester. I serve on master’s committees and enjoy working with the students on their various projects. I have been a member of the College of Health Curriculum Committee for many years, which gives me opportunities to work in curriculum development. I am an active member of the USOPHE since 2000, and was on the board from 2004-2006.
I strive to strengthen the ties between the practice community and the University of Utah to ensure that our graduates have the skills and knowledge they need to be effective health education practitioners when they enter the workforce. I would also like to work to find out what the most important workforce development needs are and create training opportunities to meet these needs.
Research Statement
My interests are in chronic disease prevention, health concerns of women, school and community health.