Department of Health Behavior
Introduction
In 2024, the department received approval to begin a new bachelor of public health (B.S.P.H.) program focused on community and global public health, designed to prepare students to work in partnership with local and global communities to identify, assess, and address health problems and to achieve health equity. The new program, commenced in academic year 2025–2026, aligns with the mission of UNC–Chapel Hill by ensuring students acquire the knowledge and skills needed to collaboratively address public health issues in North Carolina and with global partners. The department has a strong record of local and global community engagement that will be extended to undergraduate training.
Public health challenges that threaten public safety, economic growth, and security, including climate change, water crises, the opioid epidemic, and the coronavirus pandemic, have sparked students’ interest in understanding the systems and behaviors that contribute to these challenges. The program will give students skills to improve health behaviors (e.g., vaccination, illicit drug use, hand washing) and develop structural interventions in partnership with the local and global communities where people live, learn, work, and play.
Upon graduation, students will be prepared for either entry-level positions at public health or related organizations (e.g., non-profits, community-based organizations, government) or for advanced degree programs (e.g., graduate school, medical school).
Advising and Mentoring
Student Orientation: B.S.P.H. advising begins with a general Gillings student orientation at the beginning of the first fall semester. After general orientation activities, the CGPH students will have a separate orientation session with the program director and B.S.P.H. instructors to welcome them and provide an overview of departmental and school resources along with expectations for the program. As part of the orientation, students receive copies of the B.S.P.H. handbook, which details requirements, policies, and procedures.
Academic Coordinator (AC): Academic coordinators are student affairs professionals who have expert knowledge of the degree requirements within each program of study and a working knowledge of academic options and resources at Gillings and throughout the University. The AC will be available to students by email, appointment, or drop-in hours. ACs serve as primary academic advisors for students, helping them navigate academic policies, procedures, program requirements, and campus resources. They also assist with necessary paperwork including registration information and processes, policy exceptions, transfer requests, and continuous enrollment or leaves of absence.
Professional Development & Mentoring: Students will be assigned individual faculty mentors. They will also participate in at least one Professional Development and Community Engagement session each semester to develop skills and enhance experiential learning. We will have opportunities for a series of “lunch and learn” sessions where students can receive information from doctoral students, faculty, and other public health professionals. These opportunities help foster a supportive community environment.
Graduate School and Career Opportunities
Upon graduation, students will be prepared for either entry-level positions at public health or related organizations (e.g., nonprofits, community-based organizations, government) or for advanced degree programs (e.g., graduate school, medical school). As students begin to graduate from this program beginning in 2027, we will have the opportunity to track our graduates’ future steps and successes and share them with current students.
Professors
Clare Barrington, Global Health, Infectious Diseases, Minority Health, Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Noel Brewer, Biases in Health Decisions, Health Communication, Decision Making, Cancer Prevention and Control
Melissa Gilkey, Adolescent Health, Cancer Prevention, Health Services Research, Barriers to Vaccination
Vivian Go, Global Health, Opiates, HIV/AIDS, Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Substance Abuse, Violence Prevention
Shelley Golden, Public Policies and Health Behavior, Tobacco Policy, Place-Based Health
Laura Linnan, Applied Research in Worksites and Other Community-Based Settings, Multiple Risk Factor Behaviors, Organizational Change
Suzanne Maman, HIV/AIDS, Global Health, Associations Between HIV and Violence
Deborah Tate, Obesity, Computer/Internet Interventions, Health Communication
Associate Professors
Lynn White Blanchard, Research Around Public Service (Including Community Partnerships and Collaborations), Program Evaluation, Service Learning
Liz Chen, Adolescent Health, Design Thinking, Technology
Melissa Cox, Adolescent Health, Alcohol Use, Place-Based Health
Carolyn Crump, Worksite Health Promotion and Evaluation, Program Planning, Management
Marissa Hall, Cancer Prevention Policy, Chronic Disease, Obesity Prevention
Lauren Hill, HIV/AIDS, Global Health
Larissa Jennings Mayo-Wison, Adolescent Health, Sexual and Reproductive Health, Economic/Mobile Health Interventions
Megan Ellenson Landfried, Community Engagement, Culturally Relevant Interventions
Alexandra Lightfoot, Community-Based Participatory Research, Health Disparities, Healthy Choices and Behaviors to Support the Growth and Development of Youth, Educational Inequities
Sarah Mills, Racial/Ethnic and Socioeconomic Disparities in Tobacco Use, Tobacco-Related Disease
K. Elizabeth (Beth) Moracco, Women's Health, Violence Against Women, Evaluation Research
Patsy Polston, Community Engagement, Health Inequities
H. Luz McNaughton Reyes, Adolescent Health, Reproductive Health, Global Health
Nora Rosenberg, HIV/AIDS, Adolescent Health, Global Health, Women's Health, Sexual Behavior
Assistant Professors
Dane Emmerling, Pedagogy, Health Equity
Yesenia Merino, Health Equity, Community Engagement, Pedagogy
Natalicio Serrano, Physical Activity, Neighborhood Environments, Health Equity
Deshira Wallace, Cardiovascular Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, U.S. Latin and Latin American Health
Adjunct Professors
Delesha Carpenter, Chronic Disease Self-Management, Patient-Provider Communication, Social Support
Edwin Fisher, Social Support, Mental Health
Kristie Foley
Vangie Foshee, Adolescent Violence Prevention
Adam Goldstein, Tobacco Intervention
Carol Golin, HIV
Nisha C. Gottfredson O'Shea, Substance Use
Jim Herrington
Phan Thi Thu Huong
Shawn Kneipp, Health of Disadvantaged Populations; Welfare Policy, Employment, and Women’s Health
Leslie Lytle, Diet and Nutrition
Tonia Poteat, HIV, LGBTQ Health
Kurt Ribisl, Tobacco Control Policy, Built Environment and Health, Cancer Prevention and Control
Carol Runyan, Injury Control, Violence Prevention, Worksite Injury Prevention
Paschal Sheeran, Social Psychology, Health Behavior Change
Arjumand Siddiqi, Social Epidemiology, Children's Health and Development, Social Policy and Health
Celette Skinner, Cancer Screening, Cancer Genetics, Tailored Interventions
Deborah Stroman, Diversity and Inclusion, Sport Business, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Leadership Development
Adjunct Associate Professors
Stephanie Baker, Racial Inequities in Cancer Care Treatment
Johanna Birckmayer, Health Policy, Tobacco Control
Felicia Browne, HIV Behavioral Intervention
M. Justin Byron, Health Communication, Tobacco Control
Susan Gaylord, Alternative Therapies and Integrative Health Care, Aging, Health Beliefs and Care Pathways
Jennifer Gierisch, Cancer Prevention/Control, Health Communication, Chronic Disease Management, Mental Health, Tobacco Use Prevention/Control, Women's Health
Abigail Hatcher, Violence Prevention, Mental Health
Andrea Knittel
Manish Kumar
Kathryn Lancaster
Kathryn Pollak, Patient-Physician Communication, Smoking Cessation, Health Disparities
Wizdom Powell, Men's Health, Population Health Disparities, Social and Health Behavior Theory
Brian Southwell, Health Communication
Anna Waller, Injury Prevention and Control, Data System Users (especially Database Design), Emergency Department Data and Surveillance
Adjunct Assistant Professors
Deborah Baron, Global Health
Betsy Barton
Becca Bender
Amrita Bhowmick, Health Care Marketing
Maribel Borger
Marcy Boynton, Novel Applications of Intensive Repeated Measures Designs, Health Communication, Effect of Stress and Coping Processes on Health Decision-Making
Stacey Cutbush Starseed
Dirk Davis
Venita Embry, Violence Prevention
Vichi Jagannathan, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Design Thinking
Maija Leiff, Carolina Collaborative for Research on Work and Health (CCRWH)
Christina Leos
Kathleen MacQueen, Social, Behavioral and Ethical Aspects of Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials; Vaccines, Microbicides and PrEP
Emily Mangone
Derrick Matthews
David McCoy, American Indian Health, Health Care of Rural and Minority Populations, Budgetary and Policy Aspects of the Delivery of Health Care
Kyle McQuillan
Allison Myers, Tobacco Control, Public Health Policy, Health Equity
Robert Pleasants, Injury Prevention and Control
Tara Licciardello Queen, Tobacco Control, Quantitative Analysis
English Sall, Organizational Development and Metrics and Evaluation for Social Impact and Humanitarian Aid
Kevin Smith
Pamela Trangenstein, Alcohol Use, Place-Based Health
Tran Viet Ha
Naya Villarreal, Global Health
Maihan Vu, Qualitative Research, Adolescent Health, Obesity and Physical Activity
Michael Yonas, Qualitative Research, Participatory Research Approaches, Social Determinants of Health
Susannah Zietz
Adjunct Instructors
Elizabeth French, Patient Advocacy, Professional Development
Sally Herndon, Health Policy, Tobacco Use Prevention/Control
Ingrid Morris, Health Policy, Health Promotion, Obesity Prevention
Allison Pack
Katherine Turner, International Women's Health, Education and Training, Sexual and Reproductive Health Education and Counseling, Cultural Competency (especially on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health)
Professors Emeriti
Karl Bauman
Brenda DeVellis
Robert DeVellis
Geni Eng
Susan Ennett
John W. Hatch
Elizabeth Mutran
Barbara K. Rimer
Allan Steckler
