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Biobehavioral Health
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We train and develop the next leaders in basic, mechanistic, and applied research that addresses fundamental issues in health and prevention throughout the lifespan. BBH Graduate students go on to careers as academic professors, researchers, educators, policy-makers, and interventionists; they work in diverse settings, including academia, research centers, government, health care facilities, and private industry.

The vast majority of BBH graduates choose to stay within academia, and they have been very successful in obtaining high quality postdoctoral positions and faculty positions in a variety of departments according to their research interests, including Psychology, Behavioral Neuroscience, Behavioral Medicine, Health Promotion, Public Health, and Integrative Biology.

Example BBH Alumni

Below are some examples of recent former BBH graduate students! 

The majority are leading research and teaching in academic settings; for example:

  • Dr. Tomorrow Arnold (2018), Assistant Professor, Psychology, The University of Tennessee
  • Dr. Jeanette Bennett (2010), Associate Professor, Psychological Science
  • Dr. Elizabeth Beverly (2008), Associate Professor, Behavioral Diabetes, Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine
  • Dr. Jay Bream (1996), Professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Johns Hopkins
  • Dr. Dwyane Brandon (2003), Associate Professor, Psychology, North Carolina Central University
  • Dr. Brea Burger (2014), Assistant Professor, Public Health, Muhlenberg College
  • Dr. Rachel Ceballos (2005), senior director of community outreach and engagement at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U), associate professor in the department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the U, and a Huntsman Cancer Institute Endowed Chair in Cancer Research
  • Dr. Sulamunn Coleman (2018), Research Assistant Professor at The Robert Larner, M.D. College of Medicine, The University of Vermont
  • Dr. Richard O'Connor (2004), Professor of Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Dr. Lauren Connell Bohlen (2015), Assistant Professor, Behavioral and Social Sciences, Brown University
  • Dr. Donaldson Conserve (2013), Associate Professor, Department of Prevention and Community Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University
  • Dr. Melloni Cook (1996), Associate Chair of Research Initiatives, Director of the Center for Applied Psychological Research, and Dunavant Professor, Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychology, University of Memphis
  • Dr. Nancy Dreschel (2007), Associate Teaching Professor, Small Animal Science, Agricultural Sciences, Penn State University
  • Dr. Beth Edwards (2009), Assistant Teaching Professor, Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University
  • Dr. Heather Farmer (2018), Assistant Professor, Education and Human Development, University of Delaware
  • Dr. José Fernández (1999), Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Nutrition Sciences, University of Alabama at Birmingham
  • Dr. Michael Grant (2003), Director of Online Education in Psychology, Associate Professor of Instruction and Undergraduate Academic Adviser, College of Arts and Science, Ohio University
  • Dr. Joseph Gyekis (2011), Associate Teaching Professor of Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University
  • Dr. Waylon Hastings (2020), Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at Texas A&M University
  • Dr. Leah Hibel (2009), Professor of Human Development and Family Studies, Human Ecology, UC Davis
  • Dr. Brittney Hultgren (2017), Assistant Professor,  Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
  • Dr. Dusti Jones (2020), K12 Scholar, Clinical and Translational Science’s Career Development Program, University of Utah
  • Dr. Emily Jones (2021), Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychiatry's Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine T32 training program.
  • Dr. Christine Karshin (2001), Dean, College of Health Professions, Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania and Associate Dean and Associate Professor, College of Health and Human Services, Eastern Michigan University
  • Dr. Michelle Martin (2018), Assistant Professor, Public Health Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro
  • Dr. Marzieh Majd (2019), Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Psychiatry, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School
  • Dr. Miesha Marzell (2011), Associate Professor, Public Health, Decker College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Binghamton University 
  • Dr. Frank Materia (2020), Assistant Professor, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery
  • Dr. Cindy McCrea (2015), Assistant Professor, Psychological Science, Boise State University
  • Dr. Melissa Mercincavage (2015), Research Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
  • Dr. Kerry Michael (2011), Associate Professor, Psychology, University of Minnesota
  • Dr. Tracy Nelson (1998), Director, Colorado School of Public Health, Colorado State University
  • Dr. Titilayo Okoror (2006), Chair and Associate Professor, Africana Studies 
  • Dr. Beth Orsega-Smith (2000), Professor, Behavioral Health & Nutrition, University of Delaware
  • Dr. Denise Orwig (1998), Professor, Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine
  • Dr. Melissa Peckins (2013), Assistant Professor, Psychology, St. John's University
  • Dr. Andrew Porter (2014), Associate Professor of Clinical, University of Miami
  • Dr. Lindsey Potter (2018), Research Instructor, Department of Population Health Sciences, Division of Cancer Population Science, University of Utah
  • Dr. Nichole Scaglione (2015), Assistant Professor, Health Education and Behavior, University of Florida
  • Dr. Nichole Sell (2019), Assistant Professor of Psychology, Wilkes University
  • Dr. Danica Slavish (2017), Assistant Professor, Psychology, University of North Texas
  • Dr. Jerod Stapleton (2010), Professor of Health, Behavior & Society and co-Leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky
  • Dr. Michelle Stine (2004), Teaching Professor, Biobehavioral Health, Penn State University
  • Dr. Andrew Strasser (2002), Research Professor of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania
  • Dr. Katherine Sauder, (2014) Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Nutrition, University of Colorado
  • Dr. Amy Thierry (2016), Assistant Professor, Public Health Sciences, Xavier University
  • Dr. Anne Ray (2011), Assistant Professor, Health Behavior, University of Kentucky
  • Dr. Constanza Silva Gallardo (2021), Assistant Professor, Universidad Mayor
  • Dr. Terrie Vasilopoulos (2009), Associate Professor, Anesthesiology, Orthopaedics, and Rehabilitation, University of Florida
  • Dr. Guy-Lucien Whembolua (2008), Associate Professor, College of Medicine, UC Cincinnati

In addition to working in academia, BBH graduate students work in high level positions at the CDC, UNESCO, and other groups, informing research and policy. For example:

Others have worked in industry or in medicine, advancing medical science, pharmaceuticals, and important research initiatives (e.g., the National Human Genome Research Institute). For example:

  • Dr. Gelareh Alam (2015), Department of Pharmaceutical Science, Northeast Ohio Medical University
  • Dr. Marc Azar (2000), Chief Executive Officer, Principal Scientist, Behavioral Pharma
  • Dr. Michael Caruso (2017), Senior Scientist, Johnson and Johnson Innovative Medicine
  • Dr. Sarah Gioia (2022), Health Equity Researcher, OCHIN, Inc.
  • Dr. Sezen Kislal (2015), Research Associate, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Dr. Katie Kivlighan (2006), Assistant Professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of New Mexico
  • Dr. Mera Krishnan (2012), Center for Bioscience Research
  • Dr. Michelle Matzko (2010), Research Fellow in Medicine, Infectious Disease, Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Dr. Russell Nye (2019), Clinical Research Program Manager II, Data Science & Biostatistics Unit (DSBU)