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For more than 60 years, the Department of Health Education & Behavior has been at the forefront of the health promotion and public health field, demonstrating leadership in instruction and mentoring, research and scholarship, and service and practice. By emphasizing innovation and data-driven advancements, our efforts ensure that our students are well prepared for the health promotion and public health careers of the future.
Our mission is to bridge the gap between scientific knowledge and public understanding of health to promote healthier living. The focus of the Department of Health Education & Behavior (HEB) is to prepare students to promote healthy lifestyle choices in individual and group settings, and among diverse populations using culturally appropriate health education methodologies. Additionally, the Department seeks to prepare health education professionals capable of assessing individual and community health education needs; developing, planning and implementing effective health education programs; evaluating health education program effectiveness; coordinating the provision of health education services; acting as a resource person in health education; and communicating health/health education needs, concerns and resources.
We are committed to student-centered education. Our faculty consists of master instructors, many of whom have been recognized as “Teacher of the Year” at the College and University levels. We regularly review and update our curricula to reflect disciplinary advancements and changing employer demands, including those produced by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, which has two of our faculty members on their Board of Commissioners.
HEB offers a comprehensive curriculum, from Bachelor’s to Doctoral degrees, with programs addressing critical public health issues such as health literacy, health disparities, digital and mobile health applications, and global health. Students demonstrate core competencies through our highly-rated fieldwork opportunities in business, industry, voluntary organizations and government agencies.
HEB faculty and students conduct innovative research on public health problems that include...
- substance use and abuse
- sexual health
- diet and nutrition
- controlling chronic diseases
- managing disabilities
Our research programs are implemented with diverse populations, locations and settings in Florida, across the US and around the world. The Department houses the new Center for Behavioral Economic Health Research with a mission to stimulate research, applications, and education aimed at understanding and promoting human health behavior change, guided by the unifying trans-discipline of behavioral economics.
Service learning and community outreach are core components of the Department’s educational goals and mission. Through a 15-week internship, Bachelor’s students provide service in their host organizations and communities while increasing their professional knowledge, skills and networks. Our faculty regularly provide service and volunteer leadership to numerous campus, local, national, and international agencies. HEB faculty also serve in leadership roles of many professional organizations, learned societies and peer-reviewed journals — including many who have served as national presidents and editors. Our Alpha Lambda chapter of the Eta Sigma Gamma professional honor society was founded in 1978 and continues to lead the campus and the nation through its award-winning voluntary and philanthropic service activities.
Mildred Maldonado-Molina, Ph.D., M.S. | mmmm@ufl.edu
Chair; Professor
Sadie Sanders, Ph.D. | ssanders@hhp.ufl.edu
Associate Chair; Senior Lecturer
Amy Mobley, Ph.D., R.D. | amy.mobley@ufl.edu
Graduate Coordinator; Associate Professor
Suzanne Sneed-Murphy, Ph.D. | murphysm@hhp.ufl.edu
Undergraduate Coordinator; Lecturer
Jennifer Neelands, MPH, MS | jennifer4@ufl.edu
Graduate Advisor
Erica Alexander | heb-advising@hhp.ufl.edu
Undergraduate Advisor