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We are pleased to recognize the academic and professional achievements of current HHP graduate students and invite you to explore the profiles below. Each profile highlights a current student and their ongoing research, contributions to the field, awards, scholarships, and more.
Aaron Durham is a student in the Online Master of Science Program in Health Education and Behavior. Aaron lives in Kilgore, Texas, where he works at Kilgore College as a Building Coordinator. In addition to his position at Kilgore College, Aaron works as a health and lifestyle coach. "While I started out working with athletes, I have spent the last two years working with individuals who are typically coming from a place of zero health awareness," Durham says. "This has required a certain amount of health education both through the initial marketing material and in the initial client on-boarding process. Anyone who has worked with clients in a coaching capacity knows that the hardest part is promoting health awareness and behavior modification. This is primarily why I chose to pursue an MS in Health Education, and, by the end of this program, I hope to be better equipped to provide these things to clients that I work with. Long-term, I hope to follow this MS with a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology and use both degrees to provide holistic health counseling.”
Kathleen is a doctoral student in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. She was awarded a scholarship by the Society for the Neural Control of Movement for attendance at the 2021 meeting, which marked the 30th annual meeting of the society. The scholarship was awarded for her work with Dr. Rachael Seidler examining brain and behavioral changes with spaceflight. Kathleen's work identified differences in vestibular brain activity for 15 astronauts following six-month missions to the International Space Station. She presented a talk on this work to over 700 attendees at the conference. Following the conference, Kathleen and 11 other trainee scholarship winners from around the world collaborated on an invited paper detailing highlights from the conference. This work was recently published in the Journal of Neurophysiology (doi: 10.1152/jn.00334.2021).
Jasmine Lollino is a student in the Master of Science in Health Education and Behavior program. She is originally from Addison, IL, but has called Florida home since 2016. Jasmine chose to continue her studies in the College of Health and Human Performance at UF because of her passion for health education, public health, and prevention. Upon graduating, Jasmine plans to continue working as a Prevention Specialist at David Lawrence Centers for Behavioral Health and pursue a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership to become a professor within health education, public health, and health sciences. During her time as an MS student, Jasmine has maintained a 4.0 GPA, created a network of peers and faculty who serve as professional role models, served as the President (2021-2022) and Secretary (2020-2021) of Eta Sigma Gamma Health Education Honorary, and solidified her love for health education.
Ryan Montalvo is a doctoral student in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology. He was awarded the Dr. Rafael and Mrs. J. Fe Padron de Angulo Scholarship from the Association of Hispanic Alumni at the University of Florida for the 2021-2022 academic year. This generous scholarship is given to students of Hispanic descent and seeks to recognize those who excel in leadership, service, and scholarship at school and within the Hispanic-Latino community. Ryan currently works in the laboratory of Dr. Ashley Smuder in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, researching the molecular mechanisms of the chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin on the health and function of cardiac and skeletal muscle and the protective effects of exercise. The Angulo Scholarship has acknowledged the underrepresentation of Hispanic researchers within biomedical sciences and seeks to engage current students and future leaders with the support of alumni to create generational advancement. As an essential part of his career, Ryan hopes to perpetuate and facilitate the participation of the Hispanic community within biomedical research and further the mission of the Angulo Scholarship and Association of Hispanic Alumni.
Lexi Williams is a graduate student in the Department of Health Education and Behavior. She currently resides in Houston, Texas and is enrolled in the Online Master of Science Program. Lexi is the Fitness and Wellness Coordinator at Rice University. The online program allowed her the flexibility to continue working, as well as immediately apply what she learns in class to her work. Lexi is also involved in research and works under the supervision of Dr. Megan McVay and Dr. Emily Bartley. After the completion of her degree, Lexi intends to earn a PhD in Health Psychology. Lexi is particularly interested in studying the intersections of Social Cognitive Theory, the Theory of Identity Based Motivation, and how they relate to behavior change. As a Health Educator she believes it is important to not only educate the public on what healthful behaviors to implement, but how to implement them as well.
To view additional student profiles, please see links below: