Health Promotion | Selected Student Profiles

What is your academic/professional background prior to coming to AU?
I attended Indiana University, majoring in Psychology, with a minor in Nutrition Science and I was also in a Business Management program.

Why did you choose AU, and the MS in Health Promotion Management specifically?
I have always had an interest in health, particularly prevention of disease. After researching different programs, I came across the Health Promotion Management program at AU. All of the course requirements were very appealing to me, and the program at AU was one of the few that offered a Corporate Wellness concentration. Since I was interested in pursuing worksite wellness, this was a big factor in my decision. The program's business component was also interesting to me since I had some background in this area and the flexibility/customization of the program was appealing as well. The Health Promotion Management program has allowed me to mesh my backgrounds and interests nicely into a concentration in Corporate Wellness with a Nutrition Education certificate.

Have you worked on any specific research projects that you would like to highlight?
I am currently working on my Master's thesis on how planning emails affect employee participation and outcomes in a pedometer challenge. The title is "The Impact of Implementation Intentions on a Worksite Pedometer Challenge." The pedometer challenge was offered on campus by AheathyU (the faculty and staff wellness program at AU--where I work). Roughly 85 pedometer challenge participants volunteered to be part of my study. Half were put into a control group and the other half were put into the intervention group receiving additional weekly "planning" emails. I am currently starting to analyze the data collected.

Can you describe what you are working on at your current internship/job?
I have worked at AhealthyU, AU's Faculty and Staff Wellness Program, for over a year now. I help with marketing/communications and managing the programs we offer, which include Weight Watchers at Work, Brown Bag Wellness Workshops and Cooking Demonstrations, weekly yoga classes, and the Pedometer Challenge. I have also organized a campus-wide stress reduction fair, "Dance Your Heart Out" Zumba classes for heart month, and led a 6-week nutrition education series.

What is your academic/professional background prior to coming to AU?
I have a BA in Psychology with minors in Biology and Military Science from Marquette University. I also have an MBA with an emphasis in Project Management from Lakeland College. After completing my BA, I entered into the Army as a Medical Service Corps officer. I deployed to Iraq with a Medical Evacuation Battalion, and then finished up my military service as the Administrative Officer of a Combat Support Hospital. Following that, I was the Health Promotion Officer at a US Army installation in Vincenza, Italy, employed by the US Army Public Health Command.

Why did you choose AU, and the MS in Health Promotion Management specifically?
I often joke that I finally know what I want to do when I grow up, and I'd like the degree to back it up. Having completed my MBA online, I really wanted to experience an in-person Master's program. I knew I wanted a degree that would afford me the opportunity to sit for the CHES (Commission for Health Education Credentialing) if I wanted it. I narrowed down my search, and found that American University had a very solid, well-established and respected program. Because my husband is on Active Duty, I move around frequently. Another huge appeal of the AU program is the network in the field that comes with it.

Can you describe what you are working on at your current internship/job?
I currently work as the Senior Manager of Professional Services at NASPE (National Association for Sport and Physical Activity). A very big project I am working on is the Presidential Youth Fitness Program. AAHPERD, NASPE's parent organization, is a partner in this President's Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition initiative. We are in charge of the Professional Development piece of this program (view www.presidentialyouthfitnessproject.org for background info). What makes this program so exciting is its focus on teaching health-related fitness to students to give them the skills they need for lifelong fitness.

What is your academic/professional background prior to coming to AU?
Before coming to AU, I received my undergraduate degree at Boston University in international relations focusing on European studies and foreign policy/security studies. I interned for the former Ambassador of Tanzania, who is the director and founder of APARC (African Presidential Archives and Research Center) at Boston University. I also worked as a mentor/student teacher for the BUILD program at BU, which was a literacy development program that works in several different inner city schools in and around the Boston area.

Why did you choose AU, and the MS in Health Promotion Management specifically?
I chose to apply for the MS in Health Promotion Management program at AU because I wanted to continue my work in international studies and community education, while also combining my passion for health and wellness. What separated the health promotion program at AU from other programs was its focus on programming, research, and advocacy of health behavior change for individuals and their families in the workplace and various other settings. The program also does a great job with helping students to network in and around the DC area.

Have you worked on any specific research projects that you would like to highlight?
In summer '12, I traveled to Cape Town, South Africa, where I chose to fulfill my internship requirement for the program. I worked as a community outreach health educator in an HIV clinic, working on and off site to educate and interact with community members in regards to health promotion and HIV/AIDS.

Can you describe what you are working on at your current internship/job?
I work as a wellness instructor at Holton-Arms Middle School in Bethesda, teaching morning and afternoon classes to parents, staff, and faculty.

I am also currently working as a research assistant for Maria DeJesus, a professor in the IR department at AU on a community-based project highlighting HIV/AIDS in African American and East African women in DC. In addition, I have recently signed up to work with Dr. Snelling on her research with USDA in DC schools.

What is your academic/professional background prior to coming to AU?
Prior to attending American University, I spent a great deal of time bouncing around from job to job, trying to figure out what I really wanted to do. I graduated from Boston University in May of 2008, with a B.A. in Environmental Policy. I loved what I studies at BU, and knew I wanted to do something that helped improve the global environment. However, I needed time to figure out where best to apply my skills. So I worked at a summer camp teaching about nature for 4 summers, lived in Costa Rica and taught English, spent a great deal of time working and living in Boston and some time in Minneapolis. Finally I found that my passion was for food - specifically the environmental impact of food - and for teaching. After some searching, I found the Masters of Science in Health Promotion Management at AU and knew immediately it was the perfect fit for what I want to be doing in the future!

Why did you choose AU, and the Master's in Health Promotion Management specifically?
I liked the fact that AU is located in D.C., which is one of my favorite cities. I was fortunate enough to spend a semester here in college as an intern on Capitol Hill, and knew I loved the area. I had also heard great things about AU. I chose the Health Promotion Management program because of an article on the front page of the AU website when I was browsing for programs. It detailed the work of Dr. Anastasia Snelling, a professor here, and the associate dean for SETH (School of Education, Teaching, and Health), focusing on her work with a school in a food desert of D.C. I read about her work to improve the health of the school and the surrounding community and knew right then that I wanted to be a part of this graduate program, and more specifically the work she was doing.

Can you describe what you are working on at your current internship/job?
I was fortunate enough to have the chance to get involved with Dr. Snelling's work here in D.C. For my graduate assistantship, I am working on a project that is funded by a USDA grant to expand Dr. Snelling's work to 11 D.C. schools with the most need. In each of the schools we have identified a "Wellness Champion," a teacher or member of the staff that will help lead the charge to improve the health of the school community. Projects spearheaded by our champions are largely their design, and can range from starting a school garden to establishing a wellness council in the school to a pedometer challenge for the staff. The work is very exciting, and I am honored to have a chance to support the efforts of these amazing and dedicated teachers as they work to improve their schools!

What is your academic/professional background prior to coming to AU?
Prior to attending AU I graduated from West Virginia University with a BS of Journalism, Public Relations. I also graduated with two minors, Communication and Political Science.

Why did you choose AU, and the MS in Health Promotion Management specifically?
My choice to come to AU was simple. After taking a Health Communications class in undergrad I was drawn to preventative care. During my research I found the MS in Health Promotion Management degree at AU and immediately thought it was the perfect fit; a program that had a corporate business side and a nutrition side. I knew my background in PR and communication would help me excel in this program.

Can you describe what you are working on at your current internship/job?
I am currently interning at the LAB School was Washington. The school is specially designed for children with learning differences (LD). My personal interest of working with individuals with disabilities led me to the LAB School. I am working in the Physical Education department helping to administer and track fitness tests, as well as promoting physical activity daily through exercise and organized sports. I hope to learn from this internship how health promotion can be integrated into special education/physical disability facilities. I strongly believe that health promotion and preventative care can increase quality of life for disabled individuals.

Why did you join the MS in Health Promotion Management program at American University?          
I chose the MS in Health Promotion Management program at AU for several reasons. I knew I wanted to focus my career on helping people create impactful and lasting health changes in their lives. I also knew I needed a very unique program to provide me with training necessary to have that impact. I resonated with the long history of Au's Health promotion program, the strong and diverse core requirements that create the foundation of the MS in Health Promotion Management program, and the variety of courses offered for the concentration tracks. More than that, I resonated with the program's definition of health as not merely the absence of disease, but rather as the optimal level of physical, mental, social and spiritual well-being.

Could you tell us about some of your experiences while at AU?
Above all I enjoyed the mentorship the dedicated faculty provided. The availability and willingness of these practitioners in the field to provide feedback on my academic choices as well as career guidance helped me to set my career path. In doing this they helped me to find opportunities to leverage resources and connections that matched my interests. I had the opportunity to intern at the 7th Annual World Health Care Congress; be an intern for AHealthyU, American University's health promotion program for faculty and staff; received a Graduate Student Mellon grant to attend the 21st Annual Art and Science of Health Promotion Conference to present one of my projects as an intern at AHealthyU; present my project from AHealthyU at the Robyn Rafferty Mathias Student Research Conference; be a member of American University's NCAA panel on student eligibility; and guest lecture in an undergraduate health promotion class.

How did your career evolve after completing your MS at AU?
After completing my master's program at AU I became a Program Manager at a fast growing work site health consulting company based in Bethesda, MD. My employer trusted my ability and training from American University. They provided me with a valuable opportunity to manage a portfolio of clients' wellness programs.

How do you see the years ahead of you?
My goals for the future are not much different than they were when I left AU. Most important is that I continue to enjoy helping people to achieve their optimal wellness by staying abreast of and incorporating innovative health management methods. In addition, my hope is to honor my training by becoming a leader in the health promotion field.

Back to top