Faculty and their Research Interests
John B. Bartholomew, Ph.D. (john.bart@mail.utexas.edu). Dr. Bartholomew is interested in the psychological factors that are associated with physical activity. This has taken the form of both the psychology response to exercise (stress, mood, etc.) and the psychological factors that promote activity (motivation, self-efficacy, etc.). He is particularly interested in applying these concepts to intervention design and evaluation. He is presently working in both clinical and school settings to promote physical activity and a healthy diet.
Jessica Duncan Cance, M.P.H., Ph.D. (jdcance@mail.utexas.edu). Dr. Cance's interests are in adolescent health promotion. Specifically, she conducts research focused on how the longitudinal interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors impacts adolescent health risk behaviors such as substance use and aggression. Dr. Cance is currently working on research to better understand how pubertal timing, how developed one is compared with peers, influences risk behavior in adolescence.
Darla M. Castelli Ph.D. (dcastelli@mail.utexas.edu). Dr. Castelli's research interests are in physical activity, fitness, cognitive performance and motor skills in children. Dr. Castelli studies the effect of physical activity on cognitive performance in children and adolescents. She is also interested in the relationship between metabolic risk factors and cognition and how physical activity can reverse its effects.
Carole Holahan, Ph.D. (c.holahan@mail.utexas.edu). Health and well-being across the life span, psychosocial predictors of health behavior, coping with illness, successful aging, and women’s health.
Bill Kohl, Ph.D. (harold.w.kohl@uth.tmc.edu). Dr. Kohl's research interests include current focuses on physical activity, exercise, fitness and public health as well as and sports medicine surveillance for musculoskeletal injuries. In his recent efforts, he has concentrated on national and international physical activity surveillance and epidemiology issues, as well as program development and evaluation studies for the promotion of school-based physical activity for children and adolescents.
Alexandra Loukas, Ph.D. (alexandra.loukas@mail.utexas.edu). Adolescent and young adult health, particularly adolescent aggression and tobacco use and cessation in disparate populations. Dr. Loukas has a special interest in examining how factors from multiple ecological levels (e.g., family, school, culture) interact to protect adolescents and young adults from negative health outcomes.
Keryn Pasch, Ph.D., M.P.H. (kpasch@mail.utexas.edu). Personal, behavioral, and environmental influences on adolescent health behavior; in particular, the influence of parenting and media on adolescent health behavior.
Fred L. Peterson, Ph.D. (fpeterson@mail.utexas.edu). Dr. Peterson's primary areas of scholarship lie in child, adolescent, and school health, with a special emphasis in school health teacher education. He has developed an innovative paradigm for teacher training: the Child and Adolescent Health Logic Framework. A special interest is the enhancement of teacher health literacy in students preparing for careers in education and health promotion. Another area of interest is the bio-psycho-sociology of adolescent risk-taking behavior. In his teaching, Dr. Peterson emphasizes the linking of the theoretical and conceptual foundations of youth risk-taking behavior to the design of evidence-based school health education programs. In addition, Dr. Peterson has an interest in Global Warming Education and its relevance in child and adolescent health promotion.
Mary A. Steinhardt, Ed.D. (MarySteinhardt@mail.utexas.edu). Dr. Steinhardt has studied resilience, stress, and coping in corporate, school, and military settings for 20 years. Her research program explores the determinants and methods for building resilience and strength when challenged with change and chronic stressful situations. Her current research program focuses on resilient approaches to enhancing diabetes self-management and group support for African Americans.