Alumni

Cayley Velazquez, PhD

Cayley is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Food, Nutrition, and Health Program, Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia. She received her PhD in Health Education with a minor in Applied Statistical Modeling from the University of Texas at Austin, her MS in Health Education and Administration from Saint Joseph's University and her BS in Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of New Mexico. Cayley is also a Registered Dietitian. To date, Dr. Velazquez's research has explored the influence of food and beverage advertising on the food preferences and choices of youth, with a specific focus on the importance of attention to advertising components. Her current work aims to understand how school food environment factors, including food and beverage advertising, influence the dietary practices of youth.


Whitney Brown, MS

While in the lab, I worked primarily on my thesis which examined the relationship between BMI and risk behaviors, specifically substance use, among college students. I also worked with Dr. Pasch on a paper which examined how parental behaviors including breakfast consumption, purchasing behaviors, and screen time influenced the same behaviors in their adolescents. While attending UT, I also worked as a Graduate Research Assistant on the UT Tobacco Research and Evaluation team. This afforded me the opportunity to work in collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and learn about the processes involved with educating diverse communities on the topic of tobacco prevention and control as well as the importance of monitoring and evaluation. I worked as a Director of Health and Wellness for the Y of Central Maryland for a year and a half. While working for the Y I also had the opportunity to work with Healthy Harford, a Healthy Communities Initiative for Harford County. Through Healthy Harford, I was able to actively participate in the development and implementation of health and wellness initiatives. I currently work as an Educational Access Specialist in Educational Support and Disability Services at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. This position focuses specifically on students with disabilities in the very unique environment of a professional university while also allowing me to work collaboratively with other programs in Campus Life Services like Wellness, Coaching, the Writing Center, and Interprofessional Student Learning and Service Initiatives.


Zach Taylor, MEd

Zachary Taylor graduated with his Master of Education in Health Promotion in 2010. While in the program he held several roles including: working as a Graduate Assistant at 3M and with the Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program; Teacher's Assistant for Foundations of Health Promotion 1 and Theories of Substance Abuse Prevention; and research assistant for Prevention Research Lab working on the Measuring and Evaluating the Determinants and Influence of Advertising (MEDIA) study and grant development. After finishing his program Zachary was hired on by the City of Clearwater as the Wellness Specialist through the Communities Putting Prevention to Work Federal Grant, which aimed to use long-term, high-impact, policy and environmental change to impact obesity. After the grant ended, Clearwater created a full-time position for Zachary to continue his efforts. In addition, he currently serves on numerous community organizations including, the Wellness Council of Tampa Bay, the Tampa Bay Healthcare Collaborative, and the Pinellas County School Health Advisory Committee.