Linda B. Cottler, Ph.D., M.P.H., has been named the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions’ associate dean for research and planning. She is the dean’s professor and chair of the department of epidemiology in the College of Public Health and Health Professions and the UF College of Medicine.
“Dr. Cottler is an outstanding scholar, educator and academic leader who has a wealth of experience and expertise that makes her ideally suited to serve as associate dean for research and planning,” said Michael G. Perri, Ph.D., dean of the College of Public Health and Health Professions.
Cottler succeeds Krista Vandenborne, Ph.D., P.T., chair of the college’s department of physical therapy, who served as the associate dean for research and planning for three years. Under Vandenborne’s guidance, the college’s external research funding rose 24 percent to $21.5 million in fiscal year 2011-2012.
Cottler’s research has focused on drug and alcohol use and dependence. She has developed internationally recognized assessment tools for assessing substance abuse and other psychiatric disorders, and the effectiveness of peer-delivered interventions to reduce high risk behaviors. She founded HealthStreet St. Louis and HealthStreet Gainesville, community-engaged research programs that connect residents to health care referrals, medical care, social services and opportunities to participate in research. She is the principal investigator of two National Institutes of Health-funded Fogarty International Center Training Programs focused on non-communicable diseases in India. She also collaborates on international research projects in Taiwan, Australia and Afghanistan.
Cottler has mentored more than 40 doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows as well as numerous high school and college students as part of a formal summer training program.