The University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions welcomed several new faculty at the start of 2023-2024 academic year.
environmental and global health
Jennifer Applebaum, Ph.D.
Dr. Applebaum researches the impact of social inequalities on human and animal health and wellbeing. Her work takes a social approach to the One Health/One Welfare framework, with an interest in improving outcomes for marginalized populations of people and their pets.
speech, language, and hearing sciences
Tracy Centanni, Ph.D.
Dr. Centanni's research focuses on auditory and visual perception of language, reading acquisition, genetics of communication disorders and plasticity. Studies in her Genetics of Auditory and visual Perception and Plasticity (GAPP) lab are designed to bridge the gap between basic science of mechanism discovery and the application of this knowledge for better diagnosis and interventions to improve language and reading.
environmental and global health
Jose Colon-Burgos, DrPH
Dr. Colon-Burgos studies social determinants of health, effects of inequality and social structures, maternal and child health, substance abuse, and sexual risk behaviors. He incorporates the use of social theory, critical medical anthropology and public health with ethnographic, qualitative and quantitative research to explore pathways of health risk in socially marginalized populations.
biostatistics
Tuo Lin, Ph.D.
Dr. Lin’s methodological research interests are focused on developing new semiparametric and nonparametric models for survey data, network data, observational data and longitudinal data with missing data by applying and extending the latest developments in semiparametric and machine learning theory.
Epidemiology
Jinling Liu, Ph.D.
Dr. Liu's research focuses on genetic epidemiology, with a particular emphasis on developing and applying new and generalizable methods to understand the genomic causes of diseases such as cancer, Parkinson’s disease and cardiovascular diseases. She is committed to advancing precision medicine and improving health equity through her work.
Physical Therapy
Gina Maria Musolino, P.T., D.P.T., MSEd, Ed.D.
Dr. Musolino's scholarly works include peer-reviewed articles and textbook chapters examining critical components of professional formation and holistic admissions. She has held a number of leadership positions, including president of the American Physical Therapy Association Academy of Education; chief delegate for the state of Florida and director of the Florida Physical Therapy Association.
occupational therapy
Jamie Pomeranz, Ph.D., CRC, CLCP
Dr. Pomeranz is the director of the college’s Bachelor of Health Science program. He is board certified in rehabilitation counseling and life care planning and has worked with people with disabilities in multiple capacities for more than 25 years.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND GLOBAL HEALTH
Michael von Fricken, Ph.D.
Dr. von Fricken’s research interests include vector-borne disease surveillance, control and pathogen discovery. He has ongoing projects in Kenya, Mongolia and Haiti focusing specifically on emerging pathogens transmitted by mosquitoes and ticks. He also serves as the director of UF’s One Health Center of Excellence.
health services research, management and policy
Ashby Walker, Ph.D.
Dr. Walker's research as a medical sociologist focuses on reducing health disparities in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes with current funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the Florida Department of Health and the Helmsley Charitable Trust.
biostatistics
Lixia Wang, Ph.D.
Dr. Wang's research interests include mathematical epidemiology and public health, history of mathematics and statistics, and statistics education. She has taught statistics and mathematics at Hubei University of Automotive Technology, Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, University of Central Florida and Rollins College.
health services research, management and policy
Yenan Zhu, Ph.D.
Dr. Zhu's work examines disparities in the use of cancer preventive services and post-acute care among medically and socially vulnerable groups. Her main area of interest lies in studying cardiovascular risk among cancer survivors and how it affects overall health outcomes.