Health Education Faculty
Health Education Full-time Faculty
Lorenda Belone
Associate Professor
Program Coordinator for the Health Education Graduate Program
Office: Johnson Center 112B
Telephone: 505-277-8175
Email: Ljoe@salud.unm.edu
Education: Ph.D., University of New Mexico
Courses: Research design, epidemiology, community health, community-based participatory research
Research: Community based participatory approach to research with Native American communities in the southwest, focusing on the role of health communication strategies for translational research that involves the community as participants in a two-way mutual learning situation to improve community health.
Elias Duryea
Emeritus Faculty
Email: duryea@unm.edu
Education: Ph.D., University of Nebraska
Christina Perry
HESS Department Chair
Associate Professor
Office: Johnson Center 1161
Telephone: 505-277-1983
Email: cperry2@unm.edu
Education: Ph.D., University of New Mexico, M.S., Southern Illinois University, B.S., Illinois State University
Courses: Health Behavior Theory, Program Planning & Evaluation
Research: The design and evaluation of theory-based public health assessments and interventions. Work has been applied to pediatric physical activity and snacking behaviors, food safety efficacy, adolescent spit tobacco use and college binge drinking.
Shixi Zhao
Assistant Professor
Program Coordinator for the Health Education Undergraduate Program
Office: Johnson Center 112D
Telephone: 505-277-8187
Email: shixizhao@unm.edu
Education: Ph.D., Texas A&M
Courses: Measurement and Evaluation, Grant Writing, Program Planning, and Health Behavior Theory for Health Promotion.
Research: Health behavior, social determinates of health, public health genomics, children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, cancer prevention, control and chronic diseases prevention.
Dr. Suzanne Williams
Lecturer III
Office: Johnson Center 1150E
Telephone: 505-277-3104
Email: sewilliams@unm.edu
Education: Ph.D., University of Kansas
Courses: Emotional Health and Interpersonal Relationships, Physical Activity and Aging, Stress Management, Death and Dying, Personal Health Management
Health Education Part-time Instructors
Meghann Dallin
Email: mdallin@unm.edu
Education: MPH, New Mexico State University
Courses: Program Planning & Evaluation, Personal Health Management, Foundations of Health Promotion
Jennifer Escajeda
Email: jescajed@unm.edu
Education: MPH, University of New Mexico
Courses: Foundations of Health Promotion, Introduction to Health Behavior Theory, Emotional Health and Interpersonal Relationships, Education for AIDS Prevention, Violence Prevention
Megan Merchant
Office: Johnson Center
Email: mamerch@unm.edu
Education: M.S., University of New Mexico
Courses: Stress Less, Sleep Better, Fundamentals of Human Sexuality, Conflict Mediation, Stress Management, and various PENP courses
Veronica Plaza
Email: veplaza@salud.unm.edu
Education: MD, University of Rosario, Argentina; MPH, University of New Mexico
Courses: Social Determinants and Multi-Cultural Health, Health Issues of Death and Dying
