Endowed positions
College of Health
Endowed positions recognize and support faculty who are nationally known as scholars, educators, researchers and leaders in their fields. We honor our endowed faculty and applaud the donors who created these positions.
Robert and Sara Rothschild Endowed Chair
Sunil is internationally known for his research in the field of global health. He has worked on examining how inclusive, participatory, empowering, and sustainable strategies to engage communities in Botswana and India can lead to decolonization of global health and improve health and well-being of people in a manner that is locally relevant, engaging, and sustainable. Additionally, he is actively engaged in collaboratively working with a diverse group of stakeholders to enhance the effectiveness of efforts by governmental and non-governmental organizations to improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable social groups and to promote social equity in the U.S. and globally.
Hallie Ford Director for the Center for Healthy Children and Families
Megan is well known for her research on optimizing children's development, especially as it relates to early social and cognitive development and success in school. Her research on self-regulation and kindergarten readiness has been widely cited in media in Oregon and across the nation and applied by state policy makers. In fact, 2013 marks the first year every Oregon kindergartner will be assessed by their teacher on skills related to self-control.
Moore Family Center Endowed Director (interim)
Siew-Sun's research areas are obesity prevention and youth calcium and bone health. Her interests include innovative nutrition education, especially among low-income families, where she develops and evaluates education games. She is also interested in dietary assessments, Extension program evaluation, and international nutrition.
Katherine E. Smith Healthy Children and Families Professor
Megan is well known for her research on optimizing children's development, especially as it relates to early social and cognitive development and success in school. Her research on self-regulation and kindergarten readiness has been widely cited in media in Oregon and across the nation and applied by state policy makers. In fact, 2013 marks the first year every Oregon kindergartner will be assessed by their teacher on skills related to self-control.
IMPACT for Life Faculty Scholar
Megan's research interests are related to how motor skills and physically active lifestyles improve the lives of children and youth with and without disabilities. She has a specific research interest in the movement skills of children with autism spectrum disorder including how to improve motor skills for children with autism and how motor skills interact with social communication skills.
Emily Rynerson Cosci Benton County Professor for Environmental Education
Maggie Livesay
A geologist by training, Maggie Livesay has been part of the Oregon State University Extension faculty since 1998. She is the first person to hold the Emily Rynerson Cosci Benton County Professorship for Environmental Education, a 4-H staff position. She focuses on giving youth and families a foundation for gaining knowledge of their local environment. She works with teachers and volunteers to provide programs that give youth opportunities for research, community service and getting them outside and connected to science and nature
Barbara Emily Knudson Chair in Family Policy
David's broad research interests include poverty, families, and social policy. In this work he aims to understand the mechanisms driving social and economic inequalities. He is currently researching child poverty across countries and over time, poverty measurement based on financial assets and net worth, financial stability of families with a child with a neurodevelopmental disability, and factors that influence financial capability and inclusion. Much of this work compares policies and institutional frameworks between the US, Canada, and other OECD countries.
Moore Family Outreach Coordinator
Jenny is passionate about nutrition education and whole grains and is implementing whole grain messaging with 20 K-8 schools in the Portland metro area. She works in partnership with the Moore Family Center for Whole Grain Foods, Nutrition and Preventive Health, linking research to application in communities and changing lives through good nutrition.
Jo Anne Leonard Director of the Center for Healthy Aging Research
Carolyn is a nationally recognized expert on how psychosocial factors affect health and is particularly interested in how individuals cope with stress. She also examines how personality, mental health and physical health change across the lifespan, particularly factors that affect the rate of aging. Her research has been widely cited in the media, including New York Magazine, NPR and Woman's Day.
Jo Anne Leonard Petersen Chair in Gerontology and Family Studies
Suzanne's research primarily addresses the interactions among psychological, cognitive, immunological, and physical health in older adults. She is particularly interested in understanding how aspects of self-regulation, including personality, behavior, and executive cognitive function, affect well-being and health.
Celia Strickland Austin and G. Kenneth Austin III Professor in Public Health and Human Sciences
Veronica uses a community-engaged approach to develop, implement and evaluate behavior change programs across a comprehensive list of health priorities. Her primary area of focus is breast cancer and cancer screening and the role of lay health navigators. She also has translated her expertise in behavior change to the field of environmental health sciences.
Leonard and Brenda Aplet Financial Literacy Professor
Tracy's work, through the Oregon State University Extension Service, focuses on Youth Development and Community Food Systems with the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs.