Principal Investigator
Kathryn M. Ross, Ph.D. M.P.H.
Dr. Ross is an Associate Professor and the Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Clinical & Health Psychology and in the Social and Behavioral Sciences program in the College of Public Health and Health Professions. Her research focuses on the prevention and treatment of adult obesity, with particular emphasis on improving the long-term maintenance of weight loss and developing effective behavioral weight management interventions that can be disseminated on a public-health level. Increasingly, she has begun to investigate the integration of newer technology into weight management interventions as a way of lowering cost of treatment delivery and increasing intervention reach. Dr. Ross currently teaches within the Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration in the MPH and PhD in Public Health programs. She advises masters and doctoral students both in the Department of Clinical Psychology and in Public Health.
Research Coordinator
Meena Shankar, M.S., R.D., C.C.R.C.
Meena Shankar is the Research Coordinator for the Health Promotion Lab in the Department of Clinical and Health psychology. She earned her B.S. and M.S. in Nutrition from the University of Florida and is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Clinical Research Coordinator. Before working in the research setting, Meena was a clinical dietitian assessing nutritional requirements of patients with gastrointestinal diseases, heart disease, and diabetes. She recently finished work on a behavioral weight management study that took place in 14 rural North Florida counties. Outside of work, she enjoys reading and traveling.
Graduate Students
Andrea N. Brockmann, M.A.
Andrea Brockmann is a sixth-year graduate student in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology (and is currently a behavioral medicine track intern at in the psychology predoctoral internship training program at the VA Palo Alto). She earned her B.S. in psychology from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and her M.A. from Northern Arizona University. During her time at NAU she completed a thesis focused on outcomes in a women’s weight loss program, and was a member of a neuroscience lab examining the interaction between depression and sleep apnea. After graduating from NAU Andrea engaged in clinical work in a rural community health center focused on psychiatric rehabilitation and integrative care. Throughout her academic and clinical journeys she has always been interested in the intersection between physical health and emotional health, specifically in obesity treatment. Andrea’s primary research interests are in developing obesity interventions informed by theory from a multi-disciplinary perspective, with particular interest in physical activity and weight loss maintenance. During her free time she enjoys exercising (from taekwondo to trapeze), cooking/baking, and traveling.
Umelo Ugwoaba, M.S.
Umelo Ugwoaba is a sixth-year doctoral student in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology (and is currently a behavioral medicine track intern at in the psychology predoctoral internship training program at the VA Palo Alto). He is from Seattle and received his Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Washington. As an undergraduate he worked at the Early Childhood Cognition Lab (ECCL), assisting with projects which explored the development of fairness concerns in infancy. At the same time, Umelo worked with the Sports Medicine Department at UW as an athletic training intern, providing injury treatment and rehabilitation services for student-athletes. After graduating, Umelo continued to work at the ECCL while applying for Peace Corps. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Indonesia, he served as an English instructor with secondary projects in leadership and youth development. Umelo’s interests are in health promotion and the development of effective behavioral interventions which lead to improved health outcomes at both the individual and community level. Outside of the classroom and the lab, he enjoys reading, listening to music, and playing sports.
Kelsey M. Arroyo, M.S.
Kelsey Arroyo is a fourth-year graduate student in the Department of Clinical Health Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from William Smith College in Geneva, NY where she worked on projects examining the relationship between mindfulness, cognitive fusion, and health behaviors as a research assistant. Kelsey also received her Master of Science in Health Promotion from the University of Connecticut where she assisted with projects that leveraged mHealth tools and social media to deliver behavioral weight loss interventions. Throughout her academic journey, Kelsey has developed an immense interest in how novel health communication strategies influence health-related knowledge, attitudes, and behavior regarding eating and physical activity. She is also interested in the development of effective behavioral weight loss interventions using such strategies. In her free time, Kelsey enjoys exploring new walking trails and parks, spending time with friends, watching sports, and trying out new restaurants.
Taylor N. Swanson, B.A.
taylorswanson@phhp.ufl.edu| CV
Taylor Swanson is a third-year graduate student in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Public Health, and Human Development from the University at Albany in New York in 2019. After graduating, she was a research assistant at the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, where she worked on a longitudinal study assessing the psychosocial and physical health components of pediatric obesity. Taylor’s current research interests include the relationships between health behaviors, psychosocial factors, environment, and health literacy within individuals with or at risk of chronic illness. She is also interested in how these relationships interact so that lifestyle management and prevention interventions can be developed at both the individual and community levels. During her free time, Taylor likes to exercise, read, and travel.
Kelsey L. Barrett, B.A., B.S.
Kelsey Barrett is a second-year graduate student in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Biology and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. After graduation, she continued work as a research assistant in a child development lab where she established a project focusing on exploring children’s beliefs and predictions about the impact of nutrition on individuals who vary in body type or physical activity level. Broadly, Kelsey’s current research interests include health disparities in the context of obesity among rural communities. She is also interested in the development of accessible weight management interventions. In her spare time, Kelsey enjoys sewing, buying too many house plants, and occasionally running.
Armaan Shetty, B.S.
Armaan is a first-year graduate student in the Department of Clinical and Health Psychology. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in May 2023. Armaan’s current research interests include behavioral health interventions and their impact on physical, emotional, social, and cognitive health. He is also interested in assessing cost analysis and the economic efficacy of implementing behavioral health interventions on a large scale. In his free time, Armaan enjoys traveling, spending time with friends and family, and playing soccer.
Research Assistants
Kendall DeFranco
Kendall DeFranco is a fourth-year undergraduate student and volunteer research assistant at the Health Promotion Lab. She is pursuing her Bachelor of Health Science degree with a minor in Dance and plans to attend medical school following a gap year after graduation. Kendall has been dancing since the age of four and is growing an interdisciplinary awareness of her passion for science and the arts by also pursuing the Dance in Medicine certificate with the UF Center for Arts in Medicine. Additionally, Kendall works part-time as a medical scribe in the UF Health Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and she is an Ambassador for the UF College of Public Health and Health Professions through the Health Professions College Council. She wishes to continue learning about empowering patient populations to achieve wellness at the individual and community level through the experiences she is gaining as a research assistant in the lab. In her free time, Kendall enjoys running, exploring nature, baking, and spending time with friends and family.
Lab Alumni
Postdoctoral Associates:
Graduate students:
- Abraham Eastman, PhD (2016-2022)
- Charlayne Scarlett, MS (2019-2021)
- Brittney Dixon, PhD (2016-2020)
- Sabrina Islam, PhD (2016-2019)
MPH Interns:
Research Assistants:
- Alexandra McMahon, B.S. (2020-2022)
- Abigail Gracy, B.H.S. (2021-2023)