Hannah Catalano

Hannah P. Catalano, Ph.D., MCHES is Associate Professor of Public Health in the School of Health & Applied Human Sciences at University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW). Prior to working in academia, she served as a K-12 school health and physical education teacher. She began at UNCW as an Assistant Professor in the undergraduate Public Health program in fall 2015. During her time, she has contributed in various academic capacities to support and enhance the program.

Education

B.S. in Physical Education, East Carolina University
MAED in Health Educaiton, East Carolina University
Ph.D in Health Education & Promotion, The University of Alabama

Research Interests

Child and Adolescent Health Promotion in School and Community Settings (Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model planning and implementation; High-quality K-12 school health education;
College Student Health;
Professional Preparation of Health Education Specialists;
Women's Health (HPV, Cancer prevention, vaccination, motherhood)

In 2021, she founded and launched the WSCC Research Collaboratory at UNCW to engage students in scholarly WSCC discussions and facilitate meaningful research to improve child health. More recently, she founded and co-leads the North Carolina Healthy & Thriving Kids Collaboratory with professionals across the state. The aim of this Collaboratory is to: (a) identify potential intra-professional and interprofessional research & evaluation partnerships across NC institutions/agencies, and (b) research and address important issues that have the potential to positively impact NC children’s health, school readiness, and/or academic success.

Professional Service

She has engaged in extensive professional service. She previously served as a member of the National Committee on the Future of School Health and the National Consensus on School Health Expert Review Group. She previously served on the American School Health Association's (ASHA) Board of Directors. She currently serves on the ASHA Research & Publications Committee and Society for Public Health Education's Professional Development Committee. Additionally, she is an editorial board member for the Journal of School Health and the American Journal of Health Education.

Community Engagement

She is interested and engaged in efforts that aim to support child and adolescent health in school and community-based settings. She currently serves on the New Hanover County Schools Health Advisory Council. She welcomes community engagement collaborations where she can assist schools and community organizations with research or evaluation needs to strengthen health promotion program, policy, and/or process effectiveness.

Honors & Awards

2020 Jack Davis Professional Achievement Awardee, College of Human Environmental Sciences, The University of Alabama , March 2021
Founding Faculty Fellow, UNC-UNCW Research Collaboratory, UNCW College of Health & Human Services, February 2021
The Horizon Award, Society for Public Health Education, April 2018
NextUp Faculty Leadership Development Fellow, UNCW, August 2016-May 2017
Future Leaders Academy Fellow, American School Health Association, September 2016-July 2018
John P. McGovern, National Scholarship Award, Eta Sigma Gamma, April 2015