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Dr. Retta Evans, professor of Community Health and Human Services.

Retta Evans, Ph.D., MCHES is a full professor of Community Health and Human Services in the School of Education's Department of Human Studies and serves as the graduate program director for the Ph.D. program in Community Health Promotion.

Evans earned her Ph.D. in Health Education from the University of Arkansas in 1996. She began working for the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2003. Her research interests include a wide array of topics related to adolescents, young adults, and college students' health behaviors related to wellness, nutrition, and physical activity.

Dr. Evans began her career in higher education in Georgia at Georgia SW State University, where she served as an assistant/associate professor in health education in the School of Education. During that time, Evans spent seven years training teachers in rural Georgia to implement innovative nutrition and physical activity initiatives in elementary and middle schools. Since coming to UAB, Evans has spent substantial time volunteering her expertise across Alabama to develop state policies and practices to promote healthy behaviors among adolescents and young adults.

Recently, two of Dr. Evans' online courses that she designed have been chosen by UAB eLearning to be showcased as high-quality courses at UAB through the eLearning website! Interested in taking one of Evans' high-qaulity courses? Register for CHHS 642 Applied Behavioral Theory in Health Promotion and CHHS 200 Quality of Life. Students can also register for CHHS 489/689 Intervention Strategies in Health Education and Promotion in you're looking for another course to add to your schedule. 

Get to know Dr. Evans a little more! Read our Q&A with her below.

Do you have a favorite quote? If so, what is it, and why? 

I couldn't choose just one quote, so here are a couple of my favorites...

"Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're right." -  Henry Ford.

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." - Albert Einstein.

"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." - Eleanor Roosevelt.

 

What advice do you have for students? 

Don’t give up! Get involved early! Get to know your professors! Also, take advantage of UAB student opportunities to serve the community.

 

Favorite part of your job? 

The best part of my job is mentoring, teaching, and working with my students through their collegiate journey. 

 

What do you love most about Community Health & Human Services?

The faculty I work with and the many opportunities to serve the community and improve health.

 

Describe life working in a Community Health and Human Services field?

I work primarily work with K-12 schools in improving wellness and health outcomes. What I love about the K-12 environment is that every day is different!

 

Fun fact about yourself

Away from academia, I enjoy spending time with family and friends. I love to travel and enjoy gardening, hiking, and anything active and outdoors. I am an avid runner and teach group exercise classes at the UAB Recreation Center and YMCA.

Learn more about our Community Health and Human Services program here.