2024 AAHB Election Results

President-Elect

Philip M. Massey, PhD, MPH, FAAHB

President-Elect Statement:

I am deeply honored to have been elected as the President-Elect of the American Academy of Health Behavior.

A little about me: I am an Associate Professor in Community Health Sciences at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. My health communication scholarship focuses on media and technology, vaccine communication, health literacy, entertainment education, and ethics in social media research. I have developed and tested cancer prevention messages on social media to engage parents about the HPV vaccine (1R01CA229324-01A1), leveraging the power of narrative engagement and storytelling. My global health work has examined the impact of media effects on health knowledge and attitudes, specifically related to storytelling and narrative engagement among a West African population, utilizing digital and social media and funded by the Gates Foundation. While I call California home, I am a native of North Carolina and love road trips with my wife and three daughters, exploring nature, playing and watching sports, and eating plenty of great food.

AAHB has been my academic home since 2013 and I first attended the conference in Charleston, SC in 2014. My introduction to AAHB was like many others in the academy: I was encouraged by my mentor and advisor, Dr. Deborah Glik, to check out this thriving group of scholars and to find a way to get involved. I took her advice and haven’t looked back. Over the past 10 years, I have served twice on the conference planning committee (2015, 2020), been a member of the membership council (2018-2020), chaired the conference research review committee (2020), participated as a mentor in the research scholars and mentorship program (2023-2024), and currently serve as member delegate (2021-2024).

My overarching goal as president of AAHB would be to deepen member bonds and amplify our member scholarship. I would accomplish this by cultivating cross-cutting team science, supporting trainees and early career scholars, and promoting the scholarly impact of our membership to grow the academy’s national reputation.

1. Team science is winning science. In my experience, we are our best when we when we listen to each other – not just hear each other, but actually listen – especially when we bring different perspectives into the fold. As an academy of health behavior scholars, we draw from diverse disciplines, and are our best when we highlight and integrate this diversity of scholarship. This is already part of our DNA, as evidenced by our robust conference programming. I support activities that strengthen team science among our membership, including grant writing and review workshops, mentoring opportunities, and peer exchanges among our mid- and senior-level scholars.

2. Trainees and early career scholars are the future of our academy. The academy will continue to exemplify cutting-edge scholarship by supporting the success of our trainees and early career scholars. I want the next generation of scholars to feel at home in the academy and to know that they are vital to the life of our academy. I will work to continue the incredible work of programs such as the Research Mentorship & Scholars Program, and identify additional strategies to support early career scholars, as well as to recruit and retain trainees and graduating students.

3. AAHB’s national reputation and recognition. Our membership represents the top scholars in our respective fields. Our members are among the most grant active at their institutions and produce some of the most impactful scholarship. I value the size of our academy as it allows for relationship building, valuable mentoring, and more intimate networking. I also value our top-notch scholarship and want to amplify this. I see opportunities to grow our national recognition by implementing tailored outreach activities to specific units and institutions. This will not only grow our national reputation but will also deepen the quality of our membership, collaborating with the top scholars from respective fields.

I am a passionate scholar and a humble colleague, and this would translate to my leadership role at the academy. My leadership style is other-oriented and goal-oriented. Simply put, I am at my happiest and healthiest when others around me succeed. That means that I will be intentional in identifying opportunities to elevate our academy’s collective diversity and excellence. I continue to be in awe of the level of scholarship in the academy that is balanced by the collegiality of its members. Our speakers and conference schedule represent cutting-edge and impactful research, and our members are national and international leaders in their fields. Yet also, they are my friends, my collaborators, and my close colleagues whose careers I admire and support. AAHB is a special organization that is driven by its impressive and thoughtful membership. I commit to you that I will devote my time and efforts to help the organization grow and thrive. I hope that my vision for the academy resonates with you.

Treasurer

Erika L. Thompson, PhD, MPH, FAAHB

Treasurer Statement:

I am extremely honored to have been elected as Secretary of the American Academy of Health Behavior. AAHB has been my academic home since 2016 when I first attended the conference in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL. At the time, I didn’t yet realize the importance AAHB would have on my academic career and professional development. I am trained in both epidemiology and social-behavioral sciences, which often left me unclear which disciplinary organization was best for me. Once I attended the first conference, I knew I found my place and people. I have since brought my doctoral students to AAHB in hopes that they too find their academic home.

Since first joining AAHB, I have found several ways to get involved. I have been a Professional Development and Mentoring Council member since 2015 and now serve as Council Chair as of 2022. I have enjoyed working with fellow AAHB member to explore new ways to engage and support our membership through webinars, workshops, and mentoring activities. Moreover, I was the Research Review Chair for the 2021 virtual annual meeting and subsequently Past Research Review Chair in 2022 where we instituted the Lightening Talks for the first time. Most recently, I was inducted as a Fellow and am extremely proud to carry on this honor and give back to the Academy.

I am currently an Associate Professor in the School of Public Health at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. My research focuses on HPV-related cancer prevention, primarily through vaccination, using mixed methods and community-engagement approaches. This work spans school-entry policies, alternative settings for vaccination, and decision-making support tools. I am also a member of several NIH consortiums that support enhancing the diversity of the biomedical workforce and reducing health disparities. Beyond work, I participate in community organizations and enjoy staying active and reading.

I have witnessed the immense necessity of the secretary position. The Secretary is responsible for documenting the progress of the Academy and updating the Policies & Procedures to reflect the current activities and vision for moving forward. I pride myself on attention to detail, which I believe is needed for this position. Moreover, I would appreciate the opportunity to continue my service on the AAHB Board of Directors to provide a voice to the next generation of the academy.

Member Delegate

Danny Valdez, PhD

Member Delegate Statement:

Greetings! I’m Danny Valdez. Currently, I serve as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Health Science at Indiana University's School of Public Health, Bloomington. My academic training includes an MS in 2014 and PhD in Health Education in 2018, both from Texas A&M, and post-doctoral training at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville.

I pride myself on being a computational health communication data scientist. At the heart of my research is the application of Natural Language Processing, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence to decipher and model unstructured language data, which affords insights into health beliefs, behaviors, events, and crises. This work has spanned multiple health-behavior domains, including addiction and recovery, sexual and reproductive health, infectious disease spread, mental health, and quality of online health information.

I first attended the AAHB annual meeting in 2018. By its conclusion, I was convinced that the Academy was my academic home. My involvement with the Academy deepened over time, solidifying its reputation in my eyes as an elite platform for pioneering research, collaboration, innovation, and group membership. A highlight of my association was in 2020 when I joined the RSMP cohort alongside Dr. Jennifer Unger. By 2022, I achieved full membership in the Academy and was humbled to receive the Judy K. Black Early Career award the following year. Presently, I'm dedicating my efforts as an active member in the Marketing, Awards, and Program Planning councils, which have independently and collectively impacted my perspectives on the historied legacy and future of AAHB.

As a delegate, I aim to uphold the high standards of AAHB and advocate for an inclusive environment for all members, regardless of race, religion, career stage, gender expression, or sexual orientation. I recognize that members are pivotal to our organization, and I am committed to accurately representing their views at the Board level. My growth, both personally and professionally, is deeply tied to the Academy. I am eager to contribute further as a member delegate, continuing my service to an organization that has greatly impacted me.

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