HPBS Faculty & Alumni Publications

Read about recent publications from faculty and alumni in the Dept. of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences (HPBS).


HPBS graduate, Baraka Muvaka, PhD, MPH, assistant professor, Ryan Combs, PhD, MA, and alumna, Nida Ali, PhD, MPH, had their article “Depression Is Real: Developing a Health Communication Campaign in an Urban African American Community” published in Progress in Community Health Partnerships. The manuscript outlines their use of the Boot Camp Translation to create Depression is Real, a culturally tailored campaign for African American residents who suffer from depression. The authors also describe the results of the intervention designed to increase referrals to and utilization of services for depression among West Louisville residents. Read more:


In June 2020, two HPBS faculty published commentaries in Leisure Sciences about the effects of COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Aishia Brown, PhD, Assistant Professor, discusses the role of power and social control in supporting the needs of the most vulnerable young people: those who are experiencing poverty, incarceration, foster care, homelessness, and those with marginalized identities.. They present strategies for leisure researchers and practitioners to overcome the loss of critical support structures and mitigate exponential effects of the pandemic on youth. Read more
  • Brandy Kelly Pryor, MA, PhD, HPBS Assistant Professor and Corliss Outley, PhD of Clemson University examine how DJ and producer Derrick “D-Nice” Jones created #ClubQuantine using Instagram Live to reproduce and perform hope through dual components of his musical sets: 1) participatory/performative healing and 2) cultural preservation. Read more

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