Department of Public Health Education

Dr. Sharon D. Morrison, MSPH, MHSE, PhD
Associate Professor

Research Interests

Dr. Morrison is an Associate Professor and former Director of the Undergraduate Program (2007-2010) in the Department of Public Health Education. She earned a BS in Biology (Barry University), MSPH in Parasitology and Laboratory Practice (University of North Carolina), MHSE in Health Education (University of Florida), and PhD in Health Behavior with a minor Medical Anthropology (University of Florida).

Her research agenda is broadly defined as: 1) understanding HIV/AIDS (and STI) prevention, treatment, and care factors in U.S. cross-cultural populations and international settings, and 2) identifying health education needs and supportive interventions for cultural adaptation and positive health outcomes in immigrants and refugees. Her research and scholarship are grounded in the principles of transnational/cross-cultural competency, community-based participatory research and applied anthropological methods. She has conducted fieldwork in the Bahamas, Jamaica (her native homeland), Mexico, South Africa and Zambia.

Research projects related to HIV/Prevention have included Social capital in HIV prevention among schoolgirls in the rural Caribbean (2003-2004), Social capital and HIV literacy in African and Hispanic/Latina immigrant women (2003-2005), Immigrant Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT) Access (2005-2006), Media and Performing Arts in HIV outreach in South Africa (2005), and HIV, stigma, and health among African immigrants (2008-2009) and Enablers of HIV testing decision-making among Hispanic/Latina immigrant women in the U.S. South (2010-present).

Projects related to immigrant and refugee cultural adaptation and health have included Health Literacy for Life with Immigrant Women (2001-2003), Cultural Adaptation Resources Project (CARP) (2003-2004), and Ethnic Community Strategies for Immigrant Childcare (2006-2007) and Post-resettlement chronic and emergency health care needs of refugees (2010-present).

Dr. Morrison's work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as the International Quarterly of Community Health Education, International Electronic Journal of Health Education, and Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health. She is a member of the American Public Health Association, the Society for Public Health Education, and the Eta Sigma Gamma and Phi Beta Delta honor societies. Dr. Morrison is a Sustaining Fellow, Executive Board member and current Treasurer of the Society for Applied Anthropology.

Dr. Morrison teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses. She has an interest in service-learning pedagogy and has developed and taught, Service Learning in International Health (Zambia)

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