UNC Greensboro|Directory|Omari Dyson

Omari Dyson

Omari Dyson, Kinesiology

AP Associate Professor

Kinesiology

Email Address: oldyson@uncg.edu

Bio & Education

Dr. Omari L. Dyson is an Academic Professional Associate Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). He earned his Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Curriculum Studies from Purdue University. Dr. Dyson’s scholarship explores the complex intersections of power, culture, social identity, and health, with a focus on advancing equity through critical health education and wellness.

An interdisciplinary thinker and practitioner, Dr. Dyson is deeply invested in how love, humanism, reflection, mindfulness, voice, and care can catalyze individual and social transformation. His professional and personal commitments intersect through his roles as a father, husband, educator, community servant, personal trainer, group exercise instructor, and martial artist. He is especially passionate about addressing child and adult obesity through innovative approaches including movement-based education, policy advocacy, and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality.

Courses Taught

  •  KIN 172: Beginning Self-Defense
  • KIN 220: Lifetime Wellness
  • KIN 701: Research Topics in Kinesiology 
  • KIN 717: Qualitative Methods in Kinesiology
  • KIN 731: Curriculum Development in Kinesiology
  • KIN 739: Knowledge & Scholarship in Kinesiology 
  • KIN 750: Seminar in Kinesiology 
  • KIN 753: Professional Dissertation Seminar
  • KIN 778: Professional Seminar in Grant Writing 

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Book
Dyson, O.L. (2014). The Black Panther Party and Transformative Pedagogy: Place-Based
Education in Philadelphia. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Refereed Journal Articles
McGuirt, J.T., Enahora, B., Dyson, O.L., Tripicchio, G., Mallard, L., & Rhea, C.K. (2021).
Virtual avatar coaching with community context for adult-child dyads with low income. Journal
of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(3), 232-239.

McGuirt, J., Dyson, O.L., & Rhea, C. (2020). Development of a virtual reality avatar software
program to prevent obesity in children from low-income communities. Journal of Nutrition
Education and Behavior, 52(7S).

McGuirt, J., Cooke, N., Burgermaster, M., Enahora, B., Huebner, G., Meng, Y., Tripicchio, G.,
Dyson, O.L., Stage, V., & Wong, S.S. (2020). Extended reality technologies in nutrition
education and behavior: Scoping review and future directions. Nutrients, 12, 2899.

Encyclopedia
Dyson, O.L., Jeffries J.L., & Brooks, K.L. (2020). African American Culture: An Encyclopedia of
People, Traditions, and Customs. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Publishing. 3 Volumes, 1100
pages.

Film Review
Dyson, O.L. (2021). One Night in Miami [Film review]. Spectrum: A Journal on
Black Men.