Kate Heelan, PhD, FACSM

Professor

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Dr. Heelan is a Professor of Research. She has over 25 years of experience working with rural communities to implement evidence-based obesity prevention and treatment program strategies into schools, communities and families. She has successfully worked with several school districts to assess, evaluate and implement programs to successfully decrease prevalence of obesity by changing school environments to promote physical activity and healthy eating. Overall, her research and service focus on meaningful, applicable approaches to prevent and treat obesity while working with communities and schools to provide ownership for sustainable programming.

Education

PhD, Major area of emphasis: Exercise Science, Kansas University, 2003
MA, Exercise Science, University of Nebraska-Kearney, 1995
BS, Math, Drury College 1993

Research Interests

Dr. Heelan has expertise, leadership, and the desire to work with dissemination and implementation of health programs in rural communities. Her mission is to address the obesity epidemic by providing expertise in community programs and initiatives aimed at increasing physical activity and healthy eating behaviors across the lifespan. She has over 25 years of experience working with rural communities to strengthen partnerships with public school systems, health centers, community agencies, and family units.

She works to provide evidence-based obesity prevention and treatment program strategies to schools, medical clinics, communities, and families. Most recently she has adapted, implemented, and packaged an evidence-based, family healthy weight program and is currently expanding this program to rural communities through train-the-trainer modalities.

Our team has successfully implemented Building Healthy Families (BHF) into rural and micropolitan communities in Nebraska through our online training resources and program package. We have successfully demonstrated our ability to develop and implement strategies to reach families in micropolitan and rural areas and effectively reduce child weight status using adaptations of evidence-based interventions. This program is currently expanding nationwide.

Honors and Awards

2020 Leland Holdt/Security Mutual Life Insurance Company Distinguished Faculty Award, University of Nebraska Kearney
2015 Health Education Professional of the Year, SHAPE Nebraska
2013 Friends of Children, Nebraska School Nurses Association
2010 Healthy Community Advocacy Award, Good Samaritan Hospital, Kearney, NE
2010 Fellow, American College of Sports Medicine
2006 Pratt-Heins Faculty Award for Research, University of Nebraska at Kearney
2002 Fellow, Physical Activity and Public Health Research Course- Research Prevention Center, NIA School of Public Health, University of South Carolina