The College of Public Health and Health Professions recognized seven graduates with 2024 Outstanding Alumni Awards at a celebration October 19 during PHHP Alumni Reunion Tailgate weekend. These graduates are making important contributions to clinical care, public health practice, education, research and policy in their communities and around the world.
Alumna of the Year
Cheryl Bodiford McNeil, Ph.D., graduated with a Ph.D. in clinical and health psychology (clinical child emphasis) from the college in 1989. After working at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, McNeil served as a tenured professor of psychology at West Virginia University for over 25 years before joining the UF College of Medicine as a professor of psychiatry. With seven authored books, continuous grant funding and more than 150 publications, McNeil has devoted her research to the study of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for young children with a variety of mental health concerns. She received Fellow status with both the American Psychological Association and the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies. She has been awarded numerous teaching, mentoring and research awards over the years, including the prestigious Elizabeth Hurlock Beckman Award for inspiring former students to make a significant contribution to society.
Professional achievement and career service
Christopher S. Besser, Ph.D., M.H.A., M.B.A., M.S., FACHE, earned both his Ph.D. from the college’s department of health services research, management and policy and a Master of Science from UF in 2014. He retired from the U.S. Army in 2022 after 22 years as a Medical Service Corps officer; he had the honor of serving in many executive leadership positions within various sizes of medical treatment centers and systems. Moreover, he was privileged to serve as the deputy healthcare administration consultant to the Army Surgeon General and was recognized for his expertise in his field. He has been married to his wife, April, for over 25 years, and together, they have four children. He is proud to be on the faculty of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as an assistant professor for the Master of Science in Healthcare Administration at the School of Health Professions’ department of healthcare management & leadership.
Julie Merten, Ph.D., earned her Ph.D. in social and behavioral sciences from the college in 2014. She was appointed to lead the University of North Florida’s MedNexus initiative by President Moez Limayem. She provides leadership and direction for MedNexus, including a 40,000 square foot state-of-the art simulation and learning center at the Deerwood site, expanding in-demand health care degrees in the Palm Coast region, and developing signature projects to prepare students for the health care workforce. A North Florida native, she is a professor in the UNF department of public health, serves on the Board of Directors for Baptist Health, and is involved nationally with the American Academy of Health Behavior. Her research focuses on behavioral cancer prevention, specifically in skin cancer and tobacco control. Her recognitions include the Jacksonville Business Journal 40 Under 40, Frank Barker Wellness Leader Award and the UNF Undergraduate Teaching Excellence Award.
Community impact
Beth Macauley, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, HPCS, FNAP, ACUE, earned a Ph.D. in communication sciences and disorders from UF in 1998 and has dedicated her career to advancing speech therapy and rehabilitation services worldwide. She is a distinguished speech-language pathologist renowned for her global impact on the lives of individuals with disabilities. Her innovative approaches, including equine-assisted therapy, have reached underserved communities in 17 countries across North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia, where she has implemented programs to improve communication and quality of life for people with disabilities. Through her tireless efforts, she continues to break down barriers, fostering inclusivity and empowerment for those most in need. It is estimated that her work has impacted over a million people with communication disorders worldwide. She is an associate professor of communication sciences and disorders at Grand Valley State University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is married to Shawn Macauley (Ph.D. 1996, UF College of Medicine). They have five children and two grandchildren.
Catherine McDermott, M.P.H., M.H.S., earned UF master’s degrees in public health, (environmental and global health) in 2013 and One Health in 2019. She is an epidemiology program manager for the Florida Department of Health, overseeing a team of epidemiologists covering five rural county health departments. She has responded to more than 40 different disease outbreaks, ranging from COVID-19 to multi-drug resistant organisms such as Candida auris, within several different types of congregate settings, fostering and leading partnerships between these settings and local health departments. She provides isolation guidance and infection control recommendations to facilities and disease education and awareness to patients and staff during case investigations. Prior to her work as a multi-county epidemiologist, she served as the Florida Zika Pregnancy Registry coordinator, following more than 500 mother-infant pairs for more than three years to identify infants with possible Zika-associated abnormalities and referring the infants to additional resources such as Florida’s Early Steps Program.
Entrepreneurship, innovation and thought leadership
Tana Bleser Carson, Ph.D., OTR/L, earned her UF master’s in occupational therapy in 2011 and a Ph.D. in behavioral and cognitive neuroscience in 2013. She has been engaged in autism research since 2005 and has seven years of clinical experience in pediatric occupational therapy at UF Health Rehab Center for Kids. She is currently an assistant professor at Florida International University, where she leads research, training and service programs focused on two important yet understudied areas of autism: drowning prevention and auditory hyper-reactivity. She is a certified adapted swim instructor and an America Red Cross Water Safety Instructor Trainer. She co-founded IMPACT Autism at UF and serves as a board member for Kids 4 Kids USA and Friends of Monroe County Parks and Beaches. She developed and co-coordinates the Keys Kids Swim program and is owner of Adaptive Associates, a consulting firm for adapted programs, research and service.
Taylor Kuhn, Ph.D., received his Ph.D. in clinical and health psychology from the college in 2014. A research neuroscientist at UCLA, he runs a neuropsychology, neuroimaging and neuromodulation lab, which focuses on exploring low intensity transcranial focused ultrasound as novel cognitive and affective neural prosthetics for patients with neurologic and psychiatric diseases. He founded the Enhancing NeuroImaging Genetics through Meta- Analysis Neuromodulation Working Group to bring together researchers from around the globe. He and his lab have developed a professional art collaboration with world renowned technology-driven artist Refik Anadol. Their work integrates MRI data sets with artificial intelligence to create free-form machine imaginings of human structural and functional neural networks, the first of which was a primary installation at the 2021 Venice Biennale. His lab has begun research investigating the clinical utility of art as a digital therapeutic for intervening in neurodegenerative diseases. A serial entrepreneur, he is involved in launching companies in regenerative medicine, medical device and medical software.
