Dr. Sharon Ross is an Associate Professor of Health and Human Development and director of the Latino Family Health Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Education. She holds a dual appointment as assistant professor of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences in the Graduate School of Public Health. Prior to her time at Pitt, Dr. Ross was Postdoctoral Fellow at the Children’s Physical Activity Research Group in the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina. She completed her PhD in Biobehavioral Health at Penn State University.
She has published in peer-reviewed journals including BMC Public Health, the Journal of Nutrition, Education, and Behavior, and Health Promotion Practice. Dr. Ross has served as an ad hoc reviewer for nearly 25 academic journals, including the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Pediatrics, Childhood Obesity, and the International Journal of Environmental Research in Public Health.
As primary or co-investigator, Dr. Ross’s research has received nearly $4 million in grant funding from organizations such as the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Brady Foundation. She is a member of professional organizations including the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Public Health Association. She is a Fellow with the American College of Sports Medicine and serves as a member on ACSM’s Strategic Health Initiative for Health Equity committee.
Dr. Ross teaches several courses at the undergraduate and graduate level, including topics related to the social determinants of health and health equity and health promotion program design, implementation and evaluation, and research methods. Her teaching is informed by her community-engaged research and commitment to equity and justice in health and human development.