About our Department
The Gillings School's Department of Health Behavior is the home for Master of Public Health concentrations in global health and health behavior, as well as a dual master's degree and a doctoral degree. Our students develop the skills they need to be community change agents for issues that undermine public health both locally and globally, including: violence, obesity, cancer, HIV, health policy and health disparities.

Inclusive Excellence
At the Gillings School, diversity and inclusion mean we welcome, value and learn from individual differences and perspectives. By cultivating inclusion within the School, we better prepare our students, faculty and staff for the diverse world that awaits them. A globally-interconnected world needs culturally competent people to serve as its leaders. Diversity and inclusion are assets that contribute to our excellence.

Our Mission
The Department of Health Behavior’s mission is to provide leadership in research, teaching and practice to understand the social and behavioral determinants of health problems and develop effective interventions that are built on theory, scientific evidence, and respect for basic values of justice and human dignity in North Carolina, nationally, and internationally.

Spotlights

Julie Kafka, PhD, MPH

Kafka receives 2023 Dean's Distinguished Dissertation Award

Explore our Department

Health Behavior Concentration (MPH)

The Gillings School's Health Behavior concentration prepares students for leadership positions in public health practice.

Global Health Concentration (MPH)

The Global Health concentration will provide you with the knowledge and skills to advance the health and well-being of populations in diverse global settings.

Health Equity, Social Justice and Human Rights Concentration (MPH)

This concentration will prepare you for positions in diverse areas of public health through training in quantitative, qualitative and community-engaged approaches in research and practice.

Our Doctoral Degree

The doctoral program is for students with a master’s degree in public health (or equivalent field) who want to advance understanding of health-related behaviors and their determinants at all social levels.

Current Students

Departmental resources for current students are available here.

Our Research

Our faculty and students are active researchers in North Carolina, the U.S. and globally.

Gillings Health Behavior Newsfeed

Our news feed includes articles about students and faculty who are reducing health risks and promoting healthy lives.

Diversity and Inclusion

By cultivating inclusion within the School, we better prepare our students, faculty and staff for the diverse world that awaits them.

Hatch-Barnhill Scholarship

The Hatch-Barnhill Scholarship helps us recruit and train the best and brightest students to do critical work addressing health equity.

Promoting healthy behaviors, engaging communities, shaping policy.
Apply
RELATED PAGES
CONTACT INFORMATION
Contact your Academic Coordinator.
Assistant to Chair: Wendi Seiler
Looking for someone else?

135 Dauer Drive
302 Rosenau Hall, CB #7440
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7440
(919) 966-3761