Cheryl Merzel

Director of Doctor of Public Health Program

Clinical Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Community Health Science and Practice

Professional overview

Cheryl Merzel has over 30 years’ experience in public health research, evaluation, program development, advocacy, and education. She is Director of the GPH Doctor of Public Health program. Previously, she served as the School’s MPH Program Director and as Director of Educational Advancement and Assessment. In addition to NYU, she has served on the public health faculty at a number of institutions including Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, the City University of New York, and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Dr. Merzel is currently Editor-in-Chief of the journal Pedagogy in Health Promotion: The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. Dr. Merzel’s work focuses on the design and evaluation of community-based health promotion interventions and development of community capacity to engage in efforts to improve population health. Past areas of research include adolescent health, maternal and child health, and tobacco control. Her recent work involves developing approaches to support public health practitioners and communities in translating research to relevant, evidence-based practice. Dr. Merzel is committed to improving public health pedagogy through scholarship and innovative teaching practice. 

Education

BA, Biology, Yeshiva University, New York, NY

MS, Jewish Education, Yeshiva University, New York, NY

MPH, Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University, New York, NY

DrPH, Sociomedical Sciences/Political Science, Columbia University, New York, NY

Honors and awards

Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Delta Beta Chapter (2016)

Calderone Award for Junior Faculty Development, Columbia University (2000)

Marissa de Castro Benton Dissertation Prize, Columbia University (1988)

Alumni Scholarship, Columbia University (1987)

Areas of research and study

Community-based health promotion

Community-based intervention design and evaluation

Community-based participatory research

Dissemination and Implementation of Evidence-based Programs

Public Health Pedagogy

Publications

Publications

Advancing Pedagogies to Promote Mental Health and Interprofessional Education

Pedagogy for Transformative Teaching and Learning

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on the Frontlines of Education

Pedagogy in Health Promotion: Our Focus Is The Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Pedagogy to Guide the Next 70 Years of SOPHE and 150 Years of American Public Health

Realizing Promising Educational Practices in Academic Public Health: A Model for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Forming the Future: Undergraduate Pedagogy in Health Promotion and Public Health

Looking to the Future: Reimagining Pedagogy in Health Promotion and Public Health

Message From the Editor-in-Chief

The Road to a New Normal: Reflecting on Pedagogy During a Pandemic

Advancing Pedagogy in Health Promotion: Innovations in Student Participation, Place-Based Pedagogy, and Service Learning

Message From the Editor-in-Chief

Message From the Editor-in-Chief

Message From the Editor-in-Chief: Pedagogy for a Pandemic and Beyond

Pedagogical Scholarship in Public Health: A Call for Cultivating Learning Communities to Support Evidence-Based Education

Becoming a Professional: Online Discussion Boards as a Tool for Developing Professionalism among MPH Students

Smoking cessation among U.S. Hispanic/Latino adults: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Using the Interactive Systems Framework to Support a Quality Improvement Approach to Dissemination of Evidence-Based Strategies to Promote Early Detection of Breast Cancer: Planning a Comprehensive Dynamic Trial

Identifying women at-risk for smoking resumption after pregnancy

Translating public health knowledge into practice: Development of a lay health advisor perinatal tobacco cessation program

Adherence to antiretroviral therapy among older children and adolescents with HIV: A qualitative study of psychosocial contexts

Check out that body: A community awareness campaign in New York City

Making the connections: Community capacity for tobacco control in an Urban African American Community

Developing and Sustaining Community—Academic Partnerships: Lessons From Downstate New York Healthy Start

A community-based intervention designed to increase preventive health care seeking among adolescents: The gonorrhea community action project