Faculty & Staff

EdD, Physical Education-Teacher Education, West Virginia University

Dr. Lisa Griffin has served as the Director of the School of Health & Human Performance (SHHP) since 2013. In this role, she provides administrative leadership to SHHP and assists with the implementation of the College of Health Sciences’ programs, instruction and service goals. Prior to 2013, she was the Chair of the Department of Kinesiology at Georgia College (2010-2013), and the Program Coordinator for the Master in Arts in Teaching (MAT) Kinesiology/Physical Education degree (2008-2009). Before coming to Georgia College, Dr. Griffin served as a principal in a K-8 charter school and as a college professor. Her jobs have taken her to West Virginia, Maine, New York, North Carolina, and finally to Georgia. Dr. Griffin is a certified health and physical education teacher who earned a master’s degree in motor development and doctorate in physical education teacher education from West Virginia University.

PhD, Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Georgia

Standardized Patients in Athletic Training Education, Interprofessional Education in Athletic Training, and Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

Dr. Mandy Jarriel received her PhD from the University of Georgia focusing on athletic training services and issues within the recreational setting.  She received her MEd in Health Education and Promotion and her BS in Athletic Training from Georgia College. Prior to her administrative position in SHHP, she served in both Program Director and Clinical Education Coordinator roles for the CAATE accredited athletic training program at Georgia College, being awarded outstanding teaching awards at both the college and university levels. Dr. Jarriel is active within the profession where she serves as a CAATE site visitor and has also served the profession through her role in chairing regional and state athletic training education committees and has previously lobbied nationally for the profession on Capitol Hill. She was selected as a 2019/2020 Georgia College Women's Leadership Faculty Fellow (WLFFP) and is currently serving as the (WLFFP) Co-Chair. Her research agenda focuses on the use of standardized patients in athletic training education, interprofessional education in athletic training, and scholarship of teaching and learning within athletic training curriculum.

MEd, Kinesiology: Health Promotion, Georgia College & State University

Mrs. Childs received her BS in Exercise Science and Masters in Education degree with a concentration in Health Promotion from Georgia College & State University. She began her professional career at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, where she served as Assistant Director of Employee Wellness and Assistant Director of Fitness and Wellness programs. Mrs. Childs returned to Georgia College as the Assistant Director of Student Fitness programs in 2009. Since that time, she has held the positions of Associate Director of Fitness Operations for the Wellness and Recreation Center, University Employee Well-Being Liaison, and Lecturer in Exercise Science. Mrs. Childs is also a certified ACSM/ACS Cancer Exercise Trainer and lead the Survive & Thrive cancer wellness program for 6 years. She has held AFAA/NASM Personal Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor certifications for over 20 years.

Ph.D., Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Purdue University

Dr. Butler arrived at Georgia College in 2007 and completed his Ph.D. in Health Promotion & Disease Prevention from Purdue University in 2009. He served as the Assistant Director of the School of Health and Human Performance from 2014 to 2020. Currently, Dr. Butler is a Professor of Public Health and Faculty Affiliate in the Women’s Studies and Liberal Studies Programs. His teaching interests including human sexuality, sexology, women’s health and social issues, global health, introduction to public health, and HIV/AIDS. His research specialties include sexual healthcare availability among US colleges and universities and the sexual health needs of college students. Dr. Butler received the Georgia College Outstanding Scholar Award in 2012 and the College of Health Sciences Outstanding Scholar Award in 2010 and 2014. In 2010-2011 he participated in the Georgia Governor’s Teaching Fellowship program and from 2016-2017 served as a fellow in the University System of Georgia Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Fellows initiative. Dr. Butler has published in several leading academic journals including the Journal of American College Health, Vaccine, Archives of Sexual Behavior, and the Journal of Sexual Medicine. 

MS, Health & Human Performance: Health Promotion

Helen DuPree is a graduate of two Georgia College programs: Master of Science: Health Promotion concentration and Master of Arts in Teaching for Health & Physical Education. She is a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi and was named Outstanding Graduate Student for Physical Education by GC’s School of Health and Human Performance. Professionally, Helen has organized health fairs and wellness events and assisted in connecting rural communities with essential health services. She is a member of the National Eating Disorders Association and the American College of Sports Medicine. She is currently completing a Ph.D. in Health Promotion & Behavior at the University of Georgia's College of Public Health. Her academic and research interests include health education/promotion, body image and body dysmorphia, and eating disorder awareness/prevention.

Ph.D., Epidemiology, University of the West Indies

Dr. Damian K. Francis is a Nutritionist and Epidemiologist coming from the Caribbean Institute for Health Research, University of the West Indies, Jamaica. He is a 2010 Emerging Leader of the Americas Programme (ELAP) scholar, awarded by the Canadian Bureau of International Education. As an ELAP scholar, he completed a research fellowship at the University of Ottawa in knowledge synthesis and knowledge translation. Dr. Francis is founder of the Cochrane Caribbean and currently serves as Co-Director. He serves both the Pan American Health Organization and World Health Organization (WHO) as a member of the Essential Medicine List expert panel. Dr. Francis enjoys teaching translational research and does this in his role as faculty at the WHO/Cochrane/Cornell Summer Institute for systematic reviews in nutrition for global policymaking. Dr. Francis has a track record of excellence in research scholarship which has focused on the epidemiology of chronic non-communicable diseases among people of Afro-Caribbean heritage with an emphasis on health equity/disparities and public health nutrition.

MS, Human Performance, Georgia College

Candice has a BS in Early Childhood Education and an MS in Health and Human Performance with a concentration in Human Performance, both from Georgia College. She aided in the completion of a thesis dedicated to promoting a culture of wellness among college campus employees through use of a campus wellness center.

Ph.D., Mercer University, Higher Education Leadership

Brittney Hardin comes to Georgia College from Mercer University and was Georgia College's Outstanding Athletic Training Clinical Student in 2013 and a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. She is a nationally certified athletic trainer and a licensed athletic trainer in Georgia. Her teaching and scholarship interests include academic leadership and athletic training education. 

MEd Exercise Science, Texas State University 

Michael Hobbs comes to Georgia College from Dine' College in New Mexico. He has taught exercise physiology, introduction to exercise biochemistry, and methods of resistance training courses. His teaching and scholarship interests include: exercise and biochemistry; and the physiology of exercise.

Ph.D., Physical Education Teacher Education, University of South Carolina

Dr. Hunt earned his doctoral degree from the University of South Carolina in 2011. Currently, he is a. Professor in the School of Health and Human Performance at Georgia College. He has accumulated eight publications in peer-reviewed academic journals; twenty-seven presentations at local, state, district, national and international conferences; and approximately $55,000 in awarded research and scholarship grants. Dr. Hunt was awarded the Scholarship of Teaching & Learning award in 2015, the Scholarship and Creative Endeavors award in 2016, and the Georgia AHPERD Young Scholar award in 2016.

DrPH, Florida A&M University

Cancer Disparities (prostate, breast), Population Health Outcome, Implementation and Dissemination Science

Dr. Kaninjing received his Doctor of Public Health degree from Florida A&M University’s Institute of Public Health in August 2016. He completed a two-year postdoctoral training in cancer health disparities at the University of Florida’s Minority Cancer Research and Training (MiCaRT) Center. During this period, he also served as the program manager for the National Institutes of Health sponsored consortium: Prostate Cancer Transatlantic Consortium (CaPTC), where he collaborated on a number of prostate cancer research studies with scientists in Nigeria, Cameroon and England. He is a behavioral scientist with prostate cancer and health disparity research expertise. His research examines the impact of immigration on prostate cancer burden and aims to delineate the modifiable risk factors for prostate cancer among sub-Saharan African immigrants in the United States. Additionally, his research explores the “within-group” differences in prostate cancer outcomes among men of African ancestry.

PhD, Exercise Physiology, The University of Alabama

Dr. Martino received his BA from Furman University in Health and Exercise Science in 1988. From 1990 to 1995, he completed his MA and Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, with emphases in Molecular Biology, Statistics, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. He is a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist with distinction through the National Strength & Conditioning Association, a Master Instructor for the Evidence Based Fitness Academy, a certified Functional Movement Screen professional, a Certified Battling Ropes Coach, and a Cancer Exercise Specialist. During his tenure at Alabama, he served as an assistant coach to the nationally ranked varsity swimming team. Dr. Martino has been involved with fitness and human performance for over 35 years. From 1983 to 1988, he was a scholarship athlete at Furman University and developed into a world class swimmer. His unique combination of education and elite level coaching has provided him with the opportunity to work with a variety of groups including; Olympic gold medalists, elite level college athletes, personal training clients, cancer survivors, geriatric patients, and adolescents. Dr. Martino served as a USA Swimming National Team Coach from 1990 to 2000. He was a member of the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Advisory Coaching Staffs in Barcelona and Atlanta. He has traveled the world competing, coaching and lecturing on human performance. Dr. Martino began his career at Georgia College in 1997 and is a tenured full professor serving as the Coordinator for the undergraduate Exercise Science and graduate Human Performance programs. He has won the university wide Excellence in Teaching and Service awards during his tenure at GC. In addition, he currently serves as the Bobcats Sports Performance Program Director overseeing 200 varsity athletes with the assistance of graduate and undergraduate students enrolled in the School of Health and Human Performance. He has been a member of the NSCA since 1987 and has served as the Georgia State Director, SE Regional Coordinator and Chair of the State Provincial Director Committee. In 2012, he received the prestigious Educator of the Year Award presented by the NSCA for his outstanding teaching and service to the field of strength and conditioning.

Ph.D., Sport Science, Georgia State University

Kelly P. Massey, Ph.D. EP-C, CMES, AASDN-NS completed her graduate work at Georgia State University in Exercise Physiology and Sport Science. She began at Georgia College in 2010 and is currently an Associate Professor of Exercise Science. She is very active in undergraduate research and oversees the School of Health and Human Performance Scholars (SHHPS) research program. She is a Division of Health Sciences councilor for the Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR), a chair for the The Global Undergraduate Awards, and the Editor-in-Chief for the Undergraduate Research journal. Her research interests include cardiac rehabilitation, metabolism/energy balance studies, and nutrition interventions and ergogenic aids. She has served for the past seven years on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) Strategic Health Initiative – Women, Sports, & Physical Activity committee where she promotes cardiac rehabilitation programs for women. In 2014, she was awarded the Outstanding Teaching Recognition award for the College of Health Sciences and the Excellence in Scholarship of Teaching & Creative Endeavors award in 2017.

Ph.D., Health Education and Promotion, The University of Alabama

Dental Health, Health Disparities, and Health Inequities

Dr. John B. Moore received a Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion and an MA in Health Sciences from The University of Alabama. He received a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of South Florida. Previous work experience includes co-advising the nation’s largest peer-led health organization. In this role, he implemented community-based strategies and analyzed outreach data to improve the health of the campus community. His teaching interest includes research methods, public health policy, and health behavior theories. His research interest includes dental health behaviors, oral health disparities, and health inequities. He has authored various publications in peer-reviewed journals such as the American Journal of Health Education. He has presented and assisted in the development of numerous presentations for national, international, and regional conferences.  He was awarded Most Outstanding Doctoral Student and Most Outstanding Masters Student during his graduate student years.

Ph.D., Kinesiology - Exercise Science, University of Connecticut

Dr. Myers earned her Ph.D. from the University of Connecticut, her MEd in Health & Physical Education from Columbus State University, and her BS in Athletic Training from the University of Connecticut. She has worked clinically as an athletic trainer for 10 years and has been an educator in athletic training programs since 2011. Dr. Myers has presented at national athletic training conferences and was a doctoral award finalist for her work with the Athletic Training Clinical Education Network. Her research agenda focuses on student development within masters athletic training programs, preceptor development, and has published in athletic training journals on topics such as immersive clinical experiences. She was awarded the Stephanie Singe Service Award from the University of Connecticut for her service contributions to the athletic training profession. 

Ph.D., Exercise Physiology, Baylor University

Dr. Jinkyung Park earned her Bachelor of Science degree in sports medicine and food and nutrition and her Master of Science degree in medical nutrition from Kyung-hee University in South Korea. Dr. Park received her Doctor of Philosophy in exercise physiology from Baylor University, where she held positions of both research and teaching assistant in the Health, Human Performance and Recreation (HHPR) program. Prior to coming to Georgia College, she was an adjunct professor teaching research methods and exercise physiology in kinesiology at George Mason University. Her research specialty is cardiovascular prevention, obesity, and aging. Dr. Park’s current research emphasis is on obesity-induced vascular inflammation, focusing on the relationship between exercise-induced stress hormones and vascular inflammation. She has published articles relating to this topic.

MS, Human Performance, Georgia College

Austin Parks received a BS in Athletic Training and an MS in Human Performance from Georgia College. While completing his Master's degree, he was a strength and conditioning graduate assistant working with multiple athletic teams. After graduating in 2017, he took a job in the private sector doing sports performance training with athletes from middle school to professional. He began teaching at Georgia State University in the department of Kinesiology and Health part-time in 2018. His love for teaching has led him to pursue his Ph.D. in Exercise Physiology at Georgia State.

Ph.D., Sport Physiology and Performance, East Tennessee State University

Dr. Spalding received her BA from Northeastern State University Oklahoma in Health and Human Performance, she completed her MBA from Averett University, and a MA and Ph.D. in Sports Physiology and Performance at East Tennessee State University. Prior to coming to Georgia College, she was an assistant coach for the women’s soccer team at ETSU as well as an instructor in their undergraduate exercise science department. Dr. Spalding brings with her professional practice expertise through her work as a coach at the collegiate and club level and as a sports scientist for club, high school and college level athletic teams. Her teaching and scholarship interests include long-term athletic development and monitoring at the club, high school and college level.

Ph.D., Educational Psychology, University of Georgia

Meta-analyses in the programmatic use of challenge courses and wilderness therapy.

Liz Speelman is a Senior Lecturer in Outdoor Education and also serves as Director of the Outdoor Center at Georgia College. In addition to her Ph.D. she received her M.Ed. in Outdoor Education from Georgia College & State University and her B.Sc. in Environmental Science from the University of Guelph in Guelph, ON, Canada. Her teaching focuses on group development, facilitation skills, leadership and challenge course management. Liz served as the lead author for the textbook Aerial Adventure Environments: The Theory and Practice of the Challenge Course, Zip Line, and Canopy Tour Industry published in 2020.

Ph.D., Recreation and Leisure Studies, University of Georgia

Jeff Turner is an Associate Professor of Outdoor Education. He teaches classes related to outdoor education theory and design along with technical skills classes related to water-based outdoor pursuits. His research is focused on the social and physical environments of adventure-based learning environments and the development of outdoor leaders.