Biographies

Marcia G. Ory, Director

Marcia G. Ory, Ph.D., M.P.H., is Regent Professor, Department of Social and Behavioral Health, School of Rural Public Health (SRPH) at The Texas A&M Health Science Center in College Station, Texas. As Director of the Program on Healthy Aging she is committed to research and practice that enhances the health and well-being of older adults. In her role as Director of The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) sponsored Active for Life ® National Program Office, she is examining how evidence-based programs can be translated to community settings, expanding program research and sustainability. As part of this effort she has established a Learning Network to serve as the communications hub for the Building Healthy Communities for Active Aging Initiative. Under this RWJF initiative, she has been also been working with a panel of national experts to develop the EASY, a new Screening Tool for helping older adults identify a safe and effective physical activity program.

She is central to several activities within the School’s CDC Prevention Research Center. She heads up the Research Core which conducts research on strategies for improving the translation of diabetes prevention and treatment guidelines. As a primary Investigator in the Texas Healthy Aging Research Network, she serves as a liaison to the Administration on Aging’s Evidence-Based Program Initiative, helping to guide two state-wide efforts funded by the Division of Aging and Disability Services to implement and evaluate evidence-based health promotion programs throughout Texas. Additionally, she is the Principal Investigator on a five-year NIH Health Maintenance Resource Center charged with serving as the coordinating hub for a twenty-one grant consortium designed to improve research on long-term behavioral change. She has also initiated several new research projects and related activities to examine the doctor older-patient relationship, exploring factors affecting the nature and extent of lifestyles communication and strategies for enhancing primary care practice in this area.
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Cathy Liles, Project Manager

Email: icliles@srph.tamhsc.edu

Cathy Liles, M.P.H., is a project manager for the new Learning Network for Active Aging at The Texas A&M University System Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. Active for Life ® and the National Blueprint in collaboration with the EPA Aging Initiative is creating an internet based forum (Learning Network for Active Aging) with interactive resources and technical assistance to foster healthy communities for active aging with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and technical assistance from The Centers for Disease Control Healthy Aging Research Network. She is also a part of the “Center for Community Health Development,” a Centers for Disease Control Prevention Research Center.

Cathy holds a BBA in Accounting from The University of Houston and is a CPA. She also holds a masters of public health from The University of Houston Health Science Center at Houston with a concentration in International and Family Health. A maternal/child health professional, she is enjoying learning about exciting programs at the other end of the generational spectrum.
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Angie Wade

Email: anwade@srph.tamhsc.edu

Angie Wade, MPH, is a research associate for the Learning Network for Active Aging funded by the RWJF at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health. Her major activity is to help coordinate the Learning Network for Active Aging which is an internet based, interactive resource for communities and Active Aging professionals.

She aids the development team in managing the website for the EASY screening program, a screening program designed for seniors to help them know when to see a health care provider and how to choose activities for optimal benefit given particular health conditions or situations. Additionally, she assists with the Program on Health Aging, and specifically with the Texas Healthy Lifestyles grant and Texas Falls Prevention Coalition as the Evaluation Center Specialist. The main focus of this program is to work towards expanding regional public/private evidence-based health promotion to help seniors take control of their lives and reduce the risk of disease and disability.

She is the Program Manager for the Texas A&M Health Science Center Consortium on Aging. The Consortium aims to bring together key players to improve and expand efforts in aging research, education, and community practices. Her professional interests include health promotion and education, chronic diseases, cancer, and reproductive and perinatal health.

Angie earned a Bachelor of Science degree majoring in Psychology from the University of Utah and a Masters of Public Health with an emphasis in Epidemiology from the Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health.

Diane M. Dowdy, Active for Life Deputy Director

Email: dowdy@srph.tamhsc.edu

Diane M. Dowdy, Ph.D, is deputy director of the RWJF Active for Life National Program Office at The Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health. She is also assistant professor at the School of Rural Public Health. Prior to this role, she was director of the Options for Health Department at Scott & White Memorial Hospital.

She holds a Doctorate and Master of Science in Health Education from Texas A&M University and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Duke University. Her professional interests include health promotion and community health education services, facilitating positive lifestyle changes, marketing of health services, and consumer health issues. She has made numerous presentations statewide on behavior change and positive lifestyle choices with a focus on the healthy use of humor and stress management. Dr. Dowdy is a founding board member of the Americares Foundation which was established to improve the healthcare of medically underserved Americans.
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Wojtek Chodzko‑Zajko

Email: wojtek@uiuc.edu

Wojtek Chodzko‑Zajko, Ph.D., is currently Head of the Department of Kinesiology and Community Health at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Wojtek's primary research interests are in the area of aging and physical activity. For the past 20 years he has focused on the effect of exercise and physical activity on health and quality of life in old age.

Dr. Chodzko‑Zajko served on the World Health Organization Scientific Advisory Committee, which issued Guidelines for Physical Activity in Older Adults. He chairs the Active Aging Partnership, a national coalition in the area of healthy aging linking the American College of Sports Medicine, the National Institute on Aging, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Geriatrics Society, the National Council on the Aging, AARP, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For the past five years, Chodzko-Zajko has served as the Principal Investigator of the National Blueprint Project, a coalition of more than 50 national organizations with a joint commitment to promoting independent and active aging in the 50+ population.

Wojtek served as founding Editor of the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity from 1992-2002. As a result of his involvement with JAPA, the WHO and the National Blueprint, Chodzko‑Zajko is frequently invited to disseminate information about healthful aging as a keynote speaker in national and international meetings. Chodzko-Zajko has appeared on many television and radio shows, including the NBC Today Show, National Public Radio, and CNN.

Wojtek Chodzko‑Zajko earned a Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of London and a Ph.D. degree in Exercise Physiology from Purdue University.
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Brigid Sanner, Communications and Marketing Consultant

Brigid Sanner, the principal of Sanner & Company, serves as a communications and marketing consultant for the Active for Life National Program Office. She works as a consultant to a number of nonprofit organizations and foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She focuses on health, wellness and lifestyle issues. Her experience includes twenty plus years with the American Heart Association at the national as well as community level. She has directed national communications and advocacy efforts and managed national news media relations, public relations, federal government relations, public service advertising and field advocacy programs. In addition, she has extensive experience working in social marketing. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from Kent State University.
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Ashley Wilson, Research Associate

Ashley Wilson, MPH, is a research associate for the Program on Healthy Aging at the Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health. Her major activities include coordinating the day to day aging related programs including data collection, evaluation, reports, and websites. She also assists with Texas Healthy Lifestyles. The main focus of this program is to work towards expanding regional public/private evidence-based health promotion to help seniors take control of their lives and reduce the risk of disease and disability. Ashley earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Biomedical Science from Texas A&M University and a Masters of Public Health with an emphasis in Epidemiology from the Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Rural Public Health.
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