Sara Cole PhD, MCHES® » Board of Directors

Biographical Info

Sara L. Cole is an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Central Oklahoma (UCO). She earned her BS in Health Fitness in Preventive & Rehabilitative Studies as well as a MA in Health Promotion & Program Management from Central Michigan University (CMU). She holds a PhD in Health Behavior with foci in Health Promotion and Human Sexuality from Indiana University.

Dr. Cole has been a member of the UCO faculty since 2009. Prior to that, she was faculty at Illinois State University (ISU). While at ISU, Dr. Cole received the Outstanding Faculty Commitment to Diversity Award for inclusion in the classroom as well as the first annual Faculty Opportunities for Creating Civic and Community Understanding Among Students (FOCUS) Faculty Award for implementing service learning in her Community Health course. She and her UCO colleagues received the College of Education & Professional Studies Collaborative Teamwork Award for creating the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Institute at UCO.

Dr. Cole is a former Annual Meeting Trustee, Delegate Trustee, and National Delegate of the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education (FAHE). Dr. Cole is a member of Eta Sigma Gamma, and installed the first chapter in the state of Oklahoma at UCO.

Sara’s service and research interests in professional leadership and sexual health intersect in myriad ways via consulting and philanthropic work in Central Oklahoma. Whether it’s creating and teaching a Women’s Wellness curriculum for females in recovery, writing textbook chapters for leadership in public health or childhood sexuality, or revising sexuality education curricula for a non-profit organization, Dr. Cole brings passion and enthusiasm to all that she does.