Biography

Texas A&M University College Station - Health Science

Associate Professor and Chair, East Carolina University
Higher Education
Don
Chaney
Greenville, North Carolina
J. Don Chaney earned his Ph.D. in Health Education and Promotion from The University of Alabama, and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist. In July 2013, he began his current position as Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Health Education and Promotion at East Carolina University (ECU). Prior to ECU, he served as the Assistant Dean for Distance Education and Outreach in the College of Health and Human Performance and the Associate Director for the Center for Digital Health and Wellness at the University of Florida (UF). Dr. Chaney has held faculty appointments at ECU, UF, Texas A&M University (TAMU), and The University of Alabama (UA).

Chaney’s research foci lie in the area of technology integration in health and online learning/professional development. Two prominent themes of his work involve: 1) application of technology in health education and health promotion, and 2) developing theory-based distance education courses to enhance learning opportunities for time- and location-bound students. A hallmark of his work is that it is applied research. Specifically, his approach has led to the design, testing, and continuous modification of the Contextual Relative Distance Education Model for distance education program/courseware design.

Chaney is the past Editor-in-Chief of the American Journal of Health Studies. He has also served in Guest Editor/Co-Editor roles for The Health Education Monograph and the International Electronic Journal of Health Education. The quality of his scholarly enterprise has been recognized in the receipt of 5 significant awards in his brief career: (1) American Association for Health Education (AAHE) Fellow Award; (2) AAHE Horizon Award; (3) AAHE Health Education Directory Technology Award; (4) AAHE Presidential Citation; and (5) The University of Alabama Jack Davis Professional Achievement Award. He is also a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES).

Specialties: Distance learning, online education, health promotion