Rodney Lyn
Interim Dean, Associate Professor, Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Strategic Initiatives- Education
Ph.D., 2008, Georgia State University, Educational Policy Studies
M.S., 1997, Georgia State University, Exercise Science
B.A., 1995, St. Andrews Presbyterian College, Biology and Physical Education
- Specializations
Childhood obesity, physical activity, school and community health, health policy
- Biography
Interim Dean
Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Strategic Initiatives
Associate ProfessorDr. Rodney Lyn serves as Interim Dean and Senior Associate Dean for Academic and Strategic Initiatives in the School of Public Health at Georgia State University. He is also Associate Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Behavioral Sciences. His research is focused on childhood obesity prevention, school and community health, and the reduction of health disparities. He has special interest in identifying effective policy and system approaches to increasing physical activity and healthy eating in children and has published numerous peer-reviewed articles on these topics.
Dr. Lyn has led or contributed to funded grants totaling over $13M from federal and state agencies, foundations, and not-for-profit organizations. He currently serves as Co-Principal Investigator for the Prevention Research Center at Georgia State University. Other recent projects include theRacial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health, a CDC-supported partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine to address food deserts; the Georgia Childhood Obesity Prevention Program, a multi-county initiative to support and accelerate local policy and environmental interventions for obesity prevention, with funding from Healthcare Georgia Foundation; Partnerships to Improve Community Health, a CDC-supported partnership with Fulton County Health Department focused on tobacco prevention; and, a study examining mortality disparities and resilience in low-income, minority communities in the South, funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Dr. Lyn previously served as Deputy Director for GSU’s NIH-funded Center of Excellence on Health Disparities Research.
Dr. Lyn has advised and worked closely with state and federal agencies, professional associations, not-for-profits, and the philanthropic community on a variety of public health topics. He teaches graduate courses including Public Health Policy, Analysis, and Advocacy; Public Health Leadership and Policy; and Childhood Obesity Prevention. He is an active member of the American Public Health Association.
- Publications
ML Segar, K Heinrich, S Zieff, R Lyn, J Gustat, NO Tompkins, CK Perry, MR Umstattd Meyer, D Bornstein, A Manteiga, A Eyler (Accepted). What Walking Means to Moms: Qualitative Insights from a National Sample of Urban, Low-Income Mothers to Inform Efforts to Brand and Promote Walking. Journal of Transport and Health. (refereed)
Torres A, Stauber C, Lyn R, Steward J, and Serna R. (2016) Atlanta Streets Alive: A Movement Building a Culture of Health in an Urban Environment. Journal of Physical Activity and Health, Vol. 13, Issue 2, February, pp. 239-246. (refereed)
Sheldon E, Lyn R, Bracci L, Phillips MA (2016). Community Readiness for Childhood Obesity Prevention: Findings from a Statewide Assessment in Georgia. Environment and Behavior, 48, no. 1, pp. 78-88. (refereed)
Okosun IS, Seale PJ, Lyn R, and Davis-Smith MY (2015). Improving detection of prediabetes in children and adults: using combinations of blood glucose tests. Frontiers in Public Health, 20 November 2015.http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2015.00260 (refereed)
Lemon SC, Valentine Goins K, Schneider KL, Brownson RC, Valko CA, Evenson KR, Eyler AA, Heinrich KM, Litt J, Lyn R, Reed HL, O’Hara Thompkins N, Maddock J. (2015) Municipal officials participation in built environment policy development in the United States. American Journal of Health Promotion, Sep-Oct;30 (1):42-9. doi: 10.4278/ajhp.131021-QUAN-536 (refereed)
Okosun I., Seale P, and Lyn R. (2015). Commingling effect of gynoid and android fat patterns on cardiometabolic dysregulation in normal weight American adults. Nutrition & Diabetes, May 18;5:e155. doi: 10.1038/nutd.2015.5.
Okosun, I. and Lyn, R. (2015). Prediabetes awareness, healthcare provider’s advice, and lifestyle changes in American adults. International Journal of Diabetes Mellitus, 3, 11-18.(refereed)
Ido MS, Bayakly R, Frankel M, Lyn R, Okosun IS (2015). Administrative Data Linkage to Evaluate a Quality Improvement Program in Acute Stroke Care, Georgia, 2006–2009. Preventing Chronic Disease, 12: 140238. DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd12.140238.
See more: Dr. Rodney Lyn’s CV