Dr. Beets’ research employs a public health, community-based participatory approach with a focus on identifying real-world and scalable strategies to prevent or reverse obesity and improve children’s overall health. Beets leads the Arnold Health Kids Initiative which focuses on improving the health and well-being of children.
Dr. Weaver's work focuses on helping professionals that teach and care for school age children to create safe and healthy environments. He is currently conducting research in schools and out of school time programs to address unhealthy weight gain in youth. Dr. Weaver has expertise in physical education, promotion of youth healthy eating and physical activity, and measurement of healthy eating and physical activity.
Dr. Armstrong’s research examines the etiology of health behaviors related to pediatric obesity. Her work aims to leverage intensive longitudinal data to examine the predictors and dynamics health behaviors including sleep, screen time, sedentary behavior, and mental health. Based in a socio-ecological perspective, her work spans multiple levels of influence, from environmental, to social/interpersonal and biological.
Dr. Adams' research includes the promotion of healthful dietary patterns to prevent pediatric obesity and reduce health inequities. Her work investigates parenting and family-based influences on behaviors related to child obesity risk (e.g., nutrition, sleep patterns), in order to prevent the intergenerational transmission of obesity. She also conducts investigations on federal nutrition policies (e.g., National School Lunch Program) to ensure children from all income levels have access to healthful nutrition for chronic disease prevention.
Dr. Burkart's research aims to 1) understand the individual, family, social, and environmental factors that contribute to children's sleep health 2) examine underlying mechanisms that lead to inconsistent sleep behavior, and 3) develop and test novel intervention strategies to enhance children's health and well-being. Dr. Burkart completed her postdoctoral training at the University of South Carolina. She earned her MS in Kinesiology, MPH in Epidemiology, and PhD in Kinesiology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Josh is a postdoctoral fellow in the Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative group within the Department of Exercise Science at the Arnold School of Public Health. He received his doctorate from the University of Exeter, where his research focused on patterns of physical activity and posture behavior and their association with physical function outcomes. Working with Dr. Armstrong, Josh's current work explores behavioral patterns and their associations with various health outcomes, particularly in the context of screen time and physical activity among parents and their young children.
Anthony is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Arnold Healthy Kids Initiative, working under Dr. Michael Beets. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, he received his bachelor’s degree in Sport and Physical Activity at Strathclyde University, and his Master’s degree in Sport and Exercise Science & Medicine from the University of Glasgow, both based in Glasgow, Scotland. Most recently he received his PhD in Healthy and Physical Activity from the University of Pittsburgh. His research interests lie in the area of Physical Activity for Health and the impact of 24-hour behaviors on overall health outcomes in pre-school aged children. In his free time, Anthony has a passion for both playing and watching Football (Soccer) and enjoys the occasional scotch whisky.”
Dr. Kiely received his doctorate degree in epidemiology from the Georgia Southern University, where he was the director of the Center for Rehabilitation and Independent Living and specialized in physical activity programs for children and adolescents with disabilities. He is a post-doctoral fellow at the Arnold School of Public Health and will be assisting Dr. Glen Weaver with his several R01 Grants.
Jemia serves as program coordinator for the What’s Up with Summer and Voucher projects with AHKI. She previously served as measurement coordinator with the Children’s Physical Activity and Research Group (CPARG). Jemia holds a master’s degree in Physical Education from University of South Florida and bachelor’s degree in Health and Wellness from Winthrop University. Jemia is a former educator and has experience in maternal and child health. She loves working with youth and assisting the underserve in her community. Jemia is the go-to person for all accelerometry needs.
Michelle has been working with AHKI for five years. She started as a graduate assistant for Dr. Weaver and transitioned to a project coordinator after completing her master’s degree. Michelle works on What’s Up with Summer, the Summer Voucher program, the Healthy Dawgs Study, and Wearables. Michelle performs a lot of community outreach tasks such as meeting with district leaders, principals, parents, and other project stakeholders and community partners. She is the go-to person for Weardata needs.
Jamal has begun his second year with AHKI in a measurement coordinator position for the Wearables for Kids study. He is a 2022 graduate of the University of South Carolina with his master’s degree in Public Health and a 2021 graduate of Claflin University with his bachelor’s degree in Biology. He loves being active and engaging with the community to promote healthier lifestyles.
Corinne is a program coordinator for the What's Up with Summer Early Years Project. She holds a Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science from Clemson University. Corinne has focused her research on chronic and infectious disease prevention.
John Sloan is a first year MPH student at the University of South Carolina with a focus in Physical Activity and Public Health. He is working with Arnold Childhood Obesity Initiative as a Graduate Research Assistant under Dr. Weaver on the Wearables for Kids study, and assisting on the Beyond the Bell, DOSE, and Healthy Seasons studies. John is from Chapin, South Carolina, and completed his undergraduate degree at Clemson University in 2013. He worked in the fitness industry for 10 years before going back to school, and working with the AHKI has allowed him to combine his expertise in exercise and fitness with his interest in public health concerns in the community.
I am from Denver, NC and wilAHKI working on the Tots and Tech study for the next year. I have been with AHKI since my freshman year of college and recently graduated from USC in May 2025! After my year here, I will be attending the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Greenville and graduating with the class of 2030!
Meghan is a first year PhD student working with Dr. Adams. Meghan is originally from Pittsburgh PA where she attended Slippery Rock University for a bachelor's degree in Exercise Science and the University of Pittsburgh for a master’s degree in Health and Human Development Programming and Promotion. Meghan will be focusing on the RISE study while assisting with the “Sleep Tight” study and Veggie Vouchers.
Olivia is a second year PhD student working with Dr. Weaver. She primarily works on Wearables for Kids and will begin working on Dr. Weaver’s new projects (Healthy Seasons, Beyond the Bell, and Dose). She has also begun integrating her own project into the sedentary portion of the Wearables for Kids protocol. This project aims to leverage mobile device sensor data (e.g., accelerometry) to detect the unique user of the device in an effort to improve current objective measures of mobile screen use.
Griffin is a first-year PhD student working with Dr. Burkart. He is from Johnson City, TN, and brings a strong foundation in psychology to his research endeavors, having earned both a bachelor’s degree in psychology from East Tennessee State University and a Master’s degree in Psychological Science from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. Griffin’s research will be focusing primarily on the Rested and Ready to Learn project, where he will leverage his skills and knowledge to contribute and advocate for children to help further improve their health and well-being.
James is a second year PhD student with Dr. Weaver. James worked primarily on the Healthy Dawgs Study last year and has transitioned to working mostly on Wearble4Kids. James is one of the lead data collectors for Wearables4Kids. He is also leading the Shaker Table study associated with the Wearble4Kids project.
Nicholas is a first-year PhD student in Biostatistics and Epidemiology. Nicholas is working with Julia and will take over as the AHKI data manager after Julia completes her program next year. He has a bachelor’s degree in Statistics from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and a master’s in Mathematics from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
My name is Kaia Bowen and I am a first year PhD student working with Dr. Armstrong. I am from Champaign, Illinois, and I received my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University, where I also played collegiate basketball, and my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Bradley University. My interests include community health interventions, serving marginalized communities, and children’s overall emotional and physical well-being. I will be working with Dr. Armstrong on the Tot’s and Tech study.
Hi! My name is Erika Hagen, I am a first year MS student in exercise science from Chicago, IL. I currently hold a BS in engineering physics from Belmont University in Nashville, TN. I spent all 4 years of my undergrad as a cheerleader and fitness trainer and I’m excited to be working on the PATCH project and finally getting to see how my engineering degree and passion for fitness can complement each other professionally. Along with working out, I really love reading, baking, hiking, and gardening!
Anissa is an MPH student in the Health, Promotion, Education & Behavior department. She is originally from Kansas City, KS and earned her bachelor's degree in Community Health from the University of Kansas. She will be working with Dr. Adams on the Veggie Vouchers project during her time at USC. Previously, she worked as a certified Community Health Worker at a medical university and other health clinic settings. Her interests include health equity, program evaluation, advocacy, and community engagement.
Hi, my name is Frederick Danquah, Fred for short, and I’m from Ghana. I’m a first-year graduate student in Exercise Science. I hold a BS in Physical Therapy and an MPH from the University of Ghana and the Catholic University of Ghana respectively. Exercise Science because my interest is to study the complex etiology of pediatric obesity, understand obesogenic behavior, and apply evidence-based multilevel approaches to manage and prevent obesity in children. I like reading and working out.
I'm Elizabeth Zumbahlen and I am from Fuquay Varina, North Carolina. I completed my undergraduate degree at Campbell University and majored in Healthcare Management. I am a first year MPH student at the University of South Carolina with a concentration in Health Services Policy and Management!