Samantha M. Harden, PhD
Associate Professor
Graduate Program Faculty
Behavioral and Community Science
Physical activity as a mechanism for improved health outcomes and psychological well-being; especially from a group dynamics-based approach; working with a variety of populations from prenatal women to older adults, explores intrapersonal, interpersonal, and system-level factors that either speed or impede the rate of translating evidence-based interventions into their intended practice settings (e.g., clinic, community).
As an Extension specialist within Virginia Cooperative Extension, she serves to bridge research and outreach initiatives within the department.
Physical Activity Research & Community Implementation (PARCI) Laboratory at Virginia Tech
2013 ‐ Present: International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
2011 ‐ 2012: American Public Health Association
2010 ‐ Present: Alpha Epsilon Lambda
2009 ‐ Present: Society of Behavioral Medicine
August 2013‐July 2014: Canadian Institutes of Health research funded postdoctoral fellowship
November 2013: Killam postdoctoral fellowship finalist
April 2012: Who's Who Among American Universities and Colleges Scholars
2012, Ph.D., Human Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise, Virginia Tech
Dissertation: Group Dynamics in Physical Activity Promotion: Research, Theory, and Practice
2008, B.S., Biology, Bridgewater College