Martha Ravola Ph.D

Martha Ravola is an Associate Professor Human Development and Family Science with about 20 years of experience in higher education in various capacities. She has been at Alcorn State University since 2009, where she currently serves as the Chair of the department of Human Sciences. Her research interests are in the areas of mental health and childhood obesity, wherein she has conducted several mini-grants on mental health with the Morehouse School of Medicine’s HBCU-Center for Excellence and was also a recipient of the Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) grant from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The GLS grant funding helped Dr. Ravola implemented a 4-year grant on Suicide Prevention titled "ASU-SPARK" engaging faculty, staff and students in the related activities. Dr. Ravola also started the Alcorn chapter of the Active Minds, a student organization to promote mental health and well-being among college students, which has facilitated several students to serve as advocates and leaders for mental health at Alcorn. Dr. Ravola has encouraged student representation from Alcorn at the National Active Minds Annual conference,  mentored students who have been awarded first positions in competitive events for presentations on mental at local, regional and national meetings. Parallel to her mental health endeavors, Dr. Ravola has been engaged in Pediatric Obesity prevention for the past 10 years. Some of her obesity related projects are “My Body Matters”, “Parents and Children Engaged (PACE) in Childhood Obesity” and “Connections that Count: A multidisciplinary approach to Childhood Obesity". Dr. Ravola is passionate about promoting the well-being of the communities through mental health promotion, obesity prevention and educational endeavors. She also serves as a member on the, Board of Directors for the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.