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Center Staff

Dr. Liz Ackley, Director 

Liz AckleyDr. Liz Ackley is the Brian H. Thornhill Associate Professor in Health and Human Performance at Roanoke College. An exercise physiologist by training, Liz has a particular interest in studying the interaction between hypokinetic diseases and environmental access to resources supporting healthy living. As the Director of the Center for Community Health Innovation and the Roanoke Valley Community Healthy Living Index, Liz works closely with area residents to leverage youth health outcomes and perceptions of access to healthy living resources as catalysts for infrastructure and policy change across the Roanoke Valley. Liz also serves as project lead for Roanoke’s Invest Health initiative and the Build Healthy, Equitable Communities for Children and Families cohort initiative. A dedicated mentor of undergraduate research, Liz leverages her work to encourage student engagement in service-driven research experiences and actively studies mentoring practices in undergraduate research as a secondary research line. As a result of this work, Liz was honored with the 2015 “Rising Star” Harris Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching by the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges.

Email: healthinnovation@roanoke.edu