FEBRUARY 16, 2022 — This spring, The University of Texas at San Antonio welcomes esteemed scholar Rhonda BeLue as a Lutcher Brown Endowed Distinguished Professor in the Department of Public Health.
BeLue was hired under the 2020 Connected Program of the university’s Strategic Faculty Hiring Initiative. Part of the Clustered and Connected Program (CCP), the 2020 Connected Program was specifically designed to attract and recruit scholars that will advance the institution’s national role as an advocate for equity and inclusion.
In her new role at UTSA, BeLue will serve as the nexus for leading public health and biomedical innovators to provide real world instruction, thoughtful leadership and expertise to solve problems in health equity and inclusion.
In addition to her faculty position, she serves as the first associate dean for community engagement and partnerships in the UTSA College for Health, Community and Policy (HCaP).
“My research has evolved over the course of my career to be very practice-based,” she said. “I aim to work with healthcare and community-based organizations to develop policy practice and interventions and to improve the lives of citizens, and make sure to involve citizens and get the voice of the community into the research.”
BeLue was recruited to UTSA from Saint Louis University, where she served as chair of the Department of Health Management and Policy. In 2020, she was tapped by the City of Saint Louis to lead its Department of Health advisory board. Prior to that, she served on the faculty of Pennsylvania State University.
She has over 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts, book chapters and other scholarly writings. As with many public health scholars, BeLue’s research has also shifted to include the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, she was awarded $800,000 from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration to work with community-based organizations to provide COVID-19 vaccine education and improve vaccine updates among underserved communities who suffered disproportionately from poor COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.
BeLue also has an eye on student success and ensuring the students of HCaP have a solid foundation to become productive members of their community.
“I am eager to develop partnerships that benefit community members, organizations, and students who are trying to enter the workforce,” she said. “We want to make sure that there's a good value proposition for what we do for all stakeholders.”
The College for Health, Community and Policy was established in 2020 and BeLue has high hopes for its future. Not only does she want to strengthen community partnerships and develop students who can improve the well-being of San Antonio, she is also mindful of the pandemic and the immediate needs of our citizens.
“As a society, we’re in a bit of a period of high trauma, and we need to be acutely aware that there's some building and some rebuilding,” BeLue said. “We need to do things that are sustainable, and that make the community more robust and bring in resources. I look forward to working with UTSA students in the classroom and on research and community engagement projects.”
BeLue earned a Ph.D. in health policy analysis and management and a master’s degree in statistics with a minor in epidemiology from Cornell University. She received a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque.
“Dr. BeLue’s knowledge and experiences make her well-positioned to serve as our inaugural Associate Dean for Community Engagement and Partnerships,” said Lynne Cossman, dean of the college. “She will play a key role in connecting students and faculty to the community through teaching, research and service. Dr. BeLue's extensive background in community engaged public health—from local to global—combined with her work in health care administration are bringing to HCaP some much needed skills and expertise.”
The Lutcher Brown Endowed Distinguished Professorship No. 1 is one of three distinguished professorships established in 2021 with funds from the Lutcher Brown Endowment for Academic Excellence.
UTSA’s 83 endowed chairs, professorships and faculty fellowships recognize the scholarship and research of the institution’s highest achieving faculty scholars. Endowed faculty members use the funding they receive from these appointments to support their existing and new scholarly activities as well as student academic success.
UTSA’s College for Health, Community and Policy is dedicated to developing solutions to affect change for complex social issues to improve the well-being of communities and the world. The college is comprised of eight academic departments and one program—criminology and criminal justice, demography, nutrition and dietetics, kinesiology, psychology, public administration, public health, social work and sociology—as well as the Institute for Demographic and Socioeconomic Research, the Policy Studies Center, the Institute for Health Disparities Research, and the Center for Community Based and Applied Health Research. HCaP includes more than 175 faculty and more than 6,800 students pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees.
UTSA Today is produced by University Communications and Marketing, the official news source of The University of Texas at San Antonio. Send your feedback to news@utsa.edu. Keep up-to-date on UTSA news by visiting UTSA Today. Connect with UTSA online at Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and Instagram.
This event will acknowledge graduating seniors from the McNair Scholars program at UTSA before inducting the new cohort of scholars into the program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140), Main CampusAt this memorable celebration, UTSA graduates will be introduced one-by-one to cross the stage and accept their doctoral degrees.
Arts Building Recital Hall, Main CampusRoadrunner Walk is an event for graduating students to have a memorable walk on campus to celebrate an important milestone and their achievements. Graduates will walk along the Paseo while being celebrated by the UTSA community, friends, and family members.
Student Union Paseo, Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.Celebrate the accomplishments of Alvarez College of Business, College of Liberal and Fine Arts and Klesse College of Engineering and Integrated Design.
Alamodome, 100 Montana St.The University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
To be a premier public research university, providing access to educational excellence and preparing citizen leaders for the global environment.
We encourage an environment of dialogue and discovery, where integrity, excellence, inclusiveness, respect, collaboration and innovation are fostered.
UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
