Executive Board Vice Chair
Melissa Alperin, more commonly known by her nickname, Moose, has a long history of leadership in workforce development and public health practice initiatives. Currently, as faculty in the Department of Behavioral, Social and Health Education Sciences at the Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Moose is the PI of the HRSA-funded Region IV Public Health Training Center and Training Director for the SAMHSA Southeast Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. She is also the Director of the Executive MPH program, the distance-based MPH program for working professionals at Emory.
Moose has taught public health workers through both continuing professional education courses and the Executive MPH program. She has an extensive record of practice-based service and serves on the editorial board of Pedagogy in Health Promotion. She is a past President of Georgia SOPHE and past Executive Board member for the Georgia Public Health Association (GPHA).
Moose has a strong tradition of service to APHA and has been a member since 1991. A longtime member of the PHEHP Section, Moose has served in formal section leadership roles as well as behind the scenes. Moose’s most recent service to APHA has been through her Affiliate and the Council of Affiliates (CoA), where she is a past chair of the CoA. Moose has been recognized by her colleagues with awards from PHEHP, CoA, and GPHA. She is the recipient of the ASPPH Practice Excellence Award (2021) and Faculty Practice Award from the Rollins School of Public Health (2023).
Moose has an EdD in Higher Education from the University of Georgia, MPH degree in Health Promotion and Education from Emory, AB degree in Judaic Studies from Brown University, and is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist.