Dr. Catherine Howard, Ph.D., has been named the coordinator of the Healthiest Weight Initiative, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) announced Tuesday.
The initiative is a public-private collaboration bringing together state agencies, not for profit organizations, businesses, and entire communities to help Florida’s children and adults make consistent, informed choices about healthy eating and physical active.
“Weight challenge is the number one public health threat to Florida’s bright future. Currently, only 35% of adults are at a healthy weight, and on this track, six out of 10 babies born today will be obese before they graduate from high school,” stated Surgeon General and Secretary of Health Dr. John Armstrong. “Dr. Howard has the experience and drive necessary to move this critical initiative forward for Florida families.”
Dr. Howard joined DOH in 2007 as a health educator for the Obesity Prevention Program. In that role, she managed the statewide HOPE Project, which offered free bilingual nutrition and fitness health evaluations and programs. She also staffed the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and developed the Governor’s Fitness Challenge for elementary and middle schools across the state.
Howard earned her doctorate in Public Health with a specialization in Epidemiology from Walden University in Minnesota. She is an adjunct faculty member for the Masters in Public Health Program and Department of Geography at Florida State University.
