People
The RISE team
Craig Johnston, Ph.D.
HHP Department Chair
Associate Professor
Dr. Craig Johnston is an Associate Professor of community health promotion at the University of Houston and is the Department Chair for Health and Human Performance. Dr. Johnston has more than 15 years of experience developing, disseminating, and studying school-based health promotion programs with more than 1,500 children. This programming focused on children who experience health disparities. Specifically, Dr. Johnston has over 50 peer-reviewed publication on the impact of school-based programming on the improvement of health in low-income, minority children.
David Walsh, Ph.D.
Clinical Associate Professor
Dr. David Walsh is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Houston’s Health and Human Performance Department. Dr. Walsh has completed his sport management degrees at all levels of education, starting with the University of Kentucky for his Bachelor’s, Georgia State University for his Master’s, and the University of Texas-Austin for his Doctorate. His primary research aim is development through sport, specifically examining how sport affects life transitions and human development, particularly its effects on quality of life. Dr. Walsh has spent his whole life in sport, spending nearly 14 years as a practitioner in both the profit and non-profit sectors before earning his Ph.D. He worked for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks, University Kentucky Athletic Department, AHL’s Kentucky Thoroughblades, USA Football, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
Dr. Walsh is an active contributor in teaching, service, and research. He is an award-winning educator at the University of Houston, earning top educator awards at both the university and college levels. He has served as the Chair of the Athletic Advisory Committee, the interim Faculty Athletic Representative, and multiple years on UH’s Wellness Council. In addition, he served for three years as Chair and Vice-Chair of the Board of Commissioners for sport management’s accreditation body, Commission of Sport Management Accreditation (COSMA), and was elected into COSMAs Hall of Fame in 2022. Lastly, Dr. Walsh has published both quantitative and qualitative empirical research in leading sport management, leisure, health, and recreation refereed journals. These publications show how resources play a vital role in the sport environment due their potential impact on participants’ transitions and human development.wks, University Kentucky Athletic Department, AHL’s Kentucky Thoroughblades, USA Football, and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta.
Cynthia Yoon, Ph.D
Assistant Professor
My research is centered on social behavioral epidemiology, in particular the epidemiology of obesity. The overarching goal of my research is to reduce obesity by preventing maladaptive eating and encouraging adaptive eating. I am primarily interested in improving these behaviors by identifying psychosocial risk and protective factors that will be translated into interventions. My current research focus is on examining the impact of adverse and traumatic life experiences, including childhood abuse and neglect, household dysfunction, interpersonal violence, and other forms of violence on maladaptive and adaptive eating.
Morgan Washington
Doctoral Student
My primary research aim intends to be about collegiate athletes transitioning out of sport into adult life. I spent my whole life in sport, spending 20 years as an elite soccer player, collegiately at two division I institutions and professionally in the United States and abroad. During retirement, I had a very difficult time transitioning out of athletics into the working world. I have also been a collegiate soccer coach for four seasons, two at Eastern Kentucky University, one year at UMass-Amherst and one at the University of Houston. From these experiences, I realized that I was not alone in my struggles post-retirement from sport. I decided to transition into academia to better the student-athlete experience through research. I have published research on injury in sport but am transitioning into sport administration in my doctoral process. I have received one grant for my previous project: Ready for Life After Sport Transition? Which used the same recruitment processes as this proposed project and recruited 500 participants in just eight days. My doctoral training experiences along with being an elite collegiate athlete has equipped me to successfully develop this scale and assist athletes in their four-year collegiate career.
Daisy Calderon
Undergraduate Student
Daisy Calderon is a second-year undergraduate student studying students’ eating behaviors at the University of Houston. Her research focuses on analyzing the multiple factors that influence college students’ behaviors, and physical, and mental health. She is eager to understand the relationship between adaptive and maladaptive eating behaviors and how it is connected to early and current life experiences and how it affects their health later on. Her passions outside of research include reading poetry, drawing, listening to music, tasting new foods, and exploring the city with friends and family.
Rahul Jose
Undergraduate Student
Rahul Jose is a third-year undergraduate student studying college students’ well-being. His research is geared toward analyzing the complex factors that influence college students’ mental and physical health. He is keen on understanding the availability and effectiveness of campus-wide and environmental resources on students’ emotional and physical development and their consequences after college. His research extends to how campus resources and environmental factors mold student-athletes to prepare for life outside of college sports. His passions outside of research include running, going to the gym, and spending time with family.
Ogechi Obiobasi
Undergraduate Student
Ogechi Obiobasi is a third-year student double majoring in Kinesiology and Psychology. Her primary research goal is to understand the relationship between the body and brain that influences overeating behaviors, eating disorders, obesity, and the underlying internal and external factors that come into play in this interaction, such as family units, social-economic status, race, and personality traits and personal beliefs. In the future, she intends to expand her knowledge and venture into other aspects her major has to offer. Out of school, Ogechi loves playing video games, going on walks, spending time with family and friends, and trying new things.
Laura Thompson
Undergraduate Student
Laura Thompson is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Houston studying Sport Administration and Spanish. Her research is geared toward analyzing the complex factors that influence college students’ overall well-being. Her interest in this research began as a student at the School of Science and Engineering at Townview Magnet Center. Thompson is very involved on campus as a member of Chi Omega Fraternity, the Hispanic Business Student Association, and American Marketing Association. She is the Aquatic Programs Coordinator at UH Campus Recreation - Aquatics, a Marketing Intern for UH Athletics, and a 50/50 Raffle Lead Seller at Dynamo Dash Charities.