Tasia Smith, Evergreen Assistant Professor of Counseling Psychology and Human Services at the University of Oregon, passed away on December 5, 2018 at Sacred Heart Riverbend Hospital in Springfield, Oregon. She was 32 years old.
Dr. Smith came to the University of Oregon in 2016. She was one of four young scholars hired as part of the university’s Health Promotion and Obesity Prevention Initiative, which is part of the university’s Prevention Science Institute in the College of Education. Her research focused on the prevention and reduction of obesity and obesity-related health disparities among underserved populations. Her work examined the social factors involved in health and mental health conditions and their role in physical health outcomes.
Dr. Smith also designed, implemented, and evaluated community-based health promotion programs. In a project done with churches in northern Florida, she found that regular use of health care services was associated with healthier eating and higher perceived health status among 180 African-American women battling issues related to hypertension and weight.
Dr. Smith held a bachelor’s degree in psychology and sociology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a master’s degree in human development and family studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Florida.