William D Kernan

Professor • Department of Public Health

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Dr. William Kernan is a professor of Public Health at William Paterson University and has 25 years of experience developing community-based health education programs. As a former US Peace Corps volunteer and UN World Food Program health monitoring specialist, Dr. Kernan has a deep interest in food and agricultural systems, global health, and cultural competence. Dr. Kernan is the recipient of many applied research grants in the area of substance misuse prevention and currently serves as the Research Director for a grant-funded county-wide substance misuse prevention coalition and is the Primary Investigator for a federally-funded Drug-Free Communities (DFC) grant. He has designed several educational programs targeting prescription opioid and heroin use and has published a number of peer-reviewed research articles on the topics of health education and substance misuse prevention.

Degrees

EdD Health Education, Columbia University Teachers College New York, NY

MS Health Education, Columbia University Teachers College New York, NY

MPA Health Administration, Marist College Poughkeepsie, NY

BA Biology and English Literature, State University of New York at Postdam Potsdam, NY

Specialization

Public Health Education, Food Systems, Global Health, Cultural Competence, Stress Management, Substance Abuse Prevention

Licenses and Certifications

04/30/2000
Master Certified Health Education Specialist, National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. International

Representative Publications

A Review of YouTube Videos About the Opioid Antagonist Medication Naloxone; , Journal of Consumer Health on the Internet; Volume 24, 2020

Improving understanding about dental health issues in college students.; , Journal of prevention & intervention in the community; Volume 47, 2019

Using Mind Mapping to Identify Research Topics: A Lesson for Teaching Research Methods; , Pedagogy in Health Promotion; 2017
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/2373379917719729

Linking learning and health: a pilot study of medical students' perceptions of the academic impact of various health issues.; , Academic psychiatry : the journal of the American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training and the Association for Academic Psychiatry; Volume 32, 2008

Searching for and making meaning after breast cancer: prevalence, patterns, and negative affect.; , Social science & medicine (1982); Volume 68, 2009

Awards and Honors

NJSOPHE President's Award
New Jersey Society for Public Health Education
12/01/2017

Media

Narcan use if up, but its just the first step in reversing opioid epidemic, panel says
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/local/2018/07/27/narcan-use-up-but-its-just-first-step-reversing-opioid-epidemic/836262002/

Passaic County experts provide comprehensive view of the opioid epidemic's local impact
http://drugfreenj.org/news/passaic-county-experts-provide-comprehensive-view-opioid-epidemics-local-impact/

Fellowships, Grants and Research

Coalitions to Employ Environmental Management Strategies for Alcohol and Drug Prevention. New Jersey State Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services
Grant

Evaluation of the Environmental Education Local Grants Programs for Region 2
Grant

Outreach and Community Education Regarding the Use of Opioid Pain Relievers for Sports-Related Injuries in Young Athletes (OOP YA)
Grant

Passaic County Youth Tobacco Action Team Program (YTAG)
Grant

United for Prevention in Passaic County - Passaic City (UPinPC-PC)
Grant

Notable Courses Taught

PBHL 2200: Stress Management
PBHL 3110: Global Health Issues
PBHL 3150: Food and Community
PBHL 3610: Health Communication Methods
PBHL 4610: Program Planning
PBHL 4950: Cultural Dimensions of Health
PBHL 5600: Introduction to Public Health Policy
PBHL 6300: Public Health Leadership

Undergraduate Admissions

Graduate Admissions

International Students

Administration

Faculty and Staff