Su-I Hou, professor of health management and informatics and health-track coordinator of the doctoral program in public affairs at UCF, was added to the Fulbright Specialist Roster with the State Department’s Fulbright Specialist Program.
Professor Su-I Hou has made significant contributions in publications and national and international presentations in areas of developing and validating culturally sensitive instruments, psychosocial factors of health behaviors, intervention mapping, and evaluation studies on aging, cancer and HIV prevention.The Fulbright Specialist Program sends U.S. faculty and professionals to serve as expert consultants on curriculum, faculty development and research, institutional planning and related subjects at academic institutions abroad. Specialists, who represent a wide range of professional and academic disciplines, are competitively selected to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster based on their knowledge, skill sets and ability to make a significant contribution to projects overseas. Those approved to join the Fulbright Specialist Roster are eligible to be matched with approved projects designed by foreign host institutions from more than 150 countries and other areas. If matched or selected, Hou hopes to work with a university that wants to develop its educational capabilities in mixed methods research, service-learning and community-engaged research, and study abroad programs.
Hou’s teaching and research focus on community-engaged research of models to promote older adults aging in place, cancer screening among minority ethnic groups, and HIV/AIDS prevention. She taught courses on mixed methods research, program evaluation, and HIV/AIDS in doctoral and undergraduate programs at UCF. In addition, she gave over 60 invited, international keynotes, conference presentations, and workshops in China, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Norway, S. Africa, Taiwan and Thailand.
Hou created Taiwan Study Abroad programs at UCF and University of Georgia and led undergraduate, master's and doctoral student groups in the Taiwan Study Abroad summer program to research issues related to Asian culture, healthcare and Taiwan's aging society. Students say her Taiwan Study Abroad programs are a once-in-a-lifetime experience that totally transforms their perspectives, and at times, has students re-thinking career paths.
Hou has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and presented at more than 170 national and international conferences in areas of developing and validating culturally sensitive instruments, psychosocial factors of health behaviors, intervention mapping, and evaluation studies on aging, cancer and HIV prevention.
The Department of Health Management and Informatics at the University of Central Florida offers innovative academic programs in health management that prepare students for the challenges of a highly turbulent and competitive health care industry.