Fiona Kawa Gorman, Ed.D., M.P.H.

Dr. Fiona Gorman is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Science. She joined ºÚÁÏÍø in 2014 and brings a passion for research focused on the areas of international health, reproductive health, and social determinants of health. She also brings to the department a wealth of experience gained in the areas of program development, implementation and evaluation during her time working in the non-profit sector. For example, she adapted Los Angeles’ first evidence-based HIV prevention program tailored to the needs of monolingual Chinese massage parlor workers. In the classroom she employs her academic preparation in Educational Psychology to develop engaging materials for coursework in biostatistics, global health, health promotion, and curriculum development. She has demonstrated a dedication to supporting and mentoring students through collaborative research projects resulting in student conference presentations and peer-reviewed publications. Similarly, she has served as a Chair and committee member on several Masters Theses and an Undergraduate Honors Thesis. Her current research focuses on the role of Knowledge Exchange Social Websites as a vector for health misinformation, use of gamification in promoting health behaviors, HPV vaccine attitudes and uptake among college students, and correlates of delay in seeking cardiac healthcare among rural populations.

Dr. Gorman teaches courses in community health statistics, health promotion risk reduction, and international health.  She also actively involves undergraduate students in research activities that provide opportunities for students to apply the knowledge and skills they have learned in the classroom.

She received her B.S. in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies, MPH in Health Promotion, and EdD in Educational Leadership at the University of Southern California.

  • 2012 Ed.D. University of Southern California Educational Psychology
  • 2007 MPH University of Southern California Health Promotion
  • 2006 B.S. University of Southern California Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Studies

Dr. Gorman’s research interests are community outreach and education, immigrant health, cultural adaptation of prevention interventions, HIV prevention and reproductive health. She has experience developing and evaluating health promotion programs including HIV prevention among monolingual massage parlor workers, fish contamination education among women of childbearing age in Los Angeles and Orange County, and tobacco prevention among high school students in China.

  • Gorman, F., Yadegarians, D., Meng, L., Gorman, N., & Johnson, E. (2020). Online vaccine information in a Knowledge Exchange Social Website (KESW). Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 10, 151-167.
  • Gorman, F., Cappelli, C., Pike, J., Sandoval, B., Gorman, N., Stacy, A., & Ames, S. (in press). Gamified Health: A systematic review of digital programs that attempt to encourage positive health behaviors. J Med – Clin Res & Rev, 4(7): 1-12.
  • Acosta-Deprez V., Gorman F., Erlyanna E., Sinay T., Gorman N. (2020). Knowledge and Attitudes on Working with Older Adults: A Comparison between US and China. Rep Glob Health Res 3: 113. DOI: 10.29011/RGHR-113.100013
  • Acosta-Deprez, V, Gorman F, Ai M, Chu, C, Erlyana E, Records, C, London A. (2020). Perceptions about flavored tobacco policies and smoking behaviors by age, gender and sexual orientation in the LGBTQ population in Los Angeles County. Archives of Healthcare, 1(1):56- 74
  • Gorman, F., Yadegarians, D., Islam, T., Tongco, S., Johnson, E., Estrada, E., & Gorman, N. (2017). Accuracy of Ebola Information in a Knowledge Exchange Social Website (KESW). Open Journal of Preventive Medicine, 7, 210-223.
  • Takahashi, L., Tobin, K., To, S., Ou, S., M, C.H., Ao, F. K.W., & Candelario, J. (2013). Chieh Mei Ching Yi: A randomized control trial of a culturally tailored HIV prevention intervention for Chinese massage parlor women in Los Angeles. AIDS Education and Prevention, 25(6), 508-518.