Executive Leadership & Expert Bios

Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH

Director, Division of Adolescent and School Health, NCCDPHP

 

Howell Wechsler, EdD, MPH, serves as director of the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH). He supervises the management of DASH′s three surveillance systems -- Youth Risk Behavior System, School Health Policies and Programs Study, and School Health Profiles; research and evaluation studies; development and dissemination of tools to help schools implement evidence-based policies and practices; and the funding of and technical assistance to state and local education agencies and national, non-governmental organizations.

Prior to serving as director for DASH, Dr. Wechsler was the chief of the Research Application Branch in DASH and served as the division′s obesity prevention specialist. Dr. Wechsler was the lead author of CDC′s “Guidelines for School Health Programs to Promote Lifelong Healthy Eating,” and also led the development of the “School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide.”

Dr. Wechsler earned a doctorate in health education from Teacher′s College, Columbia University, NYC; a Master′s Degree in Public Health from Columbia University, and a Bachelor′s Degree in journalism from Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois.

Dr. Wechsler entered the field of public health during his service as a Peace Corps volunteer in Zaire.

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