Barbara Hekel, PhD, MPH, RN, is an assistant professor in the Undergraduate Department. Dr. Hekel earned a baccalaureate from the University of Iowa, her home state. She earned a Masters of Public Health and a Master's of Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. As she began teaching, Dr. Hekel earned a Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Nursing and Health Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Her doctoral education was from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee where she was a research assistant on the dementia team for the Track & Trigger Treatment (T3) Protocol to Stop Ineffective Drug and Non-Drug Treatment of People. She is an author on several peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Hekel’s dissertation was "Influence of Expectations of Aging on Older Women's Use of Dietary Supplements using the Health Promotion Theory."