By Sarah R. Schwartz ’10

This fall, Alison Tartaglia, MSPH, CHES, TTS, Visiting Assistant Professor of Medical Science and Community Health, joined the Arcadia faculty. She currently is teaching Social Determinants of Health and Disease (PBH501) and Public Health Internship (PBH689) in addition to facilitating the Fieldwork Seminar (PBH695).

Tartaglia was drawn to Arcadia because, she says, “I love the community feel of the University and appreciate the importance of community health in the public health masters program.”

Formerly an adjunct professor in Public Health at Drexel University, Tartaglia is a current doctoral student in the same department. She earned a B.S. from Temple University in Community Health Education, and an M.S. in Public Health from Walden University.

Her research interests include tobacco, trauma and women’s health. She has a background in Consulting, Grant Writing and has a wealth of experience facilitating smoking-cessation programs.

Tartaglia has written and presented a number of publications including “Reaching Young Men Aged 18 to 24 with Tobacco Information Through Job-Readiness Programs” at the APHA Conference in 2008 and the National Conference on Tobacco or Health 2009. An active member of the Philadelphia Healthy Start Advisory Board and the Be-A-Bridge Advisory Council, Tartaglia also maintains her affiliation with a number of Public Health Associations including the American Association of Health Educators, American Public Health Association and the Society of Prevention Research.

Most recently, Tartaglia worked as Project Manager for Drexel’s Office of Government and Community Relations, where she was responsible for program oversight of cessation programs targeting low income, pregnant and/or recovering women. Within this program she was in charge of budget administration, networking, creating marketing materials and providing program facilitation. “It was hard for me to leave the community because work there with low-income women who smoke was so very important. It’s an issue and a segment of the population that don’t get the attention that they deserve,” she says. “However, I am really enjoying teaching at Arcadia and have found the students here to be bright and a lot of fun to work with.”

Currently, Tartaglia lives in Upper Bucks County with her husband, German sheppard and two cats and she jokes, “I am a doctoral student so I don’t have any hobbies!”