Dr. Julia VanderMolen is an Associate Professor of Public Health within the School of Interdisciplinary Health at Grand Valley State University.  Dr. VanderMolen received her Ph.D. in Educational Leadership with an emphasis in Career and Technical Education from Western Michigan University. She has an M.Ed in Educational Technology from Grand Valley State University, a MA in Health Science from the University of Alabama, and an MS in Biology from Clemson University.

She is a recipient of the 2021 Blackboard Catalyst Award for Inclusive Education, the 2019 Teaching and Learning with Technology Award from Grand Valley State University, the 2014 and 2012 Blackboard Exemplary Course Award winner for online teaching in health and science, and the 2011 Teaching Excellence Award from Davenport University.  She received the GLC-SOPHE Honor Award in 2019 for her contributions to the field of health promotion and education. She has presented at numerous conferences on the topics of educational technology, online learning, assistive technology, and disabilities. She has expertise in online learning and currently provides expertise to multiple organizations in health education, health promotion, health literacy, online teaching and learning, and assistive technology.

Dr. VanderMolen teaches courses in Public Health Promotion and Education emphasis and the undergraduate Public Health Concepts course. Teaching online is another area of expertise for Dr. VanderMolen as she has taught, designed curriculum, and trained faculty using these technologies for the past 24 years.

The contributions of her research are to examine the benefits of assistive technology, UD and UDL, and disabilities in public health. Additionally, Dr. VanderMolen’s recent work has included the benefits of 3D printing for the visually impaired, the concept of universal design as it relates to public health and disability policy.

Dr. VanderMolen currently serves as a board member of the Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired. She is an active member of the Disability section, the Food and Nutrition of the American Public Health Association (APHA), and the Great Lakes Chapter of the Society of Public Health Education (GLC-SOPHE), where she is currently working serves as the President-Elect.

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