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Faculty Member

Dr. Georgia Halkia

Biography

Dr. Georgia Halkia holds a Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in Global Health from the University of California, Irvine, where she also earned the H&H Lee Foundation Fellowship in Public Health for Excellence in Research. She also earned a Master of Public Health in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and a Bachelor's degree in Human Services with a minor in Gerontology.
An accomplished educator, Dr. Halkia is a UCI Division for Teaching Excellence and Innovation Pedagogical Fellow and recipient of the Jeffrey L. Fortuna Outstanding Lecturer Award from California State University, Fullerton (2019). She graduated with honors and has been recognized for both her teaching excellence and research contributions.
She directed and developed the Community Health Worker (CHW) program that was implemented across the Coast Colleges in California, where she collaborated with regional partners such as CalOptima and First Five to create digital credentials that translated into workforce-ready skills and became a model for other institutions. She also served as Director of Operations for the CSU Fullerton Center for Healthy Neighborhoods, leading initiatives to reduce health and educational disparities by providing free services, building skills, and connecting residents to essential resources.
In academia, Dr. Halkia has taught undergraduate and graduate courses, including Research Methods, Statistics, Epidemiology, Global Burden of Disease, and Program Design and Evaluation. Her research focuses on health disparities, program design and evaluation, and building community capacity to advance equity.

Education

PhD, UCI, 2021

Major: Public Health

MPH, CSUF, 2014

Major: Public Health

BS, California State University Fullerton, 2011

Major: Human Services

AA/AS, Saddleback College, 2009

Major: Design

Teaching

HLTH 3800

Epidemiology, Fall 2026

HLTH 4400G

Health and Diversity, Fall 2026

HLTH 3300

Health Promotion for Older Adults, Fall 2026

HLTH 3500G

International Health, Fall 2026

HLTH 4400G

Health and Diversity, Summer 2026

HLTH 3500G

International Health, Summer 2026

HLTH 3800

Epidemiology, Spring 2026

HLTH 4400G

Health and Diversity, Spring 2026

HLTH 3300

Health Promotion for Older Adults, Spring 2026

HLTH 3500G

International Health, Spring 2026

HLTH 1100

Personal Health and Wellness, Spring 2026

Presentations

Halkia, Georgia (Presenter & Author), SOPHE Annual Conference, "Peer Reviewed | From Classrooms to Community Impact_ Training the Next Generation of CHWs", SOPHE, Portland, OR. (April 22, 2026)
Halkia, Georgia (Presenter & Author), CHW Academy for Supervising Providers, "Reflective & Supportive Supervision", CalOptima , Online. (August 30, 2024)

Scholarly/Creative Works

Hulsy, Array William Drew, Salazar, Kareb , Chalkia, Dimitra , Chavez, Yonny , Zhao, Yunchen , Halkia, Georgia , Razorenova, Olga , Nikolaidis, Nikolas , "Peer Reviewed | Population-associated molecular variation in histologically normal breast tissue is context-dependent and associated with distinct transcriptional states" . biorxiv. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.06.16.732684v1
Fisher, John , Halkia, Georgia , "Peer-Reviewed | Conceptual Transfer In Emergency Education_ Examining Student Discussion Posts as Evidence of Applied Learning" . Journal of Applied Learning in Higher Education (JALHE).
Halkia, Georgia , (2026) "Peer-Reviewed | From Classrooms to Community Impact_ Training the Next Generation of CHWs" . Portland, OR: SOPHE.
Arce, Alberto , Altman, Rachel , Badolian, Alen , Low, Jensen , Cuaresma, Azalea Blythe , Halkia, Georgia , Keshet, Uri , Fiehn, Oliver , Stahelin, Robert V. , Nikolaidis, Nikolas , (2025) "Peer-Reviewed | Heat Shock-Induced PI Increase Drives HSPA1A Translocation to the Plasma Membrane in Cancer and S Cells through PI4KIII Alpha Activation s" (Issue: 1, vol. 31). Cell Stress and Chaperones. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1355814525000756?via%3Dihub
Halkia, Georgia , "Peer-Reviewed | Lost in Uncertainty_ How Risk Communication Failures Left Oklahomans Unprepared for Induced Earthquakes" . Taylor & Francis Group: Journal of Health Communication.
Halkia, Georgia , (2025) "Peer-Reviewed | Bridging the Gap_ Communicating Seismic Risk for a Resilient and Healthier Future" .

Awards

Global Spotlight

UVU - April, 2026

State of California Senate Certificate of Recognition

State of California - March 26, 2024

While serving as Director of the Center for Healthy Neighborhoods at California State University, Fullerton, I was honored to receive multiple recognitions in acknowledgment of my work in community health and advocacy. I was awarded a State Senate Award for Outstanding Community Advocacy, highlighting my efforts to address health and education disparities in underserved populations. In the same year, I also received Certificates of Recognition from the County of Orange, the California State Assembly, the California Senate, and the U.S. House of Representatives. These honors reflect the collective impact of our center’s work and the partnerships we built to empower families and improve community well-being across Southern California.

H&H Lee Foundation Fellowship in Public Health for Excellence in Research

H&H Lee Foundation - May 25, 2021

In 2021, I was awarded the H&H Lee Foundation Fellowship in Public Health for Excellence in Research. This competitive fellowship recognizes outstanding scholarly contributions and research potential in the field of public health. Receiving this award affirmed the significance of my work and supported the continued development of research focused on advancing health equity and evidence-based community interventions.

Public Health Dissertation Writing Fellowship

UCI

Public Health Dissertation Writing Fellowship ($7,000), UCI (2020)

Advisory Council on Diversity, Graduate Representative

UCI

Public Health Dissertation Research Fellowship

UCI

Public Health Dissertation Research Fellowship ($7,000), UCI (2019)