Research Interests
- Translation and implementation of evidence-based public health interventions for older adults
- The influence of social support and social relationships on self-care and chronic illness management among older adults
- Falls prevention
- Social isolation
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellowship, Social Research on Applied Issues of Aging NIA Training Grant, University of Michigan School of Social Work, 1995-1996
- Ph.D., Health Behavior & Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1995
- M.P.H., Health Behavior & Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, 1990
- A.B., Magna cum laude with highest honors in Biology, Harvard University, 1987
Biosketch
Mary Gallant was appointed dean of the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences in September 2023.
Prior to joining UMass Lowell, she was interim dean of the School of Public Health at the University at Albany, SUNY, and professor in the Department of Health Policy, Management and Behavior. During her tenure as interim dean, she secured a three-year $1.5 million HRSA grant for the Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Scholarship Program, which aimed to enhance the diversity of the public health workforce. Gallant was a member of the faculty at UAlbany since 1996, and she also held a variety of administrative positions, including senior associate dean for academic affairs (2017-2022), associate dean for academic affairs (2013-2017), provost fellow for tenure and promotion (2012-2013) and department chair (2007-2010). From 2014 to 2015, Gallant was a Fellow in the Hedwig van Ameringen Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine Program for Women.
Gallant’s expertise is in public health and aging and her research centers on self-care and health promotion among older adults. Her most recent work involves designing, translating and evaluating the implementation of evidence-based health promotion programs for older adults in community settings. This work has included programs focused on exercise, falls prevention, chronic disease self-management and caregiver support. From 2015 to 2021, she was principal investigator for a comprehensive evaluation of the New York State Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Support Initiative, a $25 million statewide initiative which provided evidence-based caregiver support services.
Gallant’s research interests also include how social support and relationships influence self-care and chronic illness management among older adults. Her early career work focused on the role of health behaviors in the caregiver stress process and the mechanisms by which caregiver stress may impact health outcomes. She has received research funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state and foundation sources to support her work.
Gallant is a member of the board of directors of the Lowell Community Health Center. She is also treasurer of the Aging and Public Health Section of the American Public Health Association and from 2017 to 2019, she served as chair of the section. In 2022, she was awarded the section’s Philip G. Weiler Award for Leadership in Aging and Public Health. She is also an accreditation site visitor for the Council on Education in Public Health.