Dr. Tara Underwood is the Chairperson of the Department of Health, Physical Education, and Exercise Science and the Associate Director of the Center for Health Disparities and Community-Based Research at Columbus State University. She is an Associate Professor of Health Science and has worked within the field of public health over the last 24 years. Dr. Underwood's primary research interests are focused on public health endeavors in communities in which the prevalence of chronic disease conditions and health disparities exist. She has experience working at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia as both an Intern and Health Technician in the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and the National Center for Environmental Health within the Air Pollution Branch.
Tara's commitment to improving the public's health status has been seen through her various roles at the national and local level as a member of the American Public Health Association, a Board member of the West Central Georgia Cancer Coalition, a Board Member of the Three Rivers Area Health Education Center, a member of the Center for Rural Health and Health Disparities at Mercer University and other organizations whose mission is to improve and enhance the health status of citizens living in our nation.