Amanda McClain
Class of 2002

Amanda McClain always knew she wanted to go into the health field, but needed a major closely related to her personal passion and professional interests: physical fitness and nutrition. The Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of Evansville started her on the path to fulfilling her goals.

During her senior year internship McClain learned of the world of opportunities in her field, and she became interested in public health. "Working for a hospital-based worksite wellness program provided me with a new direction: a focus on physical activity and nutrition in minorities and the financially disadvantaged." This new interested McClain to the graduate program in health promotion at the University of Memphis.

In her current position at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina, McClain is the lead health counselor for a four-year grant offered by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. "We are working to advance the understanding of how to effectively promote cardiovascular disease risk reduction in health care settings among financially disadvantaged African American women ages 35 years and older."

The one-on-one attention McClain received at UE assisted her throughout her academic and professional career. "During graduate school, I sought out professors who would mentor me as my professors at UE did. Now, I find myself in the mentoring role with the graduate students who work for me. I hope to pass along the work ethic that was ingrained in me by my UE professors - to proactively seek knowledge and experience in order to make the most of each opportunity."