Department of Kinesiology and Health Education
Tolga Ozyurtcu • Associate Professor of Instruction
Tolga Ozyurtcu has received the prestigious L.H. Cullum Endowment Award, which recognizes excellence of full-time professional-track faculty contributions in research, scholarship, creative endeavors, clinical training or curriculum redesign. The award is presented by the UT College of National Sciences.
Ozyurtcu serves as the undergraduate coordinator for Kinesiology and Health Education and teaches in the department’s programs in Sport Management and Physical Culture and Sport Studies. His primary research interests include the history of sporting subcultures, sport and cultural geography, physical culture history and innovation in sport.
Tharan Suresh • Doctoral Student
Tharan Suresh, a doctoral student in Movement and Cognitive Rehabilitation Science, was a finalist in the Graduate School’s Empower Your Research Pitch competition for his presentation, Learning Reshapes Brain Rhythms.
Suresh is a cognitive neuroscientist exploring how individuals acquire and retain motor skills.
Center for Research to Community Impact
Deborah Salvo • Director
Deborah Salvo, director of the Center for Research to Community Impact (CRCI) and associate professor, served as lead author on one paper and co-author on two others published in the 2026 Nature Portfolio Physical Activity Series, a collection highlighting leading global research on physical activity and health. The papers, developed over four years by large international research teams, included Physical Activity for Public Health in the 21st Century, a major paradigm shift in the field which links physical activity with climate change. Challenging the longstanding “every move counts” approach in public health, Salvo and her co-authors analyzed data from 68 countries and found that access to safe, freely chosen physical activity remains deeply unequal worldwide.
Their research showed a 40% point gap in access to leisure-time physical activity between wealthy men in affluent nations and poor women living in low-income countries, underscoring how physical activity for many people is driven by economic necessity and often occurs in unsafe or unhealthy conditions—contributing to a global physical inactivity pandemic that requires urgent policy action. The paper also highlights the benefits of physical activity well beyond obesity and cardiometabolic health, with strong evidence supporting its role in preventing and managing cancer, depression, and infectious diseases—areas that remain underemphasized in healthcare and public health policy.
Department of Educational Psychology
Aaron Rochlen • Clinical Professor
Aaron Rochlen has received the Distinguished Ambassador in Aging Award by the Aging Life Care Association, one of the organization’s highest honors. He was recognized for his outstanding leadership, advocacy and significant contributions to the fields of aging, life care and, more recently, music and mental health. He will also serve as keynote speaker at the association’s 42nd Annual Conference.
Rochlen’s research has focused on men and masculinity, with a particular emphasis on men’s mental health and help-seeking behaviors. Previous work has explored the experiences of men with depression, anxiety and relationship challenges, including how these experiences are influenced by adherence to traditional male roles.
Graduate Students
Graduate students Celine Norman, Franchesca Lyra, Aigerimm Alpysbekova, Hui Tang, Madeline O’Grady, Jackie Yang and Linling Shen were selected for Outstanding Graduate Research Fellowships awarded by the Graduate School to continuing students based on their records since coming to UT.
