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Frecia Gonzalez

Frecia Gonzales

Assistant Professor

College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences

DrPH, Loma Linda University, School of Public Health- Loma Linda, CA, MPH, Loma Linda University, School of Public Health- Loma Linda, CA, BA, Sociology & Anthropology, Stockton University- Galloway, NJ, AA, Chemistry, Stockton University-Galloway, NJ

Location: JMC 450

frecia.gonzalez@belmont.edu

Biography

Dr. Frecia Gonzalez, DrPH, MPH, serves as Assistant Professor and Department Chair of Public Health at Belmont University's College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, a role she has grown into since first joining Belmont as a Faculty Fellow in 2024.

Dr. Gonzalez is a passionate public health professional dedicated to prevention, health education, and health equity. Her doctoral research at Loma Linda University explored esports' effects on college students' lifestyle behaviors and academic achievement, and her curiosity has since carried her through substance use prevention, food insecurity, health policy, and the built environment. Most recently, her research has turned toward the classroom itself: she is evaluating a short, balanced-dose service-learning model, work she has shared at national conferences including the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Annual Conference and the Gulf South Summit.

Before entering academia full-time, Dr. Gonzalez spent over 15 years in the nonprofit sector, rising from data analyst to Regional Director, where she led public health programs across two Southern California counties and chaired the county's Applied Data and Research Workgroup for five years.

Her goal as an educator is to prepare the next generation of professionals to address health disparities and promote well-being for all communities to thrive. Dr. Gonzalez is excited to bring her experience in program management, community health, and advocacy into the classroom, and looks forward to joining each student on their own journey of public health discovery.

  • AI in public health systems- evaluating the use of AI in clinical decision-making, public benefits eligibility, and health communication and surveillance
  • Rural health systems- examining healthcare access, workforce shortages, transportation barriers, digital divides, and aging populations
  • Refugee and immigrant health- exploring how resettled populations in rural and semi-rural regions navigate healthcare, education, housing, and social service systems
  • Service-learning pedagogy- studying the implementation, effectiveness, and sustainability of service-learning in undergraduate public health curricula, including her forthcoming publication evaluating a short, balanced-dose service-learning model
  • Food systems and gendered care labor- a feminist ethnographic study of food activism and the gendered dynamics of public cultures of care, published inCanadian Food Studies
  • Exercise and youth health behavior- exergaming's role in promoting physical activity and exercise self-efficacy among children, published inGlobal Pediatric Health
  • Substance use and the built environment- the impact of retail practices, such as single-serve alcohol container availability, on community violence
  • Cognitive decline and health equity- qualitative research on attitudes and perspectives toward cognitive decline among Black, Hispanic, and Vietnamese populations
  • Bioethics in health sciences- biomedical ethics within the context of integrating faith with health sciences

  • American Public Health Association
  • Tennessee Public Health Association
  • National Academies of Practice- Public Health Academy
  • Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health (ASPPH)

  • Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health Award
  • Serrao Health and Management Practice Award
  • Selma Andrews Academic Award in Public Health
  • 2026 Belmont University Global Honors Faculty Fellow
  • 2025 Belmont University Service-Learning Faculty Fellow
  • 2024 Belmont University Faculty Fellow

  • Lloro, T., & González, F. (2022). Food activism and negotiating the gendered dynamics of public cultures of care. Canadian Food Studies La Revue Canadienne Des études Sur l’alimentation, 9(2), 180–204. https://doi.org/10.15353/cfs-rcea.v9i2.537 
  • Dos Santos, H., Bredehoft, M. D., Gonzalez, F., & Montgomery, S. (2016). Exercise Video Games and Exercise Self-E`icacy in Children. Global pediatric health, 3, 2333794X16644139. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333794X16644139 

  • Lloro, T., & González, F. (2021). Food activism and negotiating the gendered dynamics of public cultures of care. Towards Just Food Futures: Workshop Event, University of Calgary, Canada.
  • Cardenas, M., Wang, A., Alberto, K., Nguyen, N., Gonzalez, F., Holzhauser, E., & Herring, P. (2016).Creative Before & After School Programs for Success (CAPS): Turning a food desert into a gardening experience at the school-site. Submitted to American Public Health Association for Poster Presentation, Denver, CO.
  • Thomas, E., Medina, R., Nguyen, N., Gonzalez, F. Holzhauser, E., & Herring, P. (2016). Families that play together: Stay leaner & healthier together. Submitted to American Public Health Association for Poster Presentation, Denver, CO.
  • Lopez, C., Avila, D., Wu, Y., Gonzalez, F., Nguyen, N., Holzhauser, E., & Herring, P. (2016). A baby friendly hospital initiative: Improving lives-one baby at a time through breastfeeding. Submitted to American Public Health Association for Poster Presentation, Denver, CO.
  • Foster, L., Larios, R., Paul, F., Gonzalez, F., Nguyen, N., Holzhauser, E., & Herring, P. (2016). Drugs, alcohol and risky sexual behavior: Talking about the negative to increase the positive. Submitted to American Public Health Association for Oral Presentation, Denver, CO.
  • Santos, S. L., Ananaba, N., Drader, J., Gonzalez, F., Herring, P., Holzhauser, E., Montgomery, S. (2010). Drop the phone, slow it down, & sober up: Tra`ic safety for at risk young adults. Poster Presentation at Annual Southern California Public Health Association Conference, San Diego, CA

  • Gonzalez, F., & Gavilo-Lane, L. (2026). Map, Measure, Mobilize- Building Evidence-Ready Service-Learning [Oral Presentation]. Gulf South Summit Annual Conference, Houston, Texas, March 2026

  • Gonzalez, F., & Gavilo-Lane, L. (2026). Addressing Social Determinants of Health through Public Health Service-Learning [Oral Presentation]. Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Annual Conference, Arlington, VA, March 2026

  • Gonzalez, F., Frame, T., Henneman, A., & Gavilo-Lane, L. (2026). Shifting Perceptions of Poverty and Interprofessional Teams [Oral Presentation]. Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health Annual Conference, Arlington, VA, March 2026

  • Gavilo-Lane, L., Gonzalez, F., and Harvey, M. (2025). The Community Classroom: Addressing Social Determinants through Public Health Service-Learning [Oral Presentation]. Tennessee Public Health Annual Conference, Murfreesboro, TN, September 2025

  • Hamm, A., Gonzalez, F., & Williams, C. (2025). Green IQ at Private Liberal Arts Colleges: How Residential Students Understand Sustainability [Post Presentation]. Tennessee Public Health Association, Murfreesboro, TN, September 2025

  • Cunningham, K., Gonzalez, F., & Williams, C. (2025). Impact of Parental Monitoring on College Drinking during Undergraduate Students’ First Semester [Post Presentation]. Tennessee Public Health Association, Murfreesboro, TN, September 2025

  • Stephens, C., Gonzalez, F., Williams, C. (2025). Campus Food Infrastructure and Poor Eating Behavior at Private Liberal Arts Institution [Poster Presentation]. Tennessee Public Health Association, Murfreesboro, TN, September 2025