Allison Ford-Wade, PhD
Gillespie Distinguished Scholar
Associate Dean of Community Engagement-School of Applied Sciences
Interim Chair and Professor of Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management
The University of Mississippi
Dr. Allison Ford-Wade serves as Associate Dean of Community Engagement, Interim Chair for Health, Exercise Science and Recreation Management, and Program Director for Public Health at the University of Mississippi. Dr. Ford-Wade holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Alabama in exercise science, a master’s degree in health promotion from Mississippi State University and a PhD in Health Science from The University of Arkansas. As a native Mississippian, Ford-Wade moved back to Mississippi after serving on faculty in Florida and is in her 20th year at Ole Miss. Dr. Ford-Wade research is in women’s health and community health with the most recent funded projects being NIH funded Project SCORE (Student Centered Outcomes Research Experience). Project SCORE is an afterschool STEM program for high school students offered in Oxford and Jackson, MS. Dr. Ford-Wade is an investigator for a project offering Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) across Mississippi, funded through the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Her administrative roles as Associate Dean include liaison with faculty, staff, students, and administrators around community engagement efforts, including a new university minor in community engagement. She also works with all scholarships for the School of Applied Sciences and currently manages a grand challenge around mental health. As Interim Chair for Health, Exercise Science & Recreation Management, she works with 20 faculty, four staff members and 1,100 students.