Su-I Hou, a Professor at the University of Central Florida’s School of Global Health Management and Informatics (SGHMI), strategically led the unit’s transition into a school and served as its founding director during the pandemic. Since 2015, she has coordinated the health track for UCF’s Doctoral Program in Public Affairs (PAF-PhD). Hou initiated and directed the Taiwan Study Abroad Program on Asian Culture, Healthcare, & Aging Society at both UGA (2011-2015) and UCF (2017-present). As a Fulbright Specialist (2019-2024), she conducted mixed methods research training workshops globally. Recently named the 2024-2026 Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Distinguished Chair in Health Sciences, she will collaborate with Finland’s world-renowned FINGERS research team to explore digitally enhanced lifestyle interventions’ impact on brain health promotion to slow cognitive decline.

Hou has taught a variety of research and competency-based courses, including Mixed Methods Research, Research Methods, Policy & Program Evaluation, Program Development & Implementation; Community Health; Epidemiology; Human Ecology of Health & Illness; Cancer Communication; Cancer Epidemiology & Prevention; HIV Needs Assessment; Doctoral Seminars; Asian Culture & Health; Public Health & Aging, etc.  Prior to become a university faculty member, Hou had considerable practical and administrative experience in health care and community settings, serving as the founding director of the Community Health Department at one of the major teaching hospitals in Taiwan.

Hou has been very active in the Chinese-American communities, serving as the 2013-2014 president for the Chinese-American Academic and Professional Association in Southeastern United States (CAPASUS), and continuing to serve on its executive board. She has close professional ties with Taiwan and China and has been frequently invited by their government agencies, major national universities, and industrial partners to give keynotes and training workshops.

Prior to joining UCF in 2015, Hou was a key founding faculty member of the College of Public Health, and founding director of the Taiwan Public Health Study Abroad Program at the University of Georgia (UGA), Athens, GA. She served as an associate editor (2009-2015) for Health Promotion Practice, the Society of Public Health Education’s official journal devoted to the practical application of health promotion and education. Hou is a recognized scholar of service learning by the Community-Campus Partnership for Health and was also an inaugural service-learning senior scholar and a recipient of the Service-Learning Research Excellence Award at UGA. Dr. Hou has published over 140+ peer-reviewed journal articles, presented over 260+ papers at national and international conferences, and given over 160+ invited international presentations, workshops, or seminars.

Leadership Conversation with Su-I Hou