THOMAS R. PROHASKA, M.A., Ph.D.

Dean, College of Health and Human Services
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA

Dr. Prohaska is a professional with more than 30 years of experience in the health care field. He currently serves as Dean of the College of Health and Human Services at George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia as well as the principal investigator of a National Institute of Aging Gerontological Public Health Program for pre- and post-doctoral fellows. Notable past positions held by Dr. Prohaska include Professor of Community Health Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), School of Public Health; Co-Director of the Center for Research on Health and Aging, Institute for Health Research and Policy at the UIC; Division Director of Community Health Sciences, UIC School of Public Health; Associate Professor, UIC School of Public Health; and Adjunct Faculty with the Medical College of Virginia.

Throughout his illustrious career, Dr. Prohaska has accumulated extensive expertise in diverse subject areas including physical activity and aging, community-based activity programs and interventions, health psychology and behavioral health, long-term care, health disparities, and caregiving among others. He has over 100 research publications including peer-review journal articles, book chapters, book reviews, technical reports and monographs, and abstract proceedings at national and international healthcare forums. Moreover, he is a peer-reviewer for twelve prestigious health and psychology journals as well as a peer-reviewer for the Gerontological Society of America and the American Public Health Association. In addition, Dr. Prohaska serves on the editorial board of Family and Community Health, The Gerontologist, and Journal of Aging and Health.

Dr. Prohaska has served on numerous national panels and advisory boards as an expert based on his recognized scholarship, including the Governing Council and Section Council Gerontological Health Section of the American Public Health Association; Association of Schools of Public Health Task Force on Aging and Public Health; National Institute on Aging Data and Safety Monitoring Board; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; National Institute of Mental Health; Institutes of Medicine; Rapides Foundation; Health Resources and Services Administration; and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, among many others in the substantive areas of physical activity and nutrition, public health intervention research, and behavioral health.

In recognition of his esteemed career, Dr. Prohaska has received numerous honors and awards including the Distinguished Professor of Gerontology and Geriatrics Award; the Golden Apple Award; and the Aging Studies Career Development Award.

Dr. Prohaska received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in experimental psychology from the Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, he completed his post doctoral training with the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Dr. Prohaska further obtained his Master of Arts degree in psychology from Middle Tennessee State University and his Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Roger Williams College in Bristol, Rhode Island.