Kasondra McCracken

Kasondra earned her bachelor's degree from The University of Arizona and her master's degree in Community Health Education from the University of New Mexico. She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and spent several years working as a public health educator in the college setting. Some of her core topics are health promotion program planning, malaria prevention, suicide prevention, healthy relationships, and stress management, and climate change and health.

Kasondra has nine years experience teaching health science courses at the university level. Before joining Arizona State, Kasondra had the opportunity to teach malaria education in Tamale, Ghana. She also has a heart for national service, and previously worked for Teach for America, Americorps, and the American Red Cross. Kasondra In 2015, Kasondra was the Pacific Coast Region Winner for the American College Health Association Affiliate New Professional Award. This award recognizes those who have provided service to the field of college health for five years or less and who have made significant contributions to their institutions. 

There is currently a need for professionals who can translate climate and health science into action. After noticing a gap in public health educators who are knowledgeable about climate change and its cascading health impacts, Kasondra suggested that the Health Education and Health Promotion program at ASU create a new topics course, HEP 394. There are only a handful of classes like this one currently available in the United States, so it is exciting to be on the leading edge of this critically important health topic. The HEP 394 course is an experiential-learning course and was highlighted at the 2022 American Climate Leadership Summit.

Kasondra is committed to environmental health, and the impacts of climate change on human health. In July of 2020, she completed a 5-month Climate Change and Health Certificate Program from the Yale School of Public Health. She serves as the co-chair of the Society of Public Health (SOPHE) Environmental Health Communities of Practice and is the Program Director for the Health Education and Health Promotion program in the College of Health Solutions.