The Office of Health Promotion

The Office of Health Promotion is a team of health educators, graduate assistants, and a student group of Wellness Ambassadors. We seek to reach out beyond the walls of our clinic to encourage healthy lifestyle decisions.

Staff

Lisa%20Wright, MPH

Kayla%20Johnson, MS

Hallie Jordan, Graduate Assistant

Jackson Howard, Graduate Assistant

The Office of Health Promotion is here to assist USM students by providing programs and resources on a variety of health topics to educate students about risks of unhealthy choices and steps to living a healthier life.

Mission

The Office of Health Promotion at the University of Southern Mississippi is aimed towards promoting the mental and physical health of students through services that teach prevention and awareness of health concerns and empower students to make healthy lifestyle choices.

Vision

College students learning and making healthy choices to live a healthy lifestyle.

• Provide educational presentations to academic classes, student organizations, residence life halls, and Greek organizations
• Offer materials and educational tools for check-out to students for presentations
• Assess the health needs of the University of Southern Mississippi and implement programming to address these needs
• Encourage students to live healthier lifestyles by making healthy, attainable goals and decisions

We provide presentations, resources, and educational materials on many health topics. The main topics of concerns we address include:

• Alcohol Misuse                      
• Stress Management                        
• Nutrition                 
• Fitness
• Sexual Health
• Mental Health
• Women's Health
• Men's Health

The form in the link below is for requests made by class instructors, Resident Assistants or Hall Directors, or any student organization. Requests should be made at least two weeks prior to presentation date to ensure coverage.

Request a Program from Our Staff

The Wellness Ambassadors are a group of students from various majors who help promote health and well-being on the Southern Miss campus. Wellness Ambassadors are leaders with skills and talents that assist professional health educators in designing, promoting, and participating in health events and campaigns on campus.

Visit the Wellness Ambassadors page for more information or to complete an application. 

Don't Cancel That Class is a program for all faculty on the USM campus in Hattiesburg offered through the Office of Health Promotion at Student Health Services. If you need to cancel a class, let us know, and we will come to your class on the day of your absence and provide an hour-long seminar for your students. Topics can be tailored to your specific class and include wellness, stress management, sexual health, mental health, and many more! Please provide at least one-week notification. 

Contact Lisa Wright at 601.266.5340 or lisa.a.wrightFREEMississippi for more information.

The University of Southern Mississippi adopted a campus-wide tobacco-free policy on January 1, 2018. By going tobacco-free, the University of Southern Mississippi makes the effort to promote a cleaner, healthier environment in which students can learn, employees can grow professionally, and the campus community can enjoy all that this university has to offer in the areas of academics, research, arts, athletics, and service. The goal is to create an environment in which those on campus feel encouraged and empowered to make healthy lifestyle decisions that can influence their overall health for a lifetime. 

For more information, please visit the following:

Tobacco Free Campus Policy

Tobacco Policy Frequently Asked Questions

Tobacco Cessation

To comply with the Part 86 regulations of the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act (DFSCA), the University of Southern Mississippi must notify all students and employees annually of certain information. The notification must include the following: (1) standards of conduct; (2) possible legal sanctions and penalties; (3) statements of the health risks associated with AOD abuse; (4) the AOD programs available to students, staff, and faculty; and (5) disciplinary sanctions for violations of the standards of conduct.