Retta Evans

Retta Evans is a Professor and Department Chairperson in the Department of Human Studies at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Education. She holds additional roles as Senior Scientist in the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Public Health, and has served as Interim Chairman of Education. Her expertise spans health education, exercise science, and nutrition, with a focus on youth wellness and school-based interventions. She has contributed to state-level nutrition policy development.

Evans holds a PhD in Health Services from the University of Arkansas (1996). She is a Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES) and holds certification as a HIV/AIDS Pre-Test/Post-Test Counselor. She coordinates the PhD program in Community Health Promotion at UAB.

Her research emphasizes school health interventions, physical activity promotion, and nutrition policy. She leads service initiatives through roles on SHAPE America committees, the State Obesity Task Force, and Jefferson County Health Action Partnership. Evans volunteers with the YMCA and Jones Valley Teaching Farms.

She maintains affiliations with multiple UAB centers including the Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) and the Center for Educ Accountability. Her administrative roles include Graduate Program Coordinator and Interim Department Chair.