Sofiya Alhassan
Dr. Sofiya Alhassan is a Professor in the Kinesiology Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst). Dr. Alhassan is also the Associate Dean of the Office of Inclusion and Engagement in the UMass Amherst Graduate School. She is a Fellow in the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Academy of Kinesiology.
Her research focuses on examining the impact of community-based physical activity interventions on the health of children from low socioeconomic status environments. Her research agenda includes examining 1) physical activity policy-based intervention in preschool-age children; 2) environmental influences on various health behaviors in low-income children, and 3) after-school family-based intervention to improve physiological, psychosocial, and academic performance of pre-adolescent children of color. The majority of her research takes place within the Springfield, MA area.
Dr. Alhassan’s research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.