Karen Liller, PhD,EdS, MA,
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, USF College of Public Health


Karen Liller, PhD,EdS, MA, is the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the USF College of Public Health. She received her PhD in 1988 from the University of South Florida and has since held various academic positions in the College of Public Health. A tenured full professor specializing in health education and injury prevention, Dr. Liller also holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in medical technology, technical education, and curriculum and instruction.

Dr. Liller's teaching, research, and service activities largely focus on health education and the prevention and control of children's unintentional injuries. Dr. Liller has been the recipient of several national and state grants related to injury prevention. She served as the Education Director of the Deep-South Agricultural Health and Safety Center funded by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Through this grant, Dr. Liller established the Florida Farm Safety 4 Just Kids chapter.

Dr. Liller has published extensively in top peer-reviewed publications and was named one of the top15 national women scholars in health education and health promotion. She recently published the text “Injury Prevention for Children and Adolescents: Research, Practice, and Advocacy.” Dr. Liller is a member of several health education/health behavior and injury prevention professional associations and societies such as the American Academy of Health Behavior and the Eta Sigma Gamma national health education professional honorary. She serves on several prestigious advisory boards statewide and nationally that focus on health behavior and injury prevention. Among her awards and recognitions are the University of South Florida Faculty Excellence Award and a University Teaching Award for Excellence in Graduate Teaching. In 2005, the Tampa Bay Business Journal honored Dr. Liller with a Healthcare Hero Award.