Academic and Student Affairs > Staff

Deanna Wathington, MD, MPH, FAAFP joined the College of Public Health family in 2007. In addition to her current post as Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community and Family Health, a public health practitioner and a board certified family physician.

Prior to joining the COPH, Dr. Wathington served as Director of Minority Health for the Florida Department of Health and as the Associate Dean for Academic Enrichment at the USF College of Medicine.

Dr. Wathington earned her doctorate of medicine from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, her master's degree in public health from Temple University, and her baccalaureate in Zoology and Physiology from Rutgers, The State University. She completed her residency in family medicine at the Bayfront Medical Center in St. Petersburg, Florida and was selected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians in 2003. Her research interests include women's health, health disparities, family violence and diversity in the health professions.

In her down time, you are apt to catch her at one of her daughters' orchestra events or beaming about her son and new-daughter-in law. She also enjoys ballet, reading, and music.

Since 1990, Kay M. Perrin, PhD, MPH has held faculty appointments at the University of South Florida, College of Public Health in the Department of Community and Family Health. Prior to obtaining her PhD, she worked as a registered nurse in a variety of public health clinics and hospital settings for over 15 years. Currently, Dr. Perrin is an Associate Professor and Director of Academic and Student Affairs. She oversees all aspects of the newly approved undergraduate degree: Bachelor's of Science in Public Health.

Dr. Perrin teaches undergraduate and graduate level courses. Her research focuses on adolescent health with a special interest in teen pregnancy. Lastly, she serves on several community boards in the Tampa Bay Area. When she is not working, Dr. Perrin and her husband enjoy biking, traveling and babysitting their three grandchildren.

Leticia graduated from USF in 2009 with a Bachelor's degree. I have worked in numerous offices throughout the university. She started out in Human Resources, to Office of General Counsel, to the Graduate School, and now she is an Academic Program Specialist in the College of Public Health. Leticia assists Todd and David with the application process for getting students admitted in COPH. She also assists with keeping files updated in our student databases, as well as Course evaluations. In her spare time she enjoys listening to music, traveling, spending time with family and friends. Just a extraordinary girl finding her place in this crazy world. She is a very compassionate person that's down to earth and easy to relate to!

Michelle graduated from the University of South Florida with her bachelor's degree in 2004. She continued her education at USF and earned her master's degree in Public Health (Community and Family Health) in 2006. Immediately after graduating, Michelle was hired as the Graduate Advisor/Recruiter for the college. She was also responsible to plan special events for the college, such as the new student orientations and the graduation celebrations. Michelle currently serves as the Administrator for our domestic field experience on-line programs and as the Pre-Admission Advisor for our graduate programs. In her spare time, she enjoys cooking, traveling and spending quality time with her family.

In 1996 David left his job as a computer consultant at the University of Michigan and moved to Tampa where he was hired by USF's College of Public Health. While at USF David has worked as a network administrator, data manager, and researcher. He earned a Master's of Science in Public Health in 2007 and has co-authored articles on topics such as assessing children's physical activity, parental influences on child behavior, and the internet's association with social networking. He now works in Academic and Student Affairs for COPH managing data, implementing surveys, and coordinating the SOPHAS application system among other tasks. David also enjoys running , reviewing articles for the American Journal of Health Education, and volunteer work at the Tampa Humane Society where he works as a dog companion.

Mathdany is very familiar with the USF Tampa campus. In 2004 Mathdany decided to attend the University of South Florida as a full time student. While obtaining her degree in Finance she worked several jobs within the university including the USF Telefund, work study program, and parking services. After earning her degree she joined Academic and Student Affairs in the College of Public Health. Mathdany hopes to continue working in Higher Education and making a difference within the university system. In her free time, Mathdany enjoys reading, watching TV, traveling, cooking, and hanging out with family and friends.

Natalie D. Preston-Washington joined the COPH in the spring of 2004. Her primary responsibilities include directing the college's domestic field experience program and coordinating career development programming. Additionally, she manages the USF COPH group on LinkedIn, is the college's liaison with alumni and often disseminates information of interest to students—scholarships, traineeships, fellowships. Natalie has an established career in higher education. After earning her BS in Communication and MPA (Public Administration) from The Florida State University, she worked at Edison Community College (Director of Student Activities), Michigan State University (Information Officer) and The University of Tampa (Director of Alumni and Parent Relations) before landing at USF. The Tampa native loves working in higher education—"It keeps me in touch with what is happening now in terms of research and young people!" When she is not working, Natalie can often be found running half marathons, traveling—she is trying to visit all 50 states by the age of 50—writing op-eds and her memoir, reading and going goo-goo over her new baby.

As Academic Services Administrator with the College of Public Health Academic/Student Affairs, Todd is involved from start to finish with our students' academic careers. He comes to the College of Public Health after 12 years of working in the UG Admissions office in the USF system. His interests include watching Tampa Bay Lightning games and running local 5Ks.

Ginny is happy to have joined the COPH Academic & Student Affairs in 2011, as the Office Receptionist. She enjoys helping students achieve their goals. She enjoys spending time with her husband and kids and grandson going to Disney ,Busch Gardens ,Camping and watching Movies.

Alison Oberne came to USF in 2007 to pursue a Masters in Public Health after completing a Masters in General Psychology at the University of North Florida. It was while studying psychology and health that she became interested in Public Health Education. While taking courses at USF she worked as a graduate research assistant, taught Sex, Health, and Decision-Making as an adjunct instructor, and taught various psychology courses at Hillsborough Community College. Upon graduation, Alison researched medication adherence and understanding at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Alison is excited to be back at USF working as a faculty instructor for the undergraduate program in public health. She loves being in the classroom and interacting with students. In her spare time, Alison likes to travel, read, watch movies, and spend time with her family, friends, and dog.

Deidre Graduated from the University of South Florida with her master's degree in Public Health in 2006. She has worked at the College of Public Health as a graduate student and a part time adjunct instructor for several years. Recently, she began teaching full time after working as a Health Educator for Student Health Services and Wellness USF for the past three years. Her research interests include environmental health, unplanned pregnancy and HIV education, prevention and motivation for testing. She has lived in Tampa for almost 8 years and enjoys practicing yoga, traveling, gardening and discovering new recipes and restaurants.

Laura has worked at the University of South Florida since 2002. She started her career at USF as a Health Educator at Student Health Services and soon began teaching classes as an adjunct professor. Laura began her faculty position at the College of Public Health in 2007 and has taught a variety of courses for the undergraduate program. Laura comes from a long family line of educators, which she believes is the source of her passion for actively engaging students in the learning process. Laura's other's interests include traveling, reading, participating in local racing events, movies and spending time outdoors.

Brian comes to USF from Loyola University New Orleans where he served as the Recruiting Manager in the Career Development Center. Currently, he serves as an Academic Program Specialist within the Office of Academic and Student Affairs. When Brian is not diligently working towards his masters in instructional technology at USF, you will find him watching Star Wars or rooting on his beloved Saints.