Megan Irby

Team: HES (Department of Health & Exercise Science)

Running in honor of: Alvin "Butch" Jones, Marsha Wells, Kim Sibbach

Bio: Megan Bennett Irby, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Exercise Science at Wake Forest University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Epidemiology and Roots of Inequity in Public Health. Megan has a broad academic background, holding a BS degree in Health & Exercise Science from Wake Forest University; MS degree in Exercise Physiology from UNC-Greensboro; MS degree in Clinical Population & Translational Science from Wake Forest University, and a PhD in Human Development & Family Studies from UNC-Greensboro. She completed her post-doctoral training inCommunity-Engaged Research at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Megan began her public health career at Wake Forest School of Medicine where she conducted research for more than 15 years, serving as the director of research for the Brenner FIT family-based pediatric obesity treatment program and later as the Senior Research Associate for the Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity. Inherent to her work in and outside of the classroom is a dedication to advancing health equity and dismantling sources of systemic oppression by exploring factors influencing the wellbeing of diverse populations, intervening on social and structural drivers that perpetuate inequities, and elevating the voices of historically and traditionally marginalized communities through authentic community engagement.