About Family and Consumer Sciences

Ninfa Peña-Purcell, Ph.D., CHES
Assistant Professor and Extension Health Specialist

2251 TAMU
College Station, Texas 77843-2251
phone: (979) 845-1804
fax: (979) 845-6496
NCPurcell@ag.tamu.edu

Ninfa Peña-Purcell is Assistant Professor and Extension Health Specialist. The focus of her Extension responsibilities is to develop and implement a worksite health promotion program.

Prior to her employment with Extension, Dr. Peña-Purcell was assistant visiting professor in the Department of Health Studies at Texas Woman’s University (TWU) and instructor for the Department of Health Promotion at the University of Texas at El Paso, Texas (UTEP). On July 1, 2006, Dr. Peña-Purcell was awarded a one-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to investigate Hispanics’ use of Internet health information.

Addressing health disparities among Hispanics, health informatics, cultural competency, chronic disease prevention and management, and tobacco use among college students are areas of research interest for Dr. Peña-Purcell. Professional memberships include the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and Texas Society for Public Health.

Dr. Peña-Purcell received her PhD in Health Studies from Texas Woman’s University.