Michele Mouttapa, PhD, MA

Biography

Dr. Michele Mouttapa is the Dean of Public Health at West Coast University. She arrived at WCU from California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) in 2022 after 16 years of service as a Professor of Public Health. Dean Mouttapa has taught statistics and research methods for both undergraduate and graduate students. She has also been the faculty chair for dozens of MPH culminating research projects and theses, many of which have resulted in peer-reviewed publications.

As MPH Coordinator at CSUF, Dean Mouttapa led the Council on Education for Public Health self-study and site visit in 2013, which resulted in a seven-year accreditation. She is utilizing this experience to seek accreditation for the WCU MPH program. Her own research examines psychosocial factors in underserved communities that contribute to a variety of outcomes including substance use, cancer, and obesity.

From 2008 to 2015, Dean Mouttapa was Editor of the Californian Journal of Health Promotion, which is an indexed, open-access peer-reviewed journal. She also has years of experience helping students interested in any health profession to gain acceptance into post-graduate health professional schools, including medical school. Dean Mouttapa earned her B.S. in psychology from University of California, Davis; her M.A. in Psychology from California State University, Fullerton; and her Ph.D. in preventive medicine, health behavior research from the University of Southern California.

In her time outside of academics, Dean Mouttapa is an avid tennis player who captains league tennis teams and competes at the local and national levels. Her husband is a tennis coach, and her two children are tennis enthusiasts as well. She also enjoys gardening and sharing her citrus fruits with others.