Summary
Amy Fitch joined the School of Public Health faculty in 2008. Her role has primarily been in undergraduate teaching where she enjoys introducing students to the field of public health, but in 2019 she began serving as the director of undergraduate studies while also serving on a number of School and University committees.
Fitch has worked in a variety of public health sub-fields of public health over her career prior to entering academia. For the past 10 years, the primary focus of her work outside the classroom has been regarding built environments and active transportation. She has served on numerous committees for the Regional Transportation Commission and is the chair of the University's Bicycle Working Group while also collaborating with faculty in geography, environmental sciences and civil engineering on research, engagement and policy work related to bicycle and pedestrian facilities and injury prevention. She also has previous experience in the areas of infectious disease, family planning and chronic disease management.
Research interests
- Built environment and health
- Active transportation and green space
- Physical activity, injury prevention and air quality
Courses taught
- CHS 101: Introduction to Community Health Sciences
- CHS 339: Public Health and the Built Environment
- CHS 440: Injury & Violence Prevention
Certifications and professional affiliations
- Certified Health Education Specialist, National Commission on Health Education Credentialing
- Member, American Public Health Association
- Member, Nevada Public Health Association
- Vice-President, Nevada Public Health Association, 2007 to 2008
Selected presentations
- Hoeper, S., Granner, M. G. & Fitch, A. (2020). A natural experiment examining park activity before and after renovations: Baseline results [Poster presentation]. Nevada Public Health Association Annual Conference (Virtual).
- Kelley, S., Klenke, C., Fitch, A., Bergrin, N., Hacker, A., Bean, L., Aguilera, M. & Krek, C. (2019, January). An assessment of bicycle commuting activity using STRAVA and implications for developing infrastructure [Conference presentation & poster]. Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, Washington, DC.
- Linden, H., Fitch, A., Granner, M. & Dobbs, M. (2018, September). Formative research to inform program development and reduce food insecurity: Findings from Washoe County focus groups [Poster presentation]. Nevada Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV.
- Linden, H., Fitch, A., Emerson, A. & Granner, M. (2018, September). Maybe next time: Perspectives on bicycle commuting from Bike to Work Week non-participants [Poster presentation]. Nevada Public Health Association Annual Meeting, Las Vegas, NV.
- Fitch, A. (2013). Public transit and health [Invited presentation]. Transit Connections Summit, Regional Transportation Commission, Reno, NV.
Selected publications
- Rahill, K., Oman, R., Fitch, A. & Lu, M. (2020). Environmental factors, exercise behavior and fitness of U.S. airmen. Health Behavior & Policy Review. Advance online publication.
- Linden, H., Fitch, A., Emerson, A., Hoeper, S. & Granner, M. G. (2020). Maybe next time: Perspectives on community from Bike to Work Week non-participants. Health Behavior & Policy Review, 7(2), 110-119.
Education
- MPH in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, Berkeley
- Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, University of Texas, Austin