In 1998, Maria Elena Hallion, Ph.D., joined Cabrini’s faculty just after the first group of Exercise Science and Health Promotion (then Sports Science) majors graduated.
She was hired originally as the Fitness Director when the Dixon Center opened its doors that April, but was appointed to a faculty position a few months later.
“The most rewarding aspect of my time teaching here is to see a person interested in this field develop into a passionate, polished professional who can make a contribution to society,” Hallion says.
“One who can have a rewarding career while doing good for others.”
To engage her students, Hallion uses the interactive advantage of the exercise science and health promotion curriculum, having students work in groups or with partners and operating the testing equipment.
“I also encourage a great deal of self-learning,” she adds. “I create opportunities for students to read and reflect on content.”
Hallion is author of a quarterly health column for The Record Today, a publication serving the areas surrounding her hometown of Gibbstown, N.J. She co-authored “Applying the Transtheoretical Model to Tobacco Cessation and Prevention: A Review of Literature” in the American Journal of Health Promotion (2002).
Her recent presentations include “Strategies to Design Creative and Effective Health Education Bulletin Boards” at the Keystone Health Promotion Conference in 2011, and “Increasing physical activity in overweight adolescents: Observations from a hospital based weight management clinic,” accepted for presentation at the 2012 Keystone Health Promotion Conference.
In fall 2011, Hallion took a sabbatical from teaching as the first academic to embark on a four-month learning rotation in the DuPont Children’s Hospital adolescent obesity program. The long-term goals of her sabbatical include developing a plan to create an on-site behavior modification program for overweight adolescents, and to create a hands-on learning/service opportunity at DuPont for Cabrini students.
Hallion earned a doctoral degree in health science from Temple University (1996), a master’s in exercise physiology/cardiac rehabilitation from East Stroudsburg University (1988), and a bachelor’s in exercise science from West Chester University. She also has a certification from the American College of Sports Medicine as an exercise specialist.
Not surprisingly, Hallion enjoys exercising outside, taking long walks, and bike rides. She lives close to her hometown in New Jersey with her husband and daughter.
Contact Information:
Maria Elena Hallion, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Exercise Science and Health Promotion
Iadarola Center, Room 101B
610-902-8388
mehallion@cabrini.edu