Choosing Health

April Lynch, MA

April Lynch is an award-winning author and journalist who specializes in health, the medical and biological sciences, and human genetics. During her tenure with the San Jose Mercury News, the leading newspaper of Silicon Valley, she served as the Science and Health editor, focusing the paper's coverage on personal health and scientific developments in the field of disease prevention. She has also worked as a writer and editor for the San Francisco Chronicle. April has written numerous articles on personal health, medical and scientific advances, consumer issues such as health insurance, and the ways that scientific breakthroughs are redefining our understanding of health. She has been a frequent contributor to leading university textbooks covering applied biology, nutrition, and environmental health and science. Along with Choosing Health, Lynch has co-authored Health: Making Choices for Life, an innovative personal health textbook for instructors who desire a more detailed, in-depth book for students majoring in health-related subjects. Together with a leading genetic counselor, Lynch is also the co-author of The Genome Book, a hands-on guide to using genetic information in personal health decisions. Her work has won numerous awards from organizations such as the Society of Professional Journalists, the California Newspaper Publishers Association, and the Associated Press. Her current interests include a focus on how people receive and interact with health information online as well as how complex scientific and medical information is best shared compellingly and effectively in digital media. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband and children.



Karen Vail-Smith, MS, MPA

East Carolina University

Karen Vail-Smith received a BS from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MS and an MPA from East Carolina University. She has been a faculty member in East Carolina University's Department of Health Education and Promotion for 27 years and has taught over 10,000 college students how to lead healthier lives. She specializes in personal health, alcohol and other drugs, and human sexuality. She has received numerous teaching awards, including the prestigious UNC Board of Governor's Distinguished Professor for Teaching award. During her career she has published more than 30 articles in health professional journals, produced 50 nationally-distributed health promotion videos and has been a contributor to several personal health textbooks.



Jerome Kotecki, HSD

Ball State University

Jerome E. Kotecki is a professor of Health Science in the Department of Nutrition and Health Science, located within the College of Health, at Ball State University. Dr. Kotecki earned his doctorate in health education and his master's degree in exercise science from Indiana University. He has published more than 40 scientific research papers on the prevention, arrest, and reversal of the most common chronic diseases facing Americans today. Kotecki has authored or co-authored multiple textbooks on the importance of healthy lifestyle habits to enhance the multidimensional components of human health and prevent cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic conditions. He has extensive experience in health promotion, with particular focus on physical activity and health. An experienced teacher and researcher, he is devoted to helping students adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles. Kotecki has been recognized for his contributions to the scholarship of teaching and learning by his department, college, and university. He is an avid fitness participant and enjoys cycling, resistance training, running, mountain biking, hiking, swimming, and yoga.