Larry K. Olsen, MAT, MPH, DrPH, MCHES

2025 RECIPIENT

Clifford B. Reifler Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Journal of American College Health

Larry K. Olsen is a retired professor of health education. He completed a BS degree in HPE; an MAT at Lewis and Clark College; an MPH at UC Berkeley; and a DrPH in health education, minor in environmental health and occupational medicine, at UCLA in 1970. Larry’s career in academics spans more than 57 years. He served as program coordinator, department chair, associate dean, and interim dean at several colleges and universities. He demonstrated excellence in teaching and service to academia, the community, and to many professional health-related organizations. He served as an elected officer in many professional organizations and is a Fellow of ASHA, AAHE, the Research Consortium of AAHPERD (now SHAPE America), and SOPHE. Larry has authored/co-authored over 100 publications in peer-reviewed journals and more than 40 health education textbooks for students in elementary school and college/university, and for teachers of health education.

Larry was a consulting editor for the Journal of American College Health from 2009 to 2015, and he has served as an associate editor since then, becoming the longest-serving member of the editorial board. Over the last 16 years, he has reviewed dozens of manuscripts and overseen the review process for hundreds. Larry’s feedback to authors and advice for his fellow editors have been immensely valuable over the years.