Gary J Burkholder

Gary J. Burkholder is senior research scholar and senior contributing faculty at Walden University. He graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a PhD in experimental psychology and his MA and BA degrees in psychology; he also earnd a Bachelor of Science in engineering degree from the University of Washington. Gary has been on the faculty at Walden University, a distance education institution focused primarily on graduate, scholar-practitioner students, since 2001. He has served in several senior academic and business administration roles at Walden University and other institutions including program director, director of online studies, assistant dean, dean, college vice president, and vice president for academic affairs. In his faculty role, Gary has mentored over 90 doctoral dissertation students in the social and behavioral and the health sciences. His research focus spans qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods including multivariable statistical analysis and instrument development. Gary has conducted research in topics that intersect psychology and public health, including those involving exercise and diet behavior change and adherence; predictors of substance use, sex risk, and HIV risk among youth and adults. More recently, Gary's research interests have involved retention and persistence in tertiary education as well as online pedagogy. He has served as author on approximately 70 peer-reviewed publications and collaborated in over 70 conference presentations; several publications and presentations have involved his doctoral students. He is active in the American Public Health Association, serves as a peer reviewer with the Higher Learning Commission regional accreditation body, and serves as a reviewer for several professional journals in education, psychology, and public health.