For students who want guidance on research projects or getting into a graduate program in public health, Archana McEligot is a go-to source of support, information and advice.
A professor of public health who’s been teaching at Cal State Fullerton since 2006, McEligot estimates she’s mentored close to 40 graduate students and nearly 50 undergrads, helping them carry out research, publish and present their findings, and further their academic careers.
She’s also been awarded millions in grants and been tapped to review applications for federal and private funding programs — and she shares her insights with students and colleagues who are seeking their own funding.
“Through her example, I have come to appreciate the transformative impact that mentorship can have on students’ academic and professional trajectories,” said Zahra Tahmasebi ’23 (M.A. psychology), who worked with McEligot to recruit and train students for research on neurocognitive aging. “Inspired by her leadership, I now mentor undergraduate students in my current role as a lab manager at UCLA.”
Over her nearly three-decade career, McEligot has published dozens of journal articles and given more than a hundred presentations on her research. She’s helped develop curriculum and teaching materials on nutrition, epidemiology, research using large data sets and other topics. Now McEligot has one more accolade to add to the list: the 2025 L. Donald Shields Excellence in Scholarship and Creativity Award.
The award is named for CSUF’s second president and recognizes faculty for “outstanding scholarship and/or creative work that is demonstrated through a variety of activities.”
“She is absolutely dedicated to our students and focused on creating new and meaningful research experiences that involve and equip our students for successful careers in public health,” said Michele M. Wood, chair and professor of public health. “Few faculty interweave their teaching, research and service in a way that enhances each as successfully as Dr. McEligot has done.”
McEligot’s research has covered an array of public health issues, including obesity prevention and nutrition education, the impact of diet on cancer risk and survival, and neurocognitive aging and its relationship to factors such as ethnicity, diet and chronic disease. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals, including the Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology and Cancer Epidemiology.
She’s analyzed population-level data and also focused on underserved communities such as Southern California’s Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders. For McEligot, examining behaviors, lifestyle and other factors that lead to disparate health outcomes “is critical to overall population health and well-being,” she said.
She loves watching the spark of confidence her students get from working on research projects. But McEligot has also managed to spread her enthusiasm and diligence beyond the CSUF campus and into local communities.
While working with the Garden Grove-based Pacific Islander Health Partnership on a study of eating behaviors and attitudes of Native Hawaiians in the community, McEligot was careful to incorporate cultural practices of the study subjects, partnership co-founder Jane Ka’ala Pang said.
The result of that sensitivity, Pang said, was “wide, enthusiastic community interest and participation in the study.”