Eric Aakko is an associate professor and Master of Public Health (MPH) program director. Eric has spent the last 30 years in public health practice, with experience at the state and local level, including health departments in the mid-west, pacific northwest, and mountain-west.
Eric has a diverse service portfolio, which includes tobacco use prevention policy, environmental risk communication, physical activity and nutrition policy, opioid use reduction, community health promotion, emergency preparedness, public health agency accreditation, public health agency administration and leadership, and lifestyle medicine.
Eric is a graduate from Kingsway College (Canada), Southern Adventist University, and the University of Wisconsin. After graduating from Southern, Eric spent a year volunteering at Rumah Sakit Advent Hospital, in Bandung, Indonesia. Eric is also a Master Certified Health Education Specialist, and a certified diplomate in lifestyle medicine from the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. Eric is enrolled in a doctoral public health policy program in Omaha, Nebraska.
In his free time, Eric enjoys traveling, hiking and camping with his family, gravel road cycling, bike packing, and backcountry hut skiing in the mountains of Colorado. Eric is also passionate about plant based cooking and eating--especially dishes from Asia, the Mediterranean, or any local favorites.