September 17, 2026 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
Dean Tara Sabo-Attwood has appointed exercise science professor Sara Wilcox as Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. Wilcox, who also serves as the director of the USC Prevention Research Center, spent a year in the role as interim associate dean prior to her official appointment in August.
“Dr. Wilcox has already made a tremendous impact on the Arnold School during her year as interim Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs,” Sabo-Attwood says. “She has worked to streamline and strengthen faculty processes and procedures, advanced professional-track promotion guidelines, and established a new school-level dinner to celebrate the significant career milestone of promotion.”
“Faculty Affairs encompasses so many areas, which keeps the work interesting and meaningful,” Wilcox says. “Of all the areas it includes, though, seeing faculty members’ hard work recognized through promotion is especially exciting. Over this next year, I’m looking forward to finding ways to make faculty procedures current, clear and easy to follow.”
A member of the Arnold School since 1999, Wilcox applies her training in psychology to improve physical activity and healthy eating while addressing health disparities through community-engaged research. Her work has been funded by the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and other agencies.
While the Prevention Research Center, which Wilcox has directed for the past 15 years through competitive funding cycles, has led many impactful projects over the years, Wilcox’s Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) may have the farthest reach. After developing and evaluating this program with African Methodist Episcopal (AME) churches, the National Cancer Institute added it to their Evidence-Based Cancer Control Program index. Wilcox and her team went on to scale the program nationwide. FAN laid the groundwork for several subsequent projects, including PRC’s most recent public health partnership with AME churches to study the implementation of Walk Your Heart to Health, which is also indexed with NCI.
Over the course of her career at USC, Wilcox has led or contributed to more than 50 projects, funded by more than $50 million. She’s authored or co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications.
Naturally, this work has involved collaborations across departments, academic units, and external partners as well as the mentorship of students and faculty at every level. Her honors include the Arnold School Faculty Research Award, USC Educational Foundation Faculty Research Award for Health Sciences, and Office of the Vice President for Research’s Breakthrough Leader Award. Wilcox is an elected Fellow in the National Academy of Kinesiology, Society of Behavioral Medicine, and American College of Sports Medicine.
Collectively, these experiences and recognized achievements have more than prepared Wilcox for her newest role.
“In leading the Office of Faculty Affairs, a central focus of Dr. Wilcox’s leadership will be cultivating an environment where faculty members across ranks, tracks, disciplines, and career stages, have the opportunities, support and resources they need to thrive and grow throughout their careers,” Sabo-Attwood says. “Dr. Wilcox understands that our faculty are at the heart of our success and deeply values creating the conditions that allow them to do their very best work.”