He earned a Master of Public Health (MPH)[2] degree from Rutgers and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

[6] In 2010, he joined the School of Health and Human Performance at the University of Florida, where he served as department chair, professor and center director.

He joined the University of Texas at Austin in July 2014 as professor in the Department of Communication Studies and the Stan Richards School of Advertising and Public Relation.

[21][22] After extensive negotiations, he successfully concluded a historic agreement with the Emerson College Full-time Faculty Union (ECCAAUP).

[23] The agreement, effective from September 1, 2023, to the end of the 2028 academic year, features substantial salary increases aimed at enhancing faculty recruitment and retention.

He was among the first to research wireless mobile technology for health-related data collection and personalized text messages, and the application of new and social media for health communication.