Annann Hong earned a PhD in Health Policy & Administration from the University of Illinois, an a master of public health degree in Sociomedical Sciences (concentration in Health Promotion/Disease Prevention) from Columbia University in New York City, and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Women's Studies from Amherst College in Massachusetts.

Annann has seventeen years of experience in health education both as a prevention educator and administrator for a number of college health programs. Most notably, she spent seven years at Northwestern University’s Health Service, during which she spent more than three years as Director of the Health Education Department. Annann was also a college instructor for a diverse undergraduate and graduate student population at Northeastern Illinois University, teaching a variety of health and wellness courses.

In 2004, Annann received a sexuality research fellowship through the Social Science Research Council, which allowed her to successfully complete and defend her dissertation on “Toying with Sex: The Discourse of Pleasure and Sexual Resilience in College Women.” In 2005, she was awarded the Alan W. Donaldson Award by the University of Illinois School of Public Health, the highest honor to each year’s graduating student in recognition of their academic achievement, research pursuits, and service activities. Annann has been professionally active with the American College Health Association (including service as the Health Education Section Program Chair for the 2001 Annual Meeting) and the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug Free Schools and Communities program.