She received her B.A. in Plan II and Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin. She completed her M.S. and Ph.D. in Health and Social Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. In addition, she held a postdoctoral research fellowship at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale. Dr. Novak has taught undergraduate courses in Introductory Psychology, Health Psychology, and Advanced Research Methods in Social Psychology, as well as graduate courses in Health Psychology and The Impact of Social Factors on Well-Being. Dr. Novak's research explores the role of personal relationship (particularly marriage) in promoting or inhibiting good health habits. She has also contributed to evaluations of changes in the food environments at schools, ranging from the health benefits of organic foods in college dining halls to the removal of unhealthy snacks from public schools.