PhD, MPH
Associate Professor, Health Behavior
UNC-Chapel Hill
Cancer Prevention and Control Research Program
Area of Interest
I am a behavioral scientist with a program of research to understand and address the social ecology of adolescent and young adult alcohol misuse. My central focus has been understanding the complex relationships and environments that young people occupy and that shape their alcohol use behaviors. My work represents an intersection of public health approaches, principles of developmental science, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, and prevention science.
The central hypothesis of my work is that the environments in which young people interact with influence their alcohol use behaviors. Ultimately, the goal of my research program is to develop and evaluate innovative interventions that address high-risk social and physical environments to reduce the prevalence and consequences of youth and young adult alcohol misuse.
The impact of this work extends beyond alcohol outcomes specifically and directly relates to key public health issues. Namely, alcohol is a causal factor in the development of seven types of cancers; thus, my work to prevent harmful alcohol use is a key mechanism for cancer prevention and control efforts.
My program of research centers on my expertise regarding the social and physical context of adolescent and young adult alcohol misuse, namely:
- The explication of environmental risk factors for adolescent and young adult alcohol misuse
- Delineating high-intensity alcohol use as threshold for risky alcohol consumption
- The development of interventions that leverage digital technologies to address contextual risk factors for alcohol misuse
This work is impactful given that young adults consume alcohol in more frequent and riskier patterns than any other age demographic, the majority of young adult alcohol consumption is social in nature, and the drinking environment increases risk for both alcohol consumption and harms. Thus, I approach the prevention of alcohol misuse through a social ecological lens to determine how the people and places that define young adult drinking events confers risk, but also how to leverage preventive interventions to address those risks. Doing so reduces acute and long-term consequences associated with alcohol use, including cancer.
Awards and Honors
- Junior Faculty Development Award, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2023
- Outstanding Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Mentor Award Finalist, East Carolina University, 2020
- Clinical Investigator Loan Repayment Grant Award, National Institutes of Health, 2017-2023
- Delta Omega Theta Public Health Honor Society, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2016
- Graduate School Dissertation Completion Award, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2015
- Gillings Dissertation Award, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2015
- Phi Beta Kappa, Boston College, 2006
