Dr. Tracey Barnett
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology
Education & Experience:
I earned a PhD in Sociology from Western Michigan University with concentrations in Medical and Applied Sociology. I completed a health services post-doctoral fellowship with the Veterans Health Systems in Gainesville, Florida. Prior to joining the UNTHSC School of Public Health, I was Assistant Professor in the Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health, and Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology, at the University of Florida.
Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
I have worked in the area of Public Health for over 20 years. I held research associate positions at the University of Michigan in the departments of Kinesiology and Health Behavior and Health Education in the School of Public Health. I have researched health across the lifespan, concentrating on health risk behaviors for both adolescent and adult populations. More recently I have focused on tobacco, including smoking cessation for adults, and prevention, particularly with the emerging trends of hookah and electronic cigarette use, among youth populations. I have taught a variety of courses, including the Social and Behavioral core course for Master of Public Health students, advanced theory courses for doctoral and masters level Social and Behavioral Science students, and myriad elective courses on adolescent health, chronic disease, gender and sexuality, and aging within the realm of public health. I have mentored students interested in health studies at the undergraduate and, masters level, medical students, and doctoral students across many disciplines. Doctoral students I have mentored have gone on to federally funded postdoctoral and fellowship positions.
Professional Activities & Awards:
I am an active member of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). I have received local and national awards for my research and am a member of the Delta Omega Honor Society in Public Health. I have been an invited speaker for the FDA Center for Tobacco Products and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Scholarly Interests:
My current research interests include adolescent risk behaviors. I am studying alternative tobacco products, including hookah and electronic cigarette rates and trends among Florida teens and college students; co-occurring substance use among young adults, particularly the role of alcohol and tobacco concurrent use; body image perception and smoking rates, particularly for adolescent females; and developing public service announcements in tobacco prevention and cessation to be used for college students.
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