Larkin Strong
Associate Professor
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department of Health Disparities Research
Larkin Strong, PhD, MPH, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Disparities Research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX. A theme throughout her work is the recognition that health and health behaviors are embedded within social, physical, economic, and cultural contexts. Her research aims to understand how social, cultural, and environmental influences help to shape patterns of cancer preventive behaviors in minority and underserved populations, with the ultimate objective of translating research findings into health promotion efforts that stimulate meaningful change in opportunities for and adoption of healthy lifestyles. Dr. Strong works in minority and underserved communities and uses a community-engaged research approach to guide her work. She develops and evaluates innovative approaches to promote healthy lifestyles with a particular emphasis on physical activity and healthy eating. She was the PI of a recently completed R01 that evaluated the effectiveness of a family-focused intervention to promote healthy eating and physical activity in Latino family dyads. She is currently leading an R01 to evaluate whether a dyadic social support health coaching intervention is more effective than individual health coaching in a diverse sample of inactive women. Dr. Strong’s research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society, and through institutional funding. Students would have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of the research (e.g., recruitment, data collection, data cleaning, preliminary analysis) for Dr. Strong’s ongoing R01, Women on the Move, and secondary data analysis for the completed R01, Your Health Matters.
Education & Training
PhD, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 2008