Debbie Humphries, PhD, MPH, MA
Assistant Professor Adjunct of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases)Cards
Additional Titles
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health
Contact Info
About
Titles
Assistant Professor Adjunct of Epidemiology (Chronic Diseases)
Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global HealthBiography
Dr. Humphries has a broad background in public health research and practice. She has been a consultant in the areas of diet and physical activity behavior change, sustainability of community health programs, program monitoring and evaluation, and training in participatory monitoring and evaluation for organizations in Vietnam, Africa and in the United States. She has extended that reach through her Practice-based Community Health Research course which places student groups with agencies in the State of Connecticut to plan and evaluate programs. Sample projects include: Determining the Best Time to Implement Routine HIV Testing in Jails; Barriers to Accessing Health Care and Health Needs of Undocumented Immigrants; Evaluation of HIV/AIDS prevention, testing and care in Connecticut Correctional Facilities; and Strategies to Reduce Low Birth Weight in New Haven: An Evaluation of the Outreach Strategy of the New Haven Maternal and Child Health Department. Humphries is also a member of the Community Research Engagement steering committee at Yale.
Dr. Humphries’ research addresses interactions between nutrition and infectious disease, as well as programmatic approaches to improving public health. This work has taken her to Asia and Africa where she has studied environmental factors and intestinal helminth infections and their relationship to anemia as well as effectiveness of intervention programs. She is currently collaborating on a longitudinal study to characterize parasite and host factors affecting response to deworming in Ghana.
Appointments
Departments & Organizations
- Cappello Lab
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS
- Climate Change and Health
- Global Health Studies
- Office of Global Health Education
- Qualitative Methods Innovation Program
- Yale Institute for Global Health
- Yale School of Public Health
- Yale-UPR Integrated HIV Basic and Clinical Sciences Initiative
- YSPH Global Health Concentration
Education & Training
- MA
- Hartford Seminary, Transformative Leadership and Spirituality (2021)
- PhD
- Cornell University (1996)
- MPH
- University of Michigan/Ann Arbor (1992)
Research
Overview
Dr. Humphries has a broad background in public health practice. She has consulting expertise in the areas of diet and physical activity behavior change, sustainability of community health programs, program monitoring and evaluation, and training in participatory monitoring and evaluation.
Dr. Humphries has research experience in relationships between nutritional deficiencies and infectious disease in resource-poor environments. She is interested in interdisciplinary research on nutrition, immune function, and disease.
Engaging with students in the classroom, on theses and internships provides Dr. Humphries with valuable insights and the opportunity to investigate different perspectives and approaches. She has supported students in conducting research in topics as varied as mapping access to health centers in Burkina Faso, developing a game for teaching communities about malaria transmission, mapping access to food and cigarettes in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and policy approaches to reducing the diabetes impact in India. She enjoys experimenting in the classroom with pedagogical methods that combine academic concepts with practical experience.
Relationship between hookworm infection, response to treatment, and nutritional status in school children in Ghana; measures of research capacity for community based organizations; impact of public health resource sharing on service cost and quality in Connecticut and Massachusetts
Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Michael Cappello, MD
Adalgisa Caccone
Sten H. Vermund, MD, PhD
Danya Keene, PhD
Donna Spiegelman, ScD
James Knight, PhD
Hookworm Infections
Vietnam
Ghana
Public Health
Global Health
Malaria
Publications
2024
United States Long-Term Trends in Adult BMI (1959–2018): Unraveling the Roots of the Obesity Epidemic
Banas J, Cook A, Raygoza-Cortez K, Davila D, Irwin M, Ferrucci L, Humphries D. United States Long-Term Trends in Adult BMI (1959–2018): Unraveling the Roots of the Obesity Epidemic. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 2024, 21: 73. PMID: 38248537, PMCID: PMC10815706, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph21010073.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricConceptsNational Health Examination SurveyExamination SurveyObesity epidemicBody mass index (BMI) trendsOngoing obesity epidemicCritical public health challengeNutrition Examination SurveyHealth Examination SurveyRates of obesityPublic health challengePopulation-level interventionsBMI growth rateEffective population-level interventionsRace/ethnicityAverage BMIAdult BMINational HealthBMI trendsHigh school educationWhite adultsAge groupsBlack adultsHealth challengesBMIRacial disparities
2023
Editorial: Food, nature & wellness: dueling epistemologies
Humphries D, Saxena A, Venkatasubramanian P. Editorial: Food, nature & wellness: dueling epistemologies. Frontiers In Public Health 2023, 11: 1264967. PMID: 37942248, PMCID: PMC10628760, DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1264967.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricMeSH KeywordsThe intersectionality-based policy analysis framework: demonstrating utility through application to the pre-vaccine U.S. COVID-19 policy response
Humphries D, Sodipo M, Jackson S. The intersectionality-based policy analysis framework: demonstrating utility through application to the pre-vaccine U.S. COVID-19 policy response. Frontiers In Public Health 2023, 11: 1040851. PMID: 37655290, PMCID: PMC10466398, DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1040851.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCOVID-19 policy responsesPolicy analysis frameworkPolicy responsesPrinciples of equitySocial justiceLong-term visionPolicy solutionsDiversity of knowledgeImpact of representationEquity considerationsPolicyHealth policyRepresentation of problemsLong-term solutionIntersectionalityCOVID-19 pandemicPublic health systemAnalysis frameworkEquityHealth systemHealth challengesFrameworkJusticeDifferent groupsPublic health challengeOn measuring “small potatoes”: spatio-temporal patterning of agrobiodiversity-as-food presents challenges for dietary recall surveys
Saxena A, Fuentes X, Humphries D. On measuring “small potatoes”: spatio-temporal patterning of agrobiodiversity-as-food presents challenges for dietary recall surveys. Frontiers In Sustainable Food Systems 2023, 7: 1000735. DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2023.1000735.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAltmetricAction learning and public health pedagogy: Student reflections from an experiential public health course
Pham C, Cunningham S, Humphries D. Action learning and public health pedagogy: Student reflections from an experiential public health course. Frontiers In Public Health 2023, 11: 1128705. PMID: 37056658, PMCID: PMC10086179, DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1128705.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsPractice experienceStudent reflectionsFuture public health professionalsCohorts of studentsPublic health pedagogyCross-cutting skillsPublic health coursesPublic health curriculumStudent perspectivesLearning experienceHealth pedagogyReflection essaysHealth curriculumPractical skillsQualitative analysis approachHealth coursesAction learningPublic health professionalsPractice opportunitiesMPH programPaper assignmentStudentsAssignment instructionsSkill buildingCommunity partners
2022
Application of multiplex amplicon deep-sequencing (MAD-seq) to screen for putative drug resistance markers in the Necator americanus isotype-1 β-tubulin gene
George S, Suwondo P, Akorli J, Otchere J, Harrison LM, Bilguvar K, Knight JR, Humphries D, Wilson MD, Caccone A, Cappello M. Application of multiplex amplicon deep-sequencing (MAD-seq) to screen for putative drug resistance markers in the Necator americanus isotype-1 β-tubulin gene. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 11459. PMID: 35794459, PMCID: PMC9259660, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15718-1.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsSingle nucleotide polymorphismsPeriodic mass drug administrationHigh-risk groupCross-sectional studyDrug resistance markersMass drug administrationResistance-associated mutationsHookworm Necator americanusPost-treatment samplesIsotype-1 β-tubulin geneHookworm infectionPersistent infectionResistance markersDrug AdministrationNecator americanusInfection statusVeterinary nematodesInfectionMarkersNucleotide polymorphismsSensitive toolBenzimidazole drugsNucleotide allelesUsing Health Care Professionals’ Perspectives to Refine a Clinical Decision Support Implementation Strategy for Increasing the Prescribing of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Alabama
Humphries D, Rhodes E, Simon C, Wang V, Spiegelman D, Ott C, Hicks D, Marcus J, Krakower D, Rana A. Using Health Care Professionals’ Perspectives to Refine a Clinical Decision Support Implementation Strategy for Increasing the Prescribing of HIV Preexposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) in Alabama. Journal Of The International Association Of Providers Of AIDS Care (JIAPAC) 2022, 21: 23259582221144451. PMID: 36537589, PMCID: PMC9772965, DOI: 10.1177/23259582221144451.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsCDS toolsHigh HIV incidenceHIV preexposure prophylaxisPre-exposure prophylaxisClinical decision support toolQualified health centersHealth care providersHealth care professionalsElectronic health recordsPrEP deliveryPrEP prescribingPreexposure prophylaxisPrEP prescriptionClinical visitsHIV incidenceCDS toolHealth centersClinic staffCare providersCare professionalsSide effectsProviders' lackImplementation strategiesPrEPHealth records
2021
The Importance of Sociocultural Context When Choosing to Eat Healthier
Dai J, Zulkefli NF, Moy FM, Humphries DL. The Importance of Sociocultural Context When Choosing to Eat Healthier. Journal Of Nutrition Education And Behavior 2021, 54: 143-150. PMID: 34952802, DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2021.08.019.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsAltmetricMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsHealthy eatingOwn food intakeFood decisionsSociocultural supportCommunal eatingFemale employeesSociocultural influencesAudio-recorded interviewsTime scarcityEatingBehavior changeSociocultural contextVerbatim transcriptsUnspoken rulesHome-cooked mealsLarge universityLiving situationsTheory approachConvenience samplingCultural valuesInterviewsEmployeesMarital statusPerceptionParticipantsLessons From a Community Driven Experiential Public Health Course
Humphries D, Bastida C, Walker M. Lessons From a Community Driven Experiential Public Health Course. Pedagogy In Health Promotion 2021, 8: 231-237. DOI: 10.1177/23733799211056311.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchCitationsConceptsExperiential learning opportunityUnique learning experiencePractice-based learningPublic health coursesPublic health studentsPublic health trainingRigorous courseworkStudent reflectionsLearning experienceLearning opportunitiesStudent interestCourse elementsPreceptor evaluationsHealth coursesHealth studentsPractice opportunitiesPracticum instructorsAccreditation requirementsAddress health disparitiesStudentsPractice activitiesCommunity partnersHealth trainingSupportive structuresBest practicesNutrition and Infectious Diseases
Humphries, Debbie, Scott, Marilyn, Vermund, Sten H. Nutrition and Infectious Diseases: Shifting the Clinical Paradigm. 2021, Springer Nature, Switzerland.Books
Academic Achievements and Community Involvement
activity Secretary
Professional OrganizationsAmerican Society for Nutrition - Global Nutrition CouncilSecretary for the global nutrition council governing committee.Details06/01/2016 - Presentactivity Committee Member
CommitteesYSPH Sustainability CommitteeDetails09/01/2017 - Presentactivity Committee Member
CommitteesYSPH Practicum Advisory CommitteeDetails12/01/2009 - Presenthonor Hartranft Award
Other AwardHartford SeminaryDetails05/21/2021United Stateshonor C.E.A. Winslow Award
Regional AwardConnecticut Public Health AssociationDetails04/20/2016United States
Links & Media
News
- April 12, 2023
Applied public health practice course supports students and communities
- July 13, 2022
Alumni Profile: Haeyoon Chang, MPH '18 (Chronic Disease Epidemiology)
- November 05, 2021
Environmental Justice Conference Explores a Just Recovery
- September 23, 2021
Implementation Science Hub Led by Yale Center for Methods in Implementation and Prevention Science Researchers Renewed and New Ending the HIV Epidemic Community Project Launched
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