Shakia T. Hardy, PhD

About

Dr. Shakia Hardy is a cardiovascular disease and social epidemiologist. Her research focuses on 1) identifying social and behavioral determinants of hypertension and cardiovascular disease across the life course, 2) developing interventions to increase health equity and 3) evaluating the effectiveness and implementation of interventions.

Dr. Hardy is currently funded by a K01 to develop a peer support intervention to lower blood pressure among Black adolescents. She is also Co-Principal Investigator of the Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension by Addressing barriers to Nutrition and physical activity (EPIPHANY) study, a cluster-randomized church-based trial testing a peer-led intervention to prevent hypertension in rural, Black adults.

Honors and Awards

Fellow in Randomized Behavioral Clinical Trials
2023, National Institute of Health, Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research

Early Career Investigator Research Award
2023, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Ryals School of Public Health

Loan Repayment Program, Clinical Research
2022, 2020, NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Scott Grundy Fellowship Award for Excellence in Metabolism Research
2019, Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health, American Heart Association

Jeremiah and Rose Stamler Research Award for New Investigators Finalist
2014, American Heart Association

Key Publications

Social Determinants of Health and Uncontrolled Blood Pressure in a National Cohort of Black and White US Adults: the REGARDS Study. Akinyelure OP, Jaeger BC, Oparil S, Carson AP, Safford MM, Howard G, Muntner P, Hardy ST (2023). Hypertension.
View publication

Trends in Blood Pressure and Hypertension Among US Children and Adolescents, 1999-2018. Hardy ST, Sakhuja S, Jaeger BC, Urbina EM, Suglia SF, Feig DI and Muntner P (2021). JAMA Netw Open, 4.
View publication

Racial and Ethnic Differences in Blood Pressure Among US Adults, 1999-2018. Hardy ST, Chen L, Cherrington AL, Moise N, Jaeger BC, Foti K, Sakhuja S, Wozniak G, Abdalla M and Muntner P (2021). Hypertension, 78.
View publication

Trends in Blood Pressure Control Among US Adults With Hypertension, 1999-2000 to 2017-2018. Muntner P, Hardy ST, Fine LJ, Jaeger BC, Wozniak G, Levitan EB and Colantonio LD (2020). JAMA, 324.
View publication

Reducing the Blood Pressure-Related Burden of Cardiovascular Disease: Impact of Achievable Improvements in Blood Pressure Prevention and Control. Hardy ST, Loehr LR, Butler KR, Chakladar S, Chang PP, Folsom AR, Heiss G, MacLehose RF, Matsushita K, Avery CL (2015). Journal of the American Heart Association, 4(10).
View publication

Education