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
- PhD, Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2017
- MPH, Health Policy and Management, University of South Florida, 2011
- BA, Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2008