Kristina P. Brant

Kristina P. Brant is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Rural Sociology within the College of Agricultural Sciences at Pennsylvania State University. She also serves as the Assistant Development Core Director for the Population Research Institute (PRI).

Dr. Brant's educational background includes:

• Ph.D., Harvard University, 2021
• M.A., Harvard University, 2018
• B.A., University of Chicago, 2014

Dr. Brant's research centers on substance use in rural communities, particularly rural Appalachia, exploring how families and communities respond to addiction. Her work includes studies on child welfare systems' handling of parental substance use disorder, family dynamics when children are placed in kinship care, and community perceptions of recovery. Using ethnographic and in-depth interview methods, she also investigates immigration policy impacts and social support networks. Her research is translated into community-based programs in rural Pennsylvania through Extension work.