Abigail M. Hatcher

Abigail M. Hatcher, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. Her research focuses on social determinants of health, including interventions to reduce violence against women and improve maternal health outcomes. She holds editorial roles at AIDS and BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth, and has contributed to WHO and UN Women policy guidance.

Education:

• PhD in Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand (2017)
• MPhil in Sociology (Development Studies), University of Cape Town (2005)
• BS in International Business, Washington University in St Louis (2001)

Research Interests: Dr. Hatcher designs and evaluates interventions addressing intimate partner violence, food insecurity, and HIV treatment adherence. Her work combines randomized controlled trials with qualitative methods to understand mechanisms of health disparities. Current projects include digital chatbots for relationship safety and couples-based home visits.

Awards:

• Innovation in Teaching Award (2023)
• Young Investigator Research Award (2015)
• Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar (2005)

Practice & Service: She co-authored South African maternal health policy reforms and a presidential declaration on violence prevention. Her research on food insecurity and violence was featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer and documentary Food Apartheid.

Labs/Teams: Active in the UUW Partnership for Women’s Health Research and Fogarty Global Health Fellowship programs.