Andra Wilkinson

Andra Wilkinson, PhD, is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Maternal and Child Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health and a Researcher at Child Trends. She holds a PhD in Maternal and Child Health from UNC Chapel Hill (2016) and an MSPH from the same institution. Her research focuses on adolescent health, gender norms, and implementation science, with a particular emphasis on substance use, mental health, and sexual risk behavior, especially how masculinity influences these behaviors. Dr. Wilkinson has expertise in longitudinal analysis and multilevel modeling, and her work often integrates mixed-methods approaches.

Key research interests include:

• Substance use patterns and gender disparities
• Adolescent mental health trajectories
• Implementation of evidence-based practices in healthcare systems
• South African youth unemployment and its health implications

Awards include induction into Delta Omega Public Health Honor Society (2016), a NIDA F31 Training Grant (2014-2016), and the Ibrahim Fellowship from Gillings School (2012).

Her work at Child Trends focuses on applied research in adolescent development and public health policy, while her academic role at UNC involves teaching and mentoring in implementation science. Notable publications explore bidirectional relationships between substance use and depression, rural South African youth employment challenges, and cost-effectiveness of postpartum depression screening.

Dr. Wilkinson has collaborated with institutions like Kaiser Permanente on evidence-based practice adoption and evaluation, reflecting her dual focus on academic research and real-world policy impact.