Anna Waller

Anna Waller, ScD, is a Professor in the Department of Emergency Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Medicine, and an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. She serves as Director of the Carolina Center for Health Informatics, Core Faculty in the UNC Injury Prevention Research Center (IPRC), and holds roles in affiliated centers like the North Carolina Disease Event Tracking and Epidemiologic Collection Tool (NC DETECT). Her work focuses on real-time data-driven public health response, injury prevention, and opioid overdose epidemic mitigation.

Dr. Waller earned an ScD in Maternal and Child Health from the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health (1990). With 25+ years in public health surveillance and 35+ years in injury prevention, she collaborates with state agencies to develop surveillance systems like NC DETECT, which monitors health threats in near real-time. Her research addresses injury-related crises, child maltreatment, and violence prevention through interdisciplinary partnerships.

She mentors graduate students in research assistantships, doctoral dissertation committees, and practicum placements. Her leadership at the Carolina Center for Health Informatics strengthens public health response strategies through collaborations with the N.C. Division of Public Health. Dr. Waller’s expertise spans health informatics, emergency medicine data integration, and evidence-based interventions for public health challenges.