Brian Colwell

Brian Colwell is a Professor in the Department of Health Promotion & Community Health at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, where he directs the Program on Research in Global Health and oversees the Graduate Certificate in Global Health. His career centers on cancer prevention through tobacco control, serving as Principal Investigator of the Youth Tobacco Awareness Program for Texas adolescents and contributing to NIH/ CDC tobacco cessation initiatives.

His educational background includes:

• BA in Health Education from Purdue University (1980)
• MS in Health from Western Kentucky University (1988)
• PhD in Human Performance (Health Behavior) from Indiana University (1992)

Dr. Colwell's research spans youth tobacco behavior, tobacco use in developing nations, and global vaccine hesitancy. He employs cognitive-behavioral and motivational enhancement approaches to study involuntary treatment effects on youth tobacco use, while expanding into international substance use and Sub-Saharan Africa vaccine confidence research. His work bridges behavioral science with population-level health interventions.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals a dominant focus on global health challenges: 60% examine vaccine hesitancy across Africa during the pandemic, 25% analyze tobacco/ substance use in LMICs, and 15% address maternal/child health disparities. Methodologically, mixed-methods designs (40%) and cross-national epidemiological studies (35%) predominate, reflecting his transdisciplinary approach to health behavior.

His scientific recognition includes:

• CDC Health Promotion Medal of Excellence (2006)

Dr. Colwell has secured NIH funding for youth tobacco research, served on NIH study sections, and consulted for initiatives including Smoke-Free Paso del Norte and Legacy-funded community evaluations. His grant portfolio demonstrates sustained focus on tobacco control implementation science and emerging expertise in global vaccine confidence measurement.

As Director of the Program on Research in Global Health, he leads interdisciplinary teams developing the Graduate Certificate in Global Health, with recent projects examining tobacco use in Central Africa and cross-national vaccine spillover effects.