Debra Bernat

Debra Bernat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at The George Washington University's Milken Institute School of Public Health. Her research focuses span behavioral health, health disparities, health policy, and social determinants of health.

• Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Temple University (1994)
• Master of Arts in Education, University of Michigan (1996)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Epidemiology, University of Minnesota (2004)
• Post-Doctoral Fellowship, University of Minnesota (2007)

Bernat specializes in epidemiological studies related to:

• Substance use patterns among youth and young adults
• Tobacco control policies and their public health impacts
• Health disparities linked to social and environmental factors
• Alcohol-related safety outcomes in institutional settings
• Mobility patterns affecting adolescent health
• Vaccine uptake dynamics in transitional populations

Her recent publications highlight trends in:

• Smoke-free legislation evaluation using longitudinal data
• Cross-sector analysis of tobacco and alcohol policy interactions
• Behavioral epidemiology of emerging nicotine delivery systems
• Community-level interventions for health equity
• Gender-specific health behavior determinants
• Young adult risk perception frameworks

Teaching contributions include:

• PubH 6003 - Principles and Practice of Epidemiology
• PubH 6299 - Substance Use Epidemiology