Kathleen Bachynski

Kathleen Bachynski is an Assistant Professor of Public Health specializing in injury prevention, sports safety, and youth health. Her work explores how societies frame sports injuries as preventable public health issues rather than inevitable accidents, with a focus on social determinants like race, gender, class, and media influences.

Education:

• B.A., University of Michigan
• M.P.H., University of Michigan School of Public Health
• Ph.D., Columbia University

Her research bridges historical analysis and contemporary policy debates, particularly in youth football safety, concussion management, and helmet laws. She examines how cultural and institutional forces shape public health interventions and evidence-based practices.

Recent publications address historical parallels in football safety debates, gendered narratives in injury prevention, helmet standardization, and the sociocultural dimensions of sports concussions. Her work also critiques corporate strategies that downplay health risks, drawing comparisons to tobacco industry tactics.