Shakia T. Hardy

Shakia T. Hardy, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health. She holds a PhD in Epidemiology from UNC Chapel Hill (2017), an MPH in Health Policy from the University of South Florida (2011), and a BA in Biology from UNC Chapel Hill (2008). Her research focuses on cardiovascular disease and social epidemiology, particularly hypertension prevention and health equity interventions. She leads the Equity in Prevention and Progression of Hypertension (EPIPHANY) study, a church-based intervention addressing rural Black adults' hypertension risks.

Dr. Hardy has secured NIH K01 funding for a peer support intervention targeting adolescent hypertension and co-leads the EPIPHANY trial. Her work emphasizes social determinants of health disparities, with publications in Hypertension, JAMA, and Circulation. Awards include NIH loan repayment programs and AHA fellowships. She collaborates with national networks like the Jackson Heart Study and REGARDS cohort.

Her research portfolio addresses hypertension trends, treatment adherence, and intervention efficacy across lifespan stages. Key areas include childhood blood pressure trajectories, healthcare access barriers, and community-based strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in marginalized populations.