Tiffany Haynes

Tiffany Haynes serves as an Associate Professor in the Health Behavior & Health Education department within the College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. With over a decade of research experience, Dr. Haynes leads multiple significant research initiatives focused on mental health disparities in underserved populations, particularly rural African American communities. Her work bridges academic research and community practice through innovative faith-based interventions and community-academic partnerships.

Dr. Haynes' research interests center on mental health service delivery in rural settings, with particular emphasis on depression treatment for African Americans. Her work explores how faith communities can serve as effective platforms for mental health interventions, addressing stigma and accessibility barriers that prevent rural populations from receiving needed care. She employs community-based participatory research methods to ensure interventions are culturally appropriate and sustainable within community contexts.

Analysis of her publication record reveals consistent focus on mental health disparities, with recent work expanding to address the mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, firearm violence among young Black men, and language access in mental health services. Her research demonstrates methodological diversity, incorporating qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches across community, clinical, and faith-based settings.

• Principal Investigator, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Engage for Equity PLUS Subaward (2024-2028)
• Principal Investigator, NIH U01MD010644 Reducing depressive symptoms among rural African Americans: REJOICE (2016-2021)
• Principal Investigator, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Rural Stakeholders Building Competence and Capacity to Mitigate Pressing Mental Health Issues through CER (2022-2024)
• Co-Investigator, NIH P50MD017319 The Center for Research, Health, and Social Justice (2021-2026)

Dr. Haynes serves as Principal Investigator on multiple major grants, demonstrating her leadership in community-engaged mental health research. Her work with the FAITH Network (Faith-Academic Initiatives for Transforming Health) represents a sustained commitment to building community capacity for health research and intervention. Current projects address pressing public health issues including mental health impacts of the pandemic, health equity in rural settings, and culturally responsive service delivery models.