Traci Jarrett

Traci Jarrett serves as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the West Virginia University School of Public Health and concurrently holds the leadership position of Co-Director for the West Virginia Prevention Research Center. Her dual academic and administrative roles center on advancing community-centered public health research with a specific focus on rural populations across West Virginia.

Her research program integrates community development and social action frameworks with implementation science methodologies to address systemic health and social disparities. Key areas include evaluating community-engaged research initiatives, analyzing social capital dynamics, and developing culturally responsive interventions for rural health challenges. Her work emphasizes collaborative partnerships that prioritize community ownership and sustainable solutions to inequities in healthcare access and outcomes.

As Co-Director of the WV Prevention Research Center, Dr. Jarrett spearheads interdisciplinary initiatives that bridge academic research with community practice, focusing on substance abuse prevention, chronic disease management, and capacity building in underserved rural regions through evidence-based public health programming.