Kristina Wharton, Ph.D. Faculty Profile
Kristina Wharton, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Health
- E-mail: kristina.wharton@csueastbay.edu
- Office: SF 540
- Office Hours: Tuesdays 11am-noon, Wednesdays 2pm-3pm
- Home Page: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3552-1407
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Kristina Wharton joined the Department of Public Health at CSU East Bay as an assistant professor in 2023. Her teaching and research interests focus on how local, state, and federal policies influence health and well-being. She is particularly focused on promoting equity in access to primary healthcare, mental health care, and substance use prevention and treatment in underserved communities and the impact of legislation including the ACA and, more recently, the CARES Act and ARPA. Kristina is thrilled to be teaching Public Health Law, Health Disparities and Equity, and a Health Sciences (Public Health) Seminar. Currently, Kristina is leading an NIAAA-funded R21 titled, "COVID-19 Telehealth Policies' Impact on Provision of Alcohol and Substance Use Disorder Services at Federally Qualified Health Centers." The objectives are this study are to identify telehealth polices that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic that facilitate access to alcohol and substance use treatment in safety net primary care settings. Her other research examines how policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic influenced environmental conditions and contexts in which early drinking and continued alcohol use occurs among adolescents as well as how COVID-19 alcohol policies influenced adult use, particularly LGBTQ-identified adults. Kristina is also currently working on how state-level anti-transgender bills and laws are affecting trans and gender diverse adults in the U.S.