Dr. Leigh Ann Simmons brings expertise and leadership in interdisciplinary social sciences and health disparities research with a focus on: (1) characterizing co-occurring chronic disease risk factors for disparities populations (e.g., rural, low socioeconomic status, racial/ethnic minority); (2) understanding the impact of early life exposures (e.g., prenatal, family, community) on later life chronic disease risk; and (3) developing and testing behavior change interventions to reduce chronic disease risk behaviors.

Dr. Simmons has published nearly 70 peer-reviewed papers and book chapters and has served as PI and Co-Investigator on USDA-, VA- and NIH-funded grants in these areas. She has led teams that have recruited and followed for 3 years over 900 pregnant and nonpregnant rural women and their families, and recruited 1,000 rural women to participate in a study of depression and mental health care. Her research has demonstrated high rates of co-occurring psychosocial, behavioral, and biological chronic disease risk factors among rural mothers and shown how multigenerational poverty, neighborhood factors, and parental health negatively affect children’s well-being. Most recently, she has used digital technology to address risk behaviors in disparities populations, including testing text-based scheduled gradual reduction for rural and medically underserved tobacco users (1R15-CA198841-01, Noonan PI) and testing a digital weight control intervention for pregnancy and postpartum (1 R01 NR017659-01A, Simmons PI). In her previous role at Duke, she was faculty director of a university-wide, $3 million, interdisciplinary initiative, All Babies and Children Thrive, which convened diverse teams of scholars and trainees to promote positive prenatal and early childhood development.

Fun Facts about Dr. Simmons:

• Where did you grow up?
• San Diego, CA.
• What drew you to this field?
• My initial plan was to become an OB/GYN until I realized that I didn’t really like the clinical work, but I loved research.
• Where are you happiest at work?
• Mentoring in the lab.
• Where are you happiest outside of work?
• At the beach with my kids.
• What is something your colleagues/students generally don’t know about you? 
• I am a Kentucky Colonel, which is an honor bestowed by the Governor of the Commonwealth of Kentucky, and I’m also a certified vinyasa yoga teacher.