May 7, 2024 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
After witnessing her grandfather fall victim to smoking-related lung cancer, Emily Hackworth decided to devote her career to preventing this outcome for others. The Ph.D. in Health Promotion, Education, and Behavior (HPEB) graduate is committed to reducing tobacco use among youth, and she has two Arnold School degrees to help her make it happen.
A graduate from the University of New Hampshire, Hackworth pivoted from her background in linguistics to public health after serving in the Peace Core. Though officially an English teacher, Hackworth became passionate about the malaria and HIV prevention efforts she became involved with during her two years in Rwanda.
While I have worked on projects related to infectious disease and reproductive health, I find myself continuously drawn to tobacco research due to the complexity of nicotine addiction and the malevolence of the tobacco industry.
With her new passion for understanding the complexities of behavior change to improve health, Hackworth enrolled in the Master of Public Health in HPEB program. The Outstanding Master’s Student Award winner and Ann Cassady Endowed Fellow began working with internationally renowned tobacco policy and communications expert Jim Thrasher and knew she had found her niche.
“I was initially drawn to tobacco research in memory of my grandfather who passed away from smoking-related lung cancer,” Hackworth says. “While I have worked on projects related to infectious disease and reproductive health, I find myself continuously drawn to tobacco research due to the complexity of nicotine addiction and the malevolence of the tobacco industry.”
During her Ph.D. program, the Norman J. Arnold Doctoral Fellow’s research focus zeroed in on factors that predict nicotine use, including mental health, gender identity and risk perceptions. She’s also interested in research supporting policies to promote smoking cessation (e.g., reducing the nicotine levels allowed in cigarettes to make them less addictive).
In addition to Thrasher, she found mentors in HPEB faculty Minji Kim and Deborah Billings.
“I am so lucky to have gotten to work with Dr. Thrasher, who has encouraged me to explore my own research interests while working on a variety of his projects as well,” Hackworth says. “Dr. Kim has helped me refine my research questions and prioritize the populations that I am most interested in, and Dr. Billings has inspired me to continue conducting research asking the tough questions that can benefit society.”
She also gained valuable experiences working with Ending the Epidemics SC at Department for Health and Environmental Control and at Prisma Health COVID-19 vaccine clinics during the pandemic. After graduating in May (with a dozen publications and the Christopher Peter Aluah Outstanding Doctoral Student Award to her name), Hackworth plans to begin a postdoctoral fellowship related to reducing nicotine use among youth and helping adults quit smoking.
“My experience in the HPEB doctoral program has provided me with the training and experiences I need to continue working towards a career in academia, and I have loved the diverse array of faculty interests in the department,” she says. “Columbia is a wonderful place to be a student. My husband and I volunteered at Final Victory Animal Rescue, and eventually ended up adopting our two wonderful dogs. I would strongly recommend that any students who are animal lovers get involved with this organization.”
Health promotion, education, and behavior faculty and students address how interventions, social context, health care systems, and physical environments influence health behaviors and health status, with an emphasis on disadvantaged populations.
The Arnold School is proud of our 2024 graduates, who will go on to change the world locally and globally. Learn about some of the other outstanding individuals who completed one of our 34 programs this year.
