Get to know the team: Ashley Shaw, PhD, MPH

Ashley Shaw, PhD, MPH, assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences and Center for Health Equity (CHE), brings a deep commitment to advancing brain health and healthy aging through culturally grounded, community-based approaches. Drawing from her background in nutrition, public health, and neurology, Shaw’s research bridges lifestyle interventions, faith-based engagement, and population science to promote health for all.

A graduate of the University of Missouri, Shaw earned both her Master of Public Health and PhD in Nursing before completing her postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Kansas Medical Center’s Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center. There, she focused on dementia prevention and health education for older Black adults (ages 55+), where she led community recruitment and developed culturally responsive programming such as Aging with Grace  to reduce Alzheimer’s risk through nutrition and exercise.

Her early exposure to research began in the McNair Scholars Program, where she worked to test a skinfold prediction equation to estimate adult body fat percentage. This initial project sparked a lifelong interest in nutrition and physical activity as key components of chronic disease prevention. During her MPH training, Shaw became immersed in community-based research, catalyzing an interest in researching how trust, shared knowledge, and local leadership drive health behavior change.

Today, Shaw’s work continues to center community voices in developing diet and exercise interventions to improve brain health and promote healthy aging by partnering with other UTHealth Houston entities, including McGovern Medical School and Institute on Aging Across all her work, Shaw integrates mixed-methods and qualitative approaches, such as Photovoice* and focus groups, to ensure that lived experience guides scientific discovery.

Reflecting on her work, Shaw shared, “I believe communities already hold the wisdom to nourish both brain and body. My community-centered research creates space for that wisdom to guide the way we design, deliver, and define care.”

Outside the lab, Shaw enjoys baking, working out, and traveling.

Shaw’s dedication to co-creating culturally meaningful approaches to brain health aligns closely with the Center for Health Equity’s mission to advance innovation through collaboration and shared leadership. We are thrilled to add another pioneering faculty member as we build sustainable health solutions across communities.

* Photovoice  is a participatory visual qualitative research method that combines photography and narrative storytelling to capture individuals' lived experiences, particularly those from marginalized or underserved communities. Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity. Photovoice. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity; accessed October 17, 2025. https://publichealth.jhu.edu/center-for-health-equity/photovoice