Anna Wilkinson, PhD
Associate Professor, Epidemiology, Human Genetics & Environmental Sciences
Interim Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
[email protected]
Anna Wilkinson, Ph.D. joined the Michael & Susan Dell Center for Healthy Living and the UT School of Public Health in Austin in July 2010, where she is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences. She earned her Ph.D. in community psychology from The University of Texas at Austin in 1996. After completing her PhD, she moved to Kansas to work at the Kansas Health Institute for four years. In 2000 she moved to Houston Texas to join the James A. Baker Institute for Public Policy at Rice University and in 2003 she joined the faculty in the Department of Epidemiology at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
Anna Wilkinson’s research focuses on the primary prevention of tobacco and alcohol use as well as obesity prevention and the promotion of physical activity among youth and young adults. She is interested in the relative role that individual-level factors (such as subjective and objective social status, sensation seeking tendencies), social factors (such as norms, family / peer behavior, and the built environment), and genetic factors may play in shaping these behaviors. In 2008, she received a Career Development award from the National Cancer Institute to study the interactions between, and relative influence of, non-genetic and genetic determinants of smoking initiation and physical activity.
Currently she is involved in the Texas-based evaluation of SNAP-ED, and serves as a co-investigator on three NIH-funded project that examine tobacco use behaviors among youth and young adults, with a focus mental health.
Research Interests – Health disparities and immigrant health; tobacco prevention and cessation; promotion of physical activity and obesity prevention; bio-behavioral epidemiology.
Current Projects
Texas SNAP-Ed Evaluation
Texas SNAP-Ed Evaluation, is a two-year project to evaluate, on a statewide basis, the effectiveness of SNAP-Ed nutrition education and obesity prevention programming activities delivered by Implementing Agencies throughout the state of Texas.
Recent Publications
Rising vape pod popularity disrupted declining use of electronic nicotine delivery systems among young adults in Texas from 2014-2019.
Loukas A, Marti CN, Pasch KE, Harrell MB, Wilkinson AV, Perry CL. Addiction. 2022 Jan;117(1):216-223. doi: 10.1111/add.15616. Epub 2021 Jul 5. PMID: 34159679; PMCID: PMC8664970.
Motivating Mexican American Adults to Share Family History with Healthcare Providers.
(Ake, J. F., Lin, J., Wilkinson, A. V., Koehly, L. M. (In Press). Preventive Medicine.)
Nicotine inhalation and suicide: Clinical correlates and behavioral mechanisms.
(Swann, A. C., Graham, D. P., Wilkinson, A. V., Kosten, T. R. (In Press). American Journal on Addictions.)
Longitudinal trajectories of E-cigarette use among adolescents: A 5-year, multiple cohort study of vaping with and without marijuana.
(Harrell, M. B., Chen, B., Clendennen, S. L., Sumbe, A., Case, K. R., Wilkinson, A. V., ... & Perry, C. L. (2021). Preventive Medicine, 106670.)
Emotional symptoms and sensation seeking: Implications for tobacco interventions for youth and young adults.
(Bataineh, B. S., Wilkinson, A. V., Case, K. R., Clendennen, S. L., Sumbe, A., Chen, B., & Harrell, M. B. (2021). Tobacco Prevention & Cessation, 7.)
Self-reported history of intensity of smoking is associated with risk factors for suicide among high school students.
(Dasagi, M. Mantey, D. S., Harrell, M. B., Wilkinson, A. V. (In Press). PLoS One.)
Understanding susceptibility to e-cigarettes: A comprehensive model of risk factors that influence the transition from non-susceptible to susceptible among e-cigarette naïve adolescents
Carey, F. R., Rogers, S. M., Cohn, E. A., Harrell, M. B., Wilkinson, A. V., et al. (2019). Addictive behaviors, 91, 68–74.
Exposure to E-cigarette marketing and product use among Mexican American young adults on the United States-Mexico border
Herrera, A. L., Wilkinson, A. V., Cohn, E. A., Perry, C. L., & Fisher-Hoch, S. P. (2018). Cogent medicine, 5, 1534306.
The transition from non-susceptible to susceptible to e-cigarette use among e-cigarette-naive adolescents: a comprehensive model of multiple risk factors' influence.
Carey, F. R., Rogers, S. M., Cohn, E. A., Harrell, M. B., Wilkinson, A. V., et al. (2019). Addictive behaviors, 91, 68–74.
The time-varying relations between risk factors and smoking before and after a quit attempt
Koslovsky, M. D., Hébert, E. T., Swartz, M. D., Chan, W., Leon-Novelo, L., et al. (2018). Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, 20(10), 1231–1236.
Measurement and predictive value of susceptibility to cigarettes, e-cigarettes, cigars, and hookah among Texas adolescents
Carey, F. R., Wilkinson, A. V., Harrell, M. B., Cohn, E. A., & Perry, C. L. (2018). Addictive behaviors reports, 8, 95–101.
Body Image Dissatisfaction, Obesity and Their Associations With Breastfeeding in Mexican Women, a Cross-Sectional Study
Bigman, G., Wilkinson, A. V., Homedes, N., & Pérez, A. (2018). Maternal and child health journal, 22(12), 1815–1825.
Acculturation and Breastfeeding Among Hispanic American Women: A Systematic Review
Bigman, G., Wilkinson, A. V., Pérez, A., & Homedes, N. (2018). Maternal and child health journal, 22(9), 1260–1277.
Whose post is it? Predicting E-cigarette brand from social media posts.
(Vandewater, E. A., Clendennen, S. L., Hébert, E. T., Bigman, G., Jackson, C. R., Wilkinson, A. V., & Perry, C. L.; Tobacco Regulatory Science; 2018)
Whose post is it? Predictive e-cigarette brand from social media brand page posts
Vandewater, E. A., Clendennen, S. L., Hébert, E. T., Bigman, G., Jackson, C. D., et al. (2018). Tobacco regulatory science, 4(2), 30–43.
Perceived weight and bullying victimization in boys and girls
Carey, F. R., Wilkinson, A. V., Ranjit, N., Mandell, D., & Hoelscher, D. M. (2018). The Journal of school health, 88(3), 217–226.
The relationships between sensation seeking and a spectrum of e-cigarette use behaviors in Texas adolescents: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses specific to Texas adolescents
Case, K. R., Harrell, M. B., Pérez, A., Loukas, A., Wilkinson, A. V., et al. (2017). Addictive behaviors, 73, 151–157.
Depressive symptoms predict current e-cigarette use among college students in Texas
Bandiera, F. C., Loukas, A., Li, X., Wilkinson, A. V., & Perry, C. L. (2017). Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 19(9), 1102-1106.
The association between sensation seeking and e-cigarette use in Texas young adults: A cross-sectional study
Case, K. R., Loukas, A., PhD, Harrell, M. B., Wilkinson, A. V., Springer, A. E., et al. (2017). Journal of American college health : J of ACH, 65(4), 277–285.
Correlates of Physical Activity Differ by Sex and Country of Birth Among Mexican-Heritage Youth
Wilkinson, A. V., Miller, E. E., Koehly, L. M., Daniel, C. R., & Forman, M. R. (2017). Journal of immigrant and minority health, 19(2), 246–253.
Demographic, Psychosocial, and Genetic Risk Associated With Smokeless Tobacco Use Among Mexican Heritage Youth
Wilkinson, A. V., Koehly, L. M., Vandewater, E. A., Yu, R. K., Fisher-Hoch, S. P., et al. (2015). BMC medical genetics, 16, 43.
Associations between tobacco and nicotine product use and depressive symptoms among college students in Texas
(Bandiera FC, Loukas A, Wilkinson AV, Perry CL; Addict Behav. 2016)
Anxiety, depression and smoking status among adults of Mexican heritage on the Texas-Mexico Border
(Wilkinson AV, Vatcheva KP, Pérez A, Reininger BM, McCormick JB, Fisher-Hoch, SP; Hisp J Behav Sci.; 2014)
Pro-tobacco messaging and smoking status among Mexican origin youth
(Wilkinson, AV, Vandewater, EA, Carey F, Spitz MR; Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2014)
The intergenerational transfer of smoking across three generations and forty-five years
(Vandewater, EA, Park SE, Carey, FR, Wilkinson AV; Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 2013)
Sensation-seeking Genes and Physical Activity in Youth
(Wilkinson AV, Pettee-Gabriel, K, Dong Q, Shete S, Bondy ML, Spitz MR; Genes, Brain and Behavior, 2013)
Cigarette experimentation and the population attributable fraction of associated genetic and non-genetic risk factors
(Wilkinson AV, Swartz MD, Yu X, Spitz MR, Shete S; PloS One, 2013)
Predictors of parent-child relationships that support physical activity in Mexican-American families
(de la Haye K, de Heer HD, Wilkinson AV ; Journal of Behavioral Medicine , 2012)
Higher risk for obesity among Mexican-American and Mexican immigrant children and adolescents than among peers in Mexico.
(Hernandez-Valero M, Bustamante-Montes LP, Hernanadez M, Halley Castillo ME, Wilkinson A, Bondy LM, Olvera N. ; Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health , 2012)
Eliminating Second-Hand Smoke From Mexican-American Households: Outcomes From Project Clean Air-Safe Air (CASA)
(Prokhorov AP, Hudmon KS, Marani S, Bondy LM, Spitz MR, Wilkinson, AV, Hammond KS, Koehly LM. ; Addictive Behavior , 2012)
Gender Differences in Sociodemographic and Behavioral Influences of Physical Activity in Mexican-origin Adolescents
(Strong LL, Anderson CB, Miranda PY, Bondy ML, Zhou R, Etzel CJ, Spitz MR, Wilkinson AV ; Journal of Physical Activity and Health , 2012)
Proxy measures of acculturation in health research: Psychometric evaluation of the Demographic Index of Cultural Exposure (DICE) in a Mexican-origin community sample
(Cruz RA, Wilkinson AV, Bondy ML, Koehly LM ; Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences , 2012)
Experimenting with cigarettes and physical activity among Mexican origin youth: A cross sectional analysis of the interdependent associations among sensation seeking, acculturation, and gender
(Wilkinson AV, Okeke N, Springer AE, Stigler MH, Pettee-Gabriel, K, Prokhorov AP, Bondy LM, Spitz MR ; BMC Public Health , 2012)
HIV/AIDS treatment adherence in economically better off women in Colombia
(Arrivillaga M, Springer AE, Lopera M, Correa D, Useche B, Ross MW; AIDS Care , 2012)
Factors That Influence Mammography Use and Breast Cancer Detection Among Mexican-American and African-American Women
(Garcia RZ, Carvajal SC, Wilkinson AV, Thompson PA, Nodora JN, Komenaka IK, Brewster A, Cruz GI, Wertheim BC, Bondy ML, Martinez ME ; Cancer Causes and Control , 2012)
Cigarette experimentation in Mexican origin youth: Psychosocial and genetic determinants
(Wilkinson AV, Bondy ML, Etzel CJ, Dong Q, D'Amelio A, Yu RK, Prokhorov AV, Pu X, Wu X, Shete S, Spitz MR ; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention , 2012)
Age-related differences in biomedical and folk beliefs as causes for diabetes and heart disease among Mexican origin adults
(Palmquist AL, Wilkinson AV, Sandoval JM, Koehly LM ; Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health, 2012)
The advantage of imputation of missing income data to evaluate the association between income and self- reported health status (SRH) in a Mexican American cohort study
(Etzel CJ, Ryder AB, Wilkinson AV, McHugh M, Saunders KC, Kachroo S, D'Amelio A, Bondy M ; Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health , 2011)
Psychosocial risk and correlates of early menarche in Mexican-American girls
(Jean RT, Wilkinson AV, Spitz MR, Prokhorov AV, Bondy ML, Foreman MR. ; American Journal of Epidemiology, 2011)
Policy and cultural implications of early onset breast cancer among Mexican American women
(Miranda PY, Wilkinson AV, Etzel CJ, Zhou R, Jones LA, Thompson P, Bondy ML ; Cancer, 2011)
Sensation seeking, risk behaviors and the onset of alcohol consumption among Mexican origin youth
(Wilkinson AV, Shete S, Spitz MR, Swann AC; Journal of Adolescent Health, 2011)
