Dr. Stacey Griner
Associate Professor, Department of Public Health
Education & Experience:
My career began in clinical dental hygiene, where I spent more than a decade caring
for patients before transitioning into public health research and academia. That clinical
foundation continues to inform my work, and I remain actively licensed in both Texas
and Florida. Today, I am a tenured Associate Professor and implementation scientist
whose research focuses on closing the gap between evidence and practice. I study how
healthcare providers, organizations, and communities adopt and implement evidence-based
guidelines, particularly in the areas of sexual and reproductive health, maternal
health, and oral health. My work has been supported by the National Institutes of
Health, PCORI, the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and other national organizations.
I earned a PhD in Public Health and a graduate certificate in Women's and Gender Studies from the University of South Florida, an MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences from the University of Florida, and a bachelor's degree in Dental Hygiene Education from St. Petersburg College. My scholarship includes more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and has been recognized through national awards and leadership roles in public health organizations. In 2025, I was selected as a Provost's Faculty Success Fellow at UNT Health, where I support faculty success and build partnerships that connect academic expertise with community impact.
Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
Mentorship and meaningful connections with students are at the heart of my teaching
philosophy. Throughout my career, I have guided students training to become clinicians,
researchers, and public health professionals, supporting their academic, research,
and professional development goals. I am especially passionate about mentoring students
as they develop into independent scholars, and many of my mentees have gone on to
present at national conferences, publish peer-reviewed research, and pursue careers
in academia, healthcare, and public health practice.
I primarily teach courses in the MPH Maternal and Child Health program, including Introduction to Maternal and Child Health, Human Sexuality and Reproductive Health, and Women’s and Reproductive Health: A Public Health Approach. I have also developed curriculum and innovative learning activities focused on health equity and evidence-based public health practice. Beyond maternal and child health, my teaching experience spans health behavior, sexual and reproductive health, women’s health, community health, and implementation science in both classroom and online learning environments.
My scholarship and teaching are closely connected, particularly in the areas of mentorship, professional development, and public health workforce training. In every course, I strive to foster curiosity, critical thinking, and real-world problem solving through active discussion, collaborative learning, and practical application of public health concepts.
Professional Activities & Awards:
I was honored to receive the Boston Congress of Public Health 40 Under 40 Public Health
Catalyst Award in 2024 and the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association
(ASTDA) Young Investigator Award in 2022. My work has resulted in more than 100 peer-reviewed
publications and has been featured in national and regional media outlets.
Professionally, I have served two elected terms as a Governing Councilor for the American Public Health Association's Sexual and Reproductive Health Section and currently serve on the Editorial Board of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and as a Board Member for the American Sexually Transmitted Diseases Association. I also participate in national scientific peer review, including service on NIH study sections and grant review panels.
Scholarly Interests:
I am an implementation scientist whose work focuses on accelerating the translation
of evidence into practice. Using theory-driven, mixed-methods approaches and implementation
science frameworks, I study the multilevel factors that influence the adoption, implementation,
and sustainability of evidence-based guidelines, policies, and interventions across
healthcare and community settings. My goal is to identify practical strategies that
close the gap between what we know works and what is routinely done in practice.
My research program centers on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), HPV-related cancer prevention, oral health implementation research, and reproductive and maternal health. My current projects examine how prenatal care providers implement chlamydia and syphilis screening recommendations during pregnancy, strategies to improve the integration of HPV-related cancer prevention into dental settings, and approaches to building community partnerships that support prevention and early detection of HPV-related cancers. I also investigate implementation challenges and opportunities related to emerging STI prevention strategies, including vaccines, point-of-care testing, self-sampling, and direct-to-consumer screening models.
Drawing on my clinical background in dental hygiene and my training in public health, I am particularly interested in leveraging interdisciplinary partnerships to improve prevention and healthcare delivery. Across all of my work, I aim to generate practical, scalable solutions that improve health outcomes, reduce disparities, and strengthen the connection between research, policy, and practice.