Adam E. Barry, PhD

Biography

Dr. Barry is a health behavior social scientist, with specific training and expertise in alcohol use, alcohol-induced impairment, and intoxication. Barry's research spans a variety of content areas associated with the assessment and measurement alcohol-related behaviors, such as impaired driving and intoxication, protective behavioral strategies to minimize intoxication, and measurement of alcohol-related behaviors (e.g., use of single-item scales, visual cues of intoxication). He also investigates alcohol-related policies and practices, such as selling alcohol at collegiate sporting events and marketing alcohol on digital platforms. His research examining impaired driving has been previously funded by national entities such as the American Automobile Association (AAA) Foundation for Traffic Safety. In addition, he also specializes in the health of student service members/veterans in higher education. He previously served as Principal Investigator on an NIAAA funded grant that explores whether student veterans' alcohol-related cognitions and patterns of use differ from those of their non-military peers, as well as whether they also experience a greater proportion of negative outcomes (mental health, social, and academic) as a result of their alcohol use.

Barry's work has garnered both national and international attention. He has been a featured guest on prominent live television news programs in the United States, such as CNN, as well as the Canadian national news program CTV. Online and print media outlets such as the New York Times, The Atlantic, and Los Angeles Times have also featured his work.

Peer-reviewed outlets publishing his scholarly work include esteemed journals such as Addiction, Addictive Behaviors, Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, and Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. His research also appears in prominent outlets for his discipline, such as American Journal of Public Health, Health Education & Behavior, and Journal of School Health.

In recognition of his scholarship and productivity, Dr. Barry has received early career distinctions, such as the Society for Public Health Education's Horizon Award, as well as faculty research awards from his academic departments at the University of Florida and Texas A&M University. In 2019, Dr. Barry was named a Presidential Impact Fellow at Texas A&M University (TAMU), one of the most prestigious scholar awards presented by TAMU. Dr. Barry is a Fellow of the American Academy of Health Behavior.

Currently, Dr. Barry serves as Department Head for the Department of Health Behavior (BHEH), a unit consisting of approximately 33 faculty and 2 staff, spanning both the College Station campus and Higher Education Center at McAllen. Prior to becoming Department Head in the School of Public Health in 2022, Dr. Barry served as the Interim Department Head for the Department of Health & Kinesiology (HLKN), a unit consisting of over 100 full-time faculty, over 20 full-time staff, over 330 graduate students, and approximately 3400 undergraduate students. In this role, he oversaw the departmental budget, handled all faculty affair matters (e.g., tenure & promotion; annual evaluations and appointments), and managed day-to-day operations. Between 2018-2021, he served as the Associate Department Head for HLKN. From 2016-2018, he served as Division Chair (DC) of Health Education, the largest academic unit within HLKN. As DC he facilitated the day-to-day coordination of approximately 23 full-time faculty members, created a teaching schedule to accommodate more than 1,500 undergraduate students, and was primary contact for any personnel or student-related issues arising in the Division. He also served as Chair of Graduate Education Programs (from 2015 to 2016), overseeing 300+ graduate students across all academic programs (health education, kinesiology, and sports management) in the department. Dr. Barry was named an Administrative Fellow with the Office of the Dean of Faculties for the 2020 - 2021 academic year.