Joseph Sharkey, PhD, MPH

Education and Training

• University of Texas at Austin, BA, Political Science
• Texas A & M University, BS, Nutritional Sciences
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, MPH, Nutrition
• University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Public Health, PhD, Nutrition Intervention and Policy

Research Interests

• Improving nutritional, physical, and emotional health across the life span among underserved populations and rural populations
• Community empowerment and engagement for improving population health
• Systems approach to improving population health in rural and underserved areas
• Developing, implementing, and evaluating culturally-responsive approaches to establish and maintain healthy lifestyles
• Mixed research methods, including qualitative (e.g., focus groups, in-depth interviews) and quantitative (e.g., survey design and web-based application) methods, study design, and analytical approaches.
• Community-based participatory research, education, and outreach
• Reducing the risk for food insecurity and hunger among children, adults, and seniors
• Improving the response of food systems in rural areas

Awards, Recognition and Service

• • Dr. Sharkey leads research and outreach-funded efforts to develop innovative solutions to improve access and utilization of healthy foods by low-income and vulnerable children, adults, and seniors in rural and underserved areas. His current work focuses in two geographic areas: 1) developing and implementing a father-focused, family-centered program to improve nutrition and increase physical activity among the growing Mexican American and Mexican immigrant population along the United States border with Mexico; and 2) developing and implementing a parent-child program in rural Washington State that integrates experiential nutrition education and skill building with access to fresh produce from local, small scale farmers. Dr. Sharkey has been actively engaged in community-based research and outreach-engagement in Hidalgo County since 2007. He actively works with promotoras de salud (community health workers) and three community coalitions in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas and two coalitions (Peninsula Food Coalition and Olympic Peninsula Healthy Community Coalition) and the Sequim (WA) Food Bank in rural Washington. In addition to this work, He is involved in community collaborations to improve population health. Dr. Sharkey serves on the Advisory Council for Olympic Area Agency on Aging, the Washington State Council on Aging, and Leadership Team of the Olympic Peninsula Healthy Community Coalition. His work has been supported by the USDA, AARP Foundation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and National Institutes of Health. Among his honors and awards are the 2011 Hispanic Heritage Amigo Award from the Hispanic Presidents’ Council at Texas A&M University, for significant contributions to the Latino community; 2016 Excellence in Faculty Leadership Award from the Hispanic/Latino Graduate Student Association, for his work and support of the Hispanic/Latino Community; and designated as Research Fellow with the Texas Hunger Initiative at Baylor University. He has published more than 125 peer-reviewed articles.