Dr. Tamara Atkinson is a licensed clinical social worker with over 15 years of experience in the implementation of evidence-based practice models in behavioral health, tobacco cessation, and advancing equity and reducing disparities. She specializes in sustainable change through the use of implementation science, equity centered design, and systems science.
Dr. Atkinson received her undergraduate degree in Social Work (BSW) with a Certificate in Public Administration and Policy from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; her Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; and her Doctorate degree from the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), where she specialized in Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) and Healthcare Leadership.
Her research interests include implementation science, social determinants of health, and health equity. Dr. Atkinson is a Visiting Research Scholar with the Epidemiology and Epigenetics Lab in the Center for Human Health and the Environment at North Carolina State University. Her current research focuses on understanding how early developmental and perinatal stressors influence the risk of chronic diseases and whether identified epigenetic targets are associated with chronic diseases, particularly in historically excluded groups and communities.
