The GW Nursing Office of Research sat down with Sherrie Wallington, PhD, an Associate Professor at the GW School of Nursing, to learn more about her and her work at GW.
Hometown
I grew up in rural Stokesdale, North Carolina, and love calling this state my home.
Educational Background
I completed my BS and MA in Communications at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and then went on to a PhD program in Mass Communication and Media Studies specializing in health communication at Howard University. I completed my 3-year post doc at the Harvard School of Public Health.
How I Got Interested In Research
As a child I was always curious, asking questions like “why” and “what is this or that,” much to my mother’s amusement. This laid the foundation for my deep interest in research. While an undergraduate at UNC Greensboro, I worked as a field survey representative for National Public Opinion (NPO) surveys in Greensboro. We used a probability sampling method known as random digit dialing, where phone numbers are randomly generated to obtain a study sample. This technique is invaluable for conducting general population surveys by phone, many of which focused on health issues; this work further ignited my interest in research.
My passion for research came to full fruition during my doctoral studies at Howard University. My dissertation, “The Internet as a Patient Education Tool among African American Men with Prostate Cancer”, won a dissertation award and was later published in the American Journal of Men’s Health. This success led to a postdoctoral fellowship with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I realized that although research is challenging, its potential to improve health outcomes and advance health equity deeply motivates me. It is this drive that has kept me committed to research for life.
Current Work
My research focuses on community engaged and mixed methods approaches to examine social and environmental determinants of health to improve disease prevention and health equity. I am particularly interested in cancer, as well as health communication, health literacy, and maternal and child health.
Currently, I am launching my NIH/ National Institute of Nursing Research R25 Grant, "Advancing Social Determinants of Health Research through a CBPR Lens: A Short Course," with co-investigators Associate Professor Laurie Posey and Professor Christine Pintz.
Fun Facts
I am a diehard fan of Stevie Wonder, Prince, and Lenny Kravitz. I also love wearing hats and enjoy attending “Hats and High Tea” charity events.