Bio
Recipient of the Outstanding Scientific Contributions in Health Psychology Award from the American Psychological Association, Dr. King's research focuses on the development, evaluation, and translation of public health interventions to reduce chronic disease in the US and globally. Her current research focuses on expanding the reach and generalizability of evidence-based interventions through use of state-of-the-art communication technologies; community-based participatory research perspectives to address health disparities among disadvantaged populations; and policy-level approaches to health promotion. She has served on a number of government taskforces in the U.S. and abroad, including membership on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Scientific Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020, and the Science Board of the U.S. President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. She co-Chaired the USDHHS 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee. An elected member of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research and Past President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM), In 2014 she was one of 10 scientists who received honors from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for outstanding research targeting health inequities. Her research on Citizen Science engagement to promote healthful environments for All was honored with an international excellence award in 2015 in addition to Stanford Medical School’s inaugural faculty community engagement award in 2018 and SBM’s 2018 Research to Practice Award. She has received the Society of Behavioral Medicine’s Distinguished Research Mentor Award, and has twice received the Stanford Prevention Research Center’s Outstanding Contributions to Teaching Award.
Dr. King is Faculty Director of the OUR VOICE Citizen Science Research Initiative and Global Network. See ourvoice.stanford.edu
Academic Appointments
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Professor, Health Research & Policy
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Member, Cardiovascular Institute
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Member, Stanford Cancer Institute
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Affiliate, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment
Administrative Appointments
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Director & Founder, the Our Voice Global Citizen Sci Research Initiative & Network, Stanford Prevention Research Center (inaugural funding from RWJF) (2016 - Present)
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Member, Stanford Diabetes Research Center (2018 - Present)
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Member, Dean's Taskforce on Precision Health at Stanford, Stanford School of Medicine (2015 - 2016)
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Chair, Dept of Health Research & Policy Epidemiology masters admissions committee, Division of Epidemiology in the Dept of Health Research & Policy (2014 - Present)
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Member,, School of Medicine Population Health Sciences Leadership Committee (2014 - Present)
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Member, University Committee on Research (2013 - 2016)
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Acting Director, Division Chief, Stanford Prevention Research Center/Medicine (2009 - 2010)
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Advisory Committee member, Sustainable Built Environment initiative, Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment (2007 - 2010)
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Member, faculty steering committee-Mobility initiative, Stanford Center on Longevity (2007 - 2008)
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Member, Appointments & Promotions committee, Stanford Medical School (2006 - 2008)
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Co-Director, NHLBI Postdoctoral Training Grant, Stanford Prevention Research Center/Medicine (1992 - Present)
Honors & Awards
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Member, International Informal Expert Group on Physical Activity, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (2018-)
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U.S. research mentor, Fogarty Global Health Equity Scholars program, Fogarty International Center, National Institutes of Health (2018-)
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International Expert, 2018 update of the UK Chief Medical Officers Physical Activity Guidelines, Office of the Chief Medical Officer, United Kingdom (2018)
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Keynote Presenter, D.B. Dill Plenary Lecture, Annual Meeting of American College of Sports Medicine and 9th World Congress on Exercise is Medicine (2018)
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Recipient, 2018 Research to Practice Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2018)
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Recipient, Inaugural Faculty Community Engagement Award, Center for Population Health Sciences, Stanford Medicine (2018)
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Member, Scientific Advisory Board, US Pointer Trial to reduce cognitive decline, The Alzheimer's Association (2017-)
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co-Chair, 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committee, U.S. Department Of Health & Human Services (2016-2018)
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co-Chair, national work group for Developing Comparator Arms in Behav & Social Sci Trials, National Institutes of Health, Office of Behavioral & Social Science Research (2016-2018)
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Member, the national Science Board, the U.S. President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (2015-2018)
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International Excellence Award for innovation (for the Stanford Healthy Neighborhood Discovery Tool), Center for Active Design, NYC (2015)
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Member, Data & Safety Monitoring Board, National Fall Injuries Prevention Partnership Trial, National Institute on Aging, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (2014-2019)
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Recipient, Outstanding work in Support of Health Equity recognition, Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) (2014)
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Recipient, Distinguished Service Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2013)
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President, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2011 - 2012)
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Recipient, Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Divisional Teaching Activities, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Dept. of Medicine (2011)
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Member, Executive Committee and Board of Directors, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2010-2013)
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Member, US Scientific Advisory Committee, National Health Promot & Disease Prevent 2020 Objectives, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services (2007-2011)
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Recipient, Distinguished Research Mentor Award, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2003)
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Recipient, Teaching Award for Outstanding Contributions to Divisional Teaching Activities, Stanford Prevention Research Center, Dept. of Medicine (2001)
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Elected Member, Academy of Behavioral Science Research (1999)
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Contributing Author, US Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health (1995-1996)
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Member, National Teaching Faculty, Physical Activity & Public Health Post-Graduate Science Course, National Cancer Institute, NIH US Centers for Disease Prevention & Control (1995-)
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Award for Outstanding Scientific Contributions in Health Psychology, American Psychological Association (1994)
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Shannon Award for meritorious research on health and aging, National Institutes of Health (1994)
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Co-Author, Outstanding Academic Book of the Year, Choice publication (1989)
Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations
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Member, Science Board, US President's Council on Fitness, Sports, & Nutrition (2015 - 2018)
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Member, Data & Safety Monitoring Board, NIA/PCORI-funded national Fall Injuries Prevention Partnership Trial (2014 - Present)
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Member, Wisdom Council, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2012 - Present)
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Member, Board of Directors, Society of Behavioral Medicine (2011 - 2013)
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Member, Scientific Advisory Committee on National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives for 2020, U.S. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (2007 - 2011)
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Senior Fellow, Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health (2015 - Present)
Professional Education
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PhD, VA Poly Inst & State Univers, Clinical Psychology (1983)
Community and International Work
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Harnessing the power of people worldwide as 'citizen scientists' to generate solutions for healthier, more equitable communities in the United States
Topic
Global health, citizen science, health equity
Partnering Organization(s)
Researchers from each continent
Populations Served
Under-resourced populations globally
Location
International
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
Yes
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Citizen Science to Promote Sustained Physical Activity in Low-Income Communities
Topic
Citizen science, public housing settings, physical activity
Partnering Organization(s)
Leading Age
Populations Served
public housing settings
Location
Bay Area
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
Yes
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Promoting population-wide programs to prevent chronic disease in low-income countries, Paraguay
Topic
Health promotion/disease prevention in Paraguay
Partnering Organization(s)
Ministry of Health of Paraguay, National University of Paraguay
Populations Served
country of Paraguay
Location
International
Ongoing Project
No
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Neighborhood Eating & Activity Advocacy Projects, International
Topic
Evaluating a citizen-science data collection & advocacy model for promoting healthy neighborhoods
Partnering Organization(s)
Health departments, community organizations, universities in US and internationally
Populations Served
Underserved residents living in challenging neighborhoods
Location
International
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
Yes
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Qassim University College of Medicine Educational Partnership, Saudi Arabia
Topic
Collaborating with faculty at Qassim University to develop a preventive medicine curriculum
Partnering Organization(s)
Qassim University
Populations Served
Medical students & faculty
Location
International
Ongoing Project
No
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Groningen Active Living Model Research, Netherlands
Topic
Community-based evaluation of physical activity program for older adults in the Netherlands
Partnering Organization(s)
University of Groningen
Populations Served
Older adults in the Netherlands
Location
International
Ongoing Project
No
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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The online health literacy of older adults, SF peninsula region and Baltimore, MD
Topic
Web literacy related to seeking health information
Partnering Organization(s)
Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
Populations Served
multi-ethnic
Location
Bay Area
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
Yes
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Computer-based physical activity advice for ethnic minority aging adults, San Jose
Topic
Application of interactive technology to physical activity promotion
Partnering Organization(s)
Northeastern University, Boston, MA
Populations Served
Latino older adults in the South San Francisco Bay area
Location
Bay Area
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
Yes
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Creating more sustainable decisions and behaviors through new processes and focused interventions
Topic
Environmental sustainability
Partnering Organization(s)
Woods Institute for the Environment
Populations Served
US consumers
Location
International
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Multi-scale modeling of health behaviors: Water, sanitation, and child survival in Africa
Topic
water-relevant behaviors
Partnering Organization(s)
Stanford School of Engineering and the Woods Institute for the Environment
Populations Served
Women and children in Tanzania
Location
International
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Preventing obesity among socioeconomically disadvantaged women and children, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Topic
Obesity prevention
Partnering Organization(s)
Deakin University, Australia
Populations Served
Socioeconomically disadvantaged women and children
Location
International
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Get Mobile, New South Wales and Queensland, Australia
Topic
Community-based physical activity promotion via telephone and mail
Partnering Organization(s)
Deakin University, University of Queensland
Populations Served
Mid-life and older adults
Location
International
Ongoing Project
No
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Environmental Approaches to Increased Walking in Rural Communities, Bootheel region of Missouri
Topic
Impact of built environment on health behaviors
Partnering Organization(s)
St. Louis University, CDC
Populations Served
Rural adults in Missouri
Location
US
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No
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Active For Life, Chicago, Memphis, S.F. Bay area, S. California
Topic
Translation/dissemination of physical activity programs for older adults
Partnering Organization(s)
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Texas A & M University
Populations Served
Older adults living in 4 US regions
Location
International
Ongoing Project
Yes
Opportunities for Student Involvement
No