Stephanie A. Hooker, PhD, MPH, MS
Research Investigator
"The activities people do every day have a tremendous influence on their health and well-being. My research focuses on helping people make lasting, healthy changes to their behavior to promote longer and healthier lives."
About

Dr. Stephanie Hooker is Research Investigator at 开云体育 Institute with a background in clinical health psychology and public health. She also holds an academic appointment as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota in the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health.

Dr. Hooker’s research interests are in behavioral and psychosocial influences on health and disease. The long-term goal of her research program is to develop interventions for health behavior change and well-being that can be delivered in healthcare and community settings. Specifically, her research has focused on understanding theory-based psychosocial determinants of health behaviors (e.g., physical activity, sleep). Then, her work uses these observational findings to develop behavioral interventions for health behavior change and behavioral health concerns to prevent and treat a variety of health conditions, including obesity, type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and opioid use disorder.

Dr. Hooker completed her PhD and MPH degrees at the University of Colorado Denver. Prior to joining the Institute in 2019, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Primary Care Behavioral Health at the University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine and Community Health. She is licensed to practice psychology in the state of Minnesota and is board certified in lifestyle medicine (Dip ACLM) and behavioral sleep medicine (DBSM).

Conducting Institute resarch since 2019.

Education and training:

  • BAS, Psychology, University of Minnesota Duluth, 2009, summa cum laude, with distinction
  • MS, Clinical Psychology, Syracuse University, 2011
  • MPH, Applied Biostatistics, Colorado School of Public Health, 2015
  • PhD, Clinical Health Psychology, University of Colorado at Denver, 2017
  • Clinical Internship, Rush University Medical Center, 2016-2017
  • Postdoctoral fellowship in Primary Care Behavioral Health, University of Minnesota

Affiliations/other offices held:
Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota Department of Family Medicine & Community Health
Research Investigator, Health and well-being
Research Investigator,  Behavioral health
Research Investigator,  Community and population health 2019 -

Research interests include:
Health behavior change, well-being, behavioral interventions, cardiovascular health, health-promoting behaviors, health-risking behaviors

Current research activities and funding:

  • Co-principal investigator on a randomized clinical pilot trial to assess the preliminary efficacy of a lifestyle medicine program to improve cardiovascular health (The HeartBeet Clinic)
  • Leading projects to develop theory-based digital behavior change interventions to increase physical activity and improve diabetes self-management
  • Site PI on a National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)-funded multi-site clinical trial examining the long-term effectiveness and safety of the anti-obesity drug phentermine
  • Co-investigator on a Minnesota Department of Human Services-funded project on delivering medication-assisted treatment and adjunctive behavioral interventions for opioid use disorder in primary care
  • Co-investigator on a National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)-funded trial (PI: O’Connor) of a clinical decision support tool to encourage active weight management for patients with Type 2 Diabetes
  • Co-investigator and stakeholder engagement team member on PCORI-funded study (MPI: O’Connor and Neugebauer) examining the effectiveness of medications for Type 2 diabetes
  • Co-Investigator on a National Institute of Mental Health funded project to implement a suicide risk model in behavioral health care (PI: Yarborough)

Related websites 
Google Scholar: ResearchGate: ORCID:

Affiliation
positions
  • Research Investigator, Pregnancy and child health
  • Investigator, Behavioral health
  • Research Investigator, Community and population health 2019 -
  • Publications While At 开云体育
    selected publications
    Journal Article
  • 'Do they care?': a qualitative examination of patient perspectives on primary care clinician communication related to opioids in the USA
    BMJ open. 2025
  • Applying self-determination theory to internalized weight stigma and mental health correlates among young and middle adult women: a structural equation model
    Journal of Health Psychology. 2025
  • COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and uptake among firefighters: an application of the Health Belief Model
    Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 2025
  • Changes in utilization of in-person and virtual outpatient mental health visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: an observational cohort study
    Medicine. 2025
  • Clinical decision support to improve primary care obesity management in adults with diabetes: clinic-randomized study design
    Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2025
  • Gun violence as a source of anxiety and stress in the US population
    American Journal of Health Promotion. 2025
  • Psychotherapy engagement before and after a rapid transition to telehealth during COVID-19 for older adults with dementia
    Journal of Applied Gerontology. 2025
  • Study protocol for a stepped-wedge, randomized controlled trial to evaluate implementation of a suicide risk identification model among behavioral health patients in three large health systems
    BMC psychiatry. 2025
  • Adapting behavioral activation for patients receiving medications for opioid use disorder in primary care: a pilot study
    Frontiers in Psychology. 2024
  • Applying meaning and self-determination theory to the development of a web-based mHealth physical activity intervention: proof-of-concept pilot study
    JMIR formative research. 2024
  • Barriers and facilitators to using a clinical decision support tool for opioid use disorder in primary care
    Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2024
  • Depression and anxiety among K-12 teachers in the United States: a systematic review
    School psychology (Washington, D.C.). 2024
  • Impact of opioid dose reductions on patient-reported mental health and suicide-related behavior and relationship to patient choice in tapering decisions
    Journal of Pain. 2024
  • Meaning salience as a moderator of the relationship between presence of meaning in life and wellness
    Discov Psychol. 2024
  • Patient perspectives on mental health and pain management support needed versus received during opioid deprescribing
    Journal of Pain. 2024
  • Predicting buprenorphine adherence among patients with opioid use disorder in primary care settings
    BMC Prim Care. 2024
  • Principles for stakeholder engagement in observational health research
    JAMA Health Forum. 2024
  • Psychotherapy disruption before and after the transition to virtual mental health care induced by the COVID-19 pandemic
    Psychiatric Services. 2024
  • Randomized pilot of a clinical decision support tool to increase suicide screening for at-risk primary care patients with opioid use disorder
    AJPM Focus. 2024
  • The rapid shift to virtual mental health care: examining psychotherapy disruption by rurality status
    Journal of Rural Health. 2024
  • 30-year cardiovascular disease risk for young adults with serious mental illness
    General Hospital Psychiatry. 2023
  • A randomized controlled trial of an intervention to reduce stigma toward people with opioid use disorder among primary care clinicians
    Addiction Science & Clinical Practice. 2023
  • Design of a pragmatic clinical trial to improve screening and treatment for opioid use disorder in primary care
    Contemporary Clinical Trials. 2023
  • Development and initial validation of a measure to assess self-efficacy to reduce sedentary behavior
    Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. 2023
  • Differential effects of an intervention to reduce cardiovascular risk for patients with bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophrenia: a randomized clinical trial
    Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 2023
  • The potential impact of clinical decision support on nonwaivered primary care clinicians' prescribing of buprenorphine
    Health Aff Sch. 2023
  • A new pandemic of loneliness
    Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2022
  • Cardiovascular risk for patients with and without schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, or bipolar disorder
    Journal of the American Heart Association. 2022
  • Change that matters: a health behavior change and behavioral health curriculum for primary care
    Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2022
  • Clinical implementation of suicide risk prediction models in healthcare: a qualitative study
    BMC psychiatry. 2022
  • Depression and cardiovascular risk in primary care patients
    Journal of Psychosomatic Research. 2022
  • Effect of clinical decision support on cardiovascular risk among adults with bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, or schizophrenia: a cluster randomized clinical trial
    JAMA network open. 2022
  • Effects of devotional prayer and secular meditation on cardiovascular response to a faith challenge among Christians
    Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. 2022
  • Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on type 2 diabetes care delivery
    Clinical Diabetes. 2022
  • Patient expectations of and experiences with a suicide risk identification algorithm in clinical practice
    BMC psychiatry. 2022
  • Patient perspectives on opioid risk discussions in primary care
    Journal of patient-centered research and reviews. 2022
  • What is success in treatment for opioid use disorder? Perspectives of physicians and patients in primary care settings
    Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment. 2022
  • Brief report: Meaning in life is mediated by self-efficacy in the prediction of physical activity
    Journal of Health Psychology. 2021
  • Change in perceived stress and health behaviors of emerging adults in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic
    Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2021
  • Clinician perceptions about a decision support system to identify and manage opioid use disorder
    Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2021
  • Longitudinal assessment of mental health and well-being in patients being treated with medications for opioid use disorder in primary care
    Addictive behaviors reports. 2021
  • Providing psychotherapy in an urban, underserved community during the COVID-19 pandemic
    Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved. 2021
  • Psychosocial needs of parents engaged in treatment for opioid use disorder
    Substance Use and Misuse. 2021
  • Awareness of meaning in life is protective against burnout among family physicians: a CERA study
    Family Medicine. 2020
  • Do physical activity, caloric intake, and sleep vary together day to day? Exploration of intraindividual variability in 3 key health behaviors
    Journal of physical activity & health. 2020
  • Engaging in personally meaningful activities is associated with meaning salience and psychological well-being
    Journal of Positive Psychology. 2020
  • Improving patient outcomes: tools for promoting healthy behavior
    Minn Physician. 2020
  • Integrating meaning in life and self-determination theory to predict physical activity adoption in previously inactive exercise initiates enrolled in a randomized trial
    Psychology of Sport and Exercise. 2020
  • Mental health and psychosocial needs of patients being treated for opioid use disorder in a primary care residency clinic
    Journal of Primary Care & Community Health. 2020
  • Multiple dimensions of wellness: development and psychometric properties of the Anschutz Wellness Evaluation 360 (AWE360)
    J Well Being Assess. 2020
  • Patient loneliness in an urban, underserved family medicine residency clinic: prevalence and relationship to health care utilization
    Family Practice. 2020
  • Predictors of family medicine patient retention in opioid medication-assisted treatment
    Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine. 2020
  • Using self-determination theory to understand eating behaviors and weight change in emerging adults
    Eating behaviors. 2020
  • Values-based behavioral activation for chronic pain in primary care: a pilot study
    Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings. 2020
  • Predictors of intervention interest among individuals with short sleep duration
    Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 2019
  • A psychometric approach to theory-based behavior change intervention development: example from the Colorado Meaning-Activity Project
    Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 2018
  • Daily meaning salience and physical activity in previously inactive exercise initiates
    Health Psychology. 2018
  • Do monetary incentives increase fitness center utilization? It depends
    American Journal of Health Promotion. 2018
  • Encouraging health behavior change: eight evidence-based strategies
    Family Practice Management. 2018
  • Mutuality and heart failure self-care in patients and their informal caregivers
    European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 2018
  • Psychometric properties of the postpartum depression screening scale beyond the postpartum period
    Research in Nursing and Health. 2018
  • Supporting families managing parental mental illness: challenges and resources
    International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. 2018
  • Denver Spirited Heart: mixed-methods pilot study of a psychospiritual intervention for heart failure patients
    Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 2017
  • Identifying groups at risk for 1-year membership termination from a fitness center at enrollment
    Preventive medicine reports. 2016
  • Purpose in life is associated with physical activity measured by accelerometer
    Journal of Health Psychology. 2016
  • Provider and staff perceptions of veterans' attrition from a national primary care weight management program
    Primary Health Care Research & Development. 2015
  • Veterans Health Administration's MOVE! Weight Management Program: primary care clinicians' perceptions of program implementation
    Military Medicine. 2015
  • Editorial Article
  • Bring back the notepads: drawing as an underutilized approach to improving patient comprehension and recall [editorial]
    Patient Education and Counseling.  103. 2020
  • A body of work, a missed opportunity: dyadic research in older adults [editorial]
    Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.  67. 2019
  • Conference Poster
  • Understanding COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy among firefighters: application of the Health Belief Model [poster]
    2023
  • Review
  • Harnessing centred identity transformation to reduce executive function burden for maintenance of health behaviour change: the Maintain IT model [review]
    Health Psychology Review. 2018
  • Family caregiving for persons with heart failure at the intersection of heart failure and palliative care: a state-of-the-science review [review]
    Heart Failure Reviews. 2017
  • The impact of relationship quality on health-related outcomes in heart failure patients and informal family caregivers: an integrative review [review]
    Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing. 2015
  • Webpage
  • Include exercise in your weight loss plans
    2023
  • Contact
    full name
  • Stephanie A. Hooker, PhD, MPH, MS
  • primary email
  • Stephanie.A.Hooker@开云体育.com
  • located in facility
    Quick Info
    Publications
    Publications in the past 10 years based solely on publications while at 开云体育. Publications in prior years appear in grey.
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