Whitney Garney
Whitney Garney, PhD, MPH, FAHA
Dr. Garney is an associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the Texas A&M School of Public Health, director of the SPH Center for Community Health and Aging, and the first-ever research director for the Texas A&M Telehealth Institute. She earned both her Master of Public Health and PhD in Health Education from Texas A&M University.
Garney and Dr. Carly McCord first connected as graduate students in their respective doctoral programs, and they have been collaborating ever since, securing millions in funding and co-authoring numerous publications that push the boundaries of telehealth, public health systems, and access to care.
Garney and Dr. Carly McCord first connected as graduate students in their respective doctoral programs, and they have been collaborating ever since, securing millions in funding and co-authoring numerous publications that push the boundaries of telehealth, public health systems, and access to care.
A results-driven innovator who turns ideas into action, Dr. Garney is building the Telehealth lnstitute's research enterprise from the ground up. As the lnstitute's first director of Research, she is driving efforts to design original projects, establish a research scientist track, and develop the Faculty Fellows program-laying a foundation for long-term success. Her focus is always on outcomes, ensuring that research is not just theoretical but translates into real-world impact.
Her broader research focuses on systems approaches to public health prevention and evaluation, with a particular emphasis on increasing health care access for underserved populations. Her recent work includes interventions and evaluations in telehealth, adolescent health, and cardiovascular health. To date, she has secured approximately $28 million in external funding to support her research.
A recognized leader in her field, Garney has received numerous accolades, including the Policy and Systems Efforts for Advancing Health Education and Promotion Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education and the 2021 Early Career Research Excellence Award from the Texas A&M University School of Education and Human Development. She was also selected as a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Interdisciplinary Research Leader program.
Garney has served as associate editor for Family and Community Health and is a fellow of the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention for the American Heart Association. She has contributed to the Workplace Health Steering Committee and the Policy Implementation and Evaluation Advisory Committee and has served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, as well as for various state and local organizations.
Her broader research focuses on systems approaches to public health prevention and evaluation, with a particular emphasis on increasing health care access for underserved populations. Her recent work includes interventions and evaluations in telehealth, adolescent health, and cardiovascular health. To date, she has secured approximately $28 million in external funding to support her research.
A recognized leader in her field, Garney has received numerous accolades, including the Policy and Systems Efforts for Advancing Health Education and Promotion Award from the Foundation for the Advancement of Health Education and the 2021 Early Career Research Excellence Award from the Texas A&M University School of Education and Human Development. She was also selected as a fellow in the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Interdisciplinary Research Leader program.
Garney has served as associate editor for Family and Community Health and is a fellow of the Council on Epidemiology and Prevention for the American Heart Association. She has contributed to the Workplace Health Steering Committee and the Policy Implementation and Evaluation Advisory Committee and has served as a grant reviewer for the National Institutes of Health, as well as for various state and local organizations.