Professor | Principal Investigator | Executive Director
Building the science, people, and partnerships that improve health across generations.
Julie M. Croff, PhD, MPH, FAAHB is a public health scientist and academic leader whose work integrates behavioral, biological, and community research to address substance use, adversity, and maternal and child health. Through large-scale NIH-funded research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and mentorship, she works to accelerate the translation of evidence into practice.
This work includes:
Approach
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Substance Use
Understanding and preventing substance use across the lifespan by integrating biological, behavioral, clinical, and social perspectives to inform more effective prevention and treatment.Adversity
Examining how adversity shapes health, behavior, and resilience across the lifespan and generations, with the goal of identifying pathways that promote recovery and wellbeing.Rural & Deprived Communities
Advancing equitable health outcomes by studying how place, resources, and community context influence health, and by developing solutions that are effective in rural and underserved communities. -
Improving maternal and child health through longitudinal, translational research that informs prevention and clinical care.
Understanding prenatal substance exposure and early neurodevelopment to improve lifelong health trajectories.
Building research infrastructure that accelerates discovery, collaboration, and the translation of science into practice.
Strengthening community-engaged research, particularly through partnerships with rural and historically underserved communities.
Mentoring and developing the next generation of public health scientists and research leaders.
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I believe the greatest advances in health occur when we invest in people, build meaningful partnerships, and create systems that enable excellent science to improve lives. My work brings together researchers, clinicians, community organizations, and trainees to address complex public health challenges with rigor, curiosity, and purpose.
Three principles guide my work:
Curiosity — Asking meaningful questions that challenge assumptions and advance discovery.
Integrity — Conducting rigorous, transparent science that earns trust and informs action.
Collaboration — Building partnerships across disciplines and communities to create lasting impact.
Life Changing Research.
Explore my work across key areas of health, behavior, and community resilience.