Rachel Shelton, ScD, MPH
- Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences
On the web

Overview
Academic Appointments
- Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences
Administrative Titles
- Associate Director of Research, Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion
- Director, Implementation Science Initiative
- Co-Director of Community Engagement Core Resource; Co-lead of Implementation Science Initiative, Irving Institute CTSA at Columbia University
Credentials & Experience
Education & Training
- BA, 1998 University of Virginia
- MPH, 2004 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- ScD, 2008 Harvard School of Public Health
Committees, Societies, Councils
Adjunct Assistant Professor, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Department of Oncological Science/Cancer Prevention & Control
Program Chair, Society of Behavioral Medicine 2017/2018
Editorial Board, Health Education & Behavior
Editorial Boards
Health Education & Behavior
Honors & Awards
NIH Health Disparities LRP Award, National Center on Minority Health & Health Disparities, 2009-2014
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, Harvard School of Public Health, 2005-2006
Kathy Kerr Memorial Scholarship, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2003
Fellow, Training Institute for Dissemination & Implementation Research in Health, 2015
Provost's Award to Promote Diversity at Columbia University, 2017
Research
Research Interests
- Chronic disease
- Community Health
- Urban Health
Selected Publications
Shelton RC, Dunston SK, Leoce N, Jandorf L, Thompson HS, Erwin DO. Advancing Understanding of the Characteristics and Capacity of African American Women Who Serve as Lay Health Advisors in Community-Based Settings. Health Educ Behav. 2017 May 19. pii: 1090198116646365.
Shelton RC, Cooper BR, Stirman SW. The Sustainability of Evidence-Based Interventions and Practices in Public Health and Health Care. Annu Rev Public Health. 2018 Jan 12. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-040617-014731.
Shelton RC, TA Charles, SK Dunston, L Jandorf, DO Erwin. Advancing understanding of the sustainability of lay health advisor (LHA) programs for African-American women in community settings Translational Behavioral Medicine, 2017; 1-12
Shelton, RC, Griffith, DM, & Kegler, MC. The promise of qualitative research to inform theory to address health equity. Health Education & Behavior, 2017;44(5), 815-819.
Shelton RC, Dunston SK, Leoce N, Jandorf L, Thompson HS, Crookes DM, Erwin DO. Predictors of activity level and retention among African American lay health advisors (LHAs) from The National Witness Project: Implications for the implementation and sustainability of community-based LHA programs from a longitudinal study. Implement Sci. 2016 Mar 22;11:41. doi: 10.1186/s13012-016-0403-9.
Shelton, R.C., Chambers D., Glasgow R. An Extension of RE-AIM to Enhance Sustainment: Addressing dynamic context and promoting health equity over time. Frontiers Pub Health. 2020; 8:134
Shelton, RC, Lee, M., Brotzman, L. E., Crookes, D. M., Jandorf, L., Erwin, D., & Gage-Bouchard, E. (2018). Use of social network analysis in the development, dissemination, implementation, and sustainability of health behavior interventions for adults: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine.
Shelton RC, Adsul P, Oh A. Recommendations for Addressing Structural Racism in Implementation Science: A Call to the Field. 2021. Ethnicity & Disease, Special Issue on Structural Racism and Discrimination. 31(Suppl 1):357-364.
Shelton RC, Goldman R, Emmons KM, Sorensen G, Allen JD. An Investigation into the Social Context of Low-income, Urban Black and Latina Women: Implications for Adherence to Recommended Health Behaviors. Health Education & Behavior. 38(5) 471-81 2011
Shelton RC, Winkel G, Davis S, Roberts N, Valdimarsdottir H, Hall SJ, Thompson HS. Validation of the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale among Urban Black Men. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 25(6) 549-55 2010
Shelton RC, Puleo E, Bennett GG, McNeill LH, Goldman R, Emmons KM. Racial Discrimination and Physical Activity among Low-income Housing Residents. American Journal of Preventive Medicine 37(6) 541-5 2009