Katie Crist

Katie Crist, PhD, MPH is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in UCSD’s Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and Prevention (T32) program. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Cornell University, a Master of Public Health from the Yale School of Public Health and was awarded her PhD in Health Sciences from the University of Southern Denmark in 2019. She has worked with a research team at UCSD for the past decade and has experience in the delivery of physical activity and sedentary behavior interventions as well as conducting studies of the built environment. Out of this experience, she developed an interest in how public health researchers could help inform the development of communities that support health, equity and opportunities to be more physically active. Her doctoral work focused on understanding the benefits, barriers and facilitators of data driven collaboration between physical activity researchers and transport planners, and demonstrating how research data and methods could help inform active transport planning. Her postdoctoral research focuses on evaluating how the built environment and transport infrastructure impact health and behavior, and the integration of behavioral interventions with infrastructure projects to increase active transportation. She rides her bike to get most places and is highly engaged with numerous advocacy and government organizations working to improve conditions for cycling and walking in San Diego.