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Faculty

Amanda Kong, Assistant Professor
Family and Preventive Medicine

Amanda Kong, PhD, MPH

Assistant Professor

Health Promotion Research Center
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center
655 Research Parkway, Suite 400
Oklahoma City, OK  73104

405-271-6872

amanda-kong@ouhsc.edu

Dr. Amanda Kong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine and faculty at the TSET Health Promotion Research Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center (OUHSC). She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology at the Hudson College of Public Health and an Associate Member of the Stephenson Cancer Center.

Dr. Kong is a public health and policy researcher who employs geographic information systems and equity-centered analyses to understand how cancer-related health behaviors and outcomes are related to the social and built environments in which people live, work, and interact. She is interested in partnering with community organizations and members to identify ways to promote healthy and just neighborhoods. Dr. Kong also seeks to understand the commercial determinants of health with a focus on the inequitable availability and marketing of unhealthy commodities, such as tobacco and alcohol products. She critically evaluates the potential for public health interventions and policies to eliminate or unintentionally exacerbate racialized and socioeconomic health inequities.

Dr. Kong has expertise in critical public health, health behavior, tobacco control, intersectionality, geographic information systems (GIS), and multilevel quantitative methods. Dr. Kong has served as a paid expert consultant in litigation against the tobacco industry, and she has published in leading tobacco control and public health journals, including Tobacco Control, Nicotine & Tobacco Research, JAMA Network Open, American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, and Health & Place. Her work has also been cited by leading public health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Public Health Law Center.

Please contact Dr. Kong at Amanda-Kong@OUHSC.edu if you are interested in collaborative or mentorship opportunities.

Academic Section(s):

OUFMC Research Division

Education:

  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, PhD, 2020, Health Behavior
  • University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, MPH, 2016, Health Behavior
  • University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, BA, 2012, Human Biology

Clinical/Research Interests:

  • Built and lived environment
  • Geosocial health equity
  • Commercial determinants of health
  • Tobacco control
  • Point-of-sale marketing
  • Cancer prevention and control
  • Geographic information systems
  • Intersectionality
  • Critical public health

Funding:

CURRENT:

Principal Investigator
National Cancer Institute, R21CA280049
Investigating the impact of local land use and zoning policies on equitably reducing tobacco retailer availability
05/01/2023 - 04/30/2025

Multi-Principal Investigator
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The COVID-19 Cancer Study (CovCS): Exploring disparities in the effects of the pandemic on cancer survivors’ health behaviors and outcomes
04/01/2021 - 03/01/2024

Co-Investigator
National Cancer Institute, P01CA225597
ASPiRE: Advancing Science & Practice in the Retail Environment
MPI: Kurt Ribisl, Lisa Henriksen, Doug Luke
09/01/2018 - 08/31/2023

Co-Investigator
National Cancer Institute, R01CA231139
Adoption, diffusion, and implementation of Tobacco 21 policies to address health disparities
MPI: Cristine Delnevo, Shawna Hudson
07/01/2018 - 06/30/2023

COMPLETED:

Co-Investigator
National Institute on Drug Abuse, R01DA043468
The Determinants of Tobacco Relapse and Initiation Following a Period of Forced Abstinence in the U.S. Military: A Social Ecological Approach
PI: Melissa Little
08/01/2018 - 02/28/2023

Postdoctoral Trainee
National Cancer Institute, T32CA128582
Cancer Health Disparities Training Program
MPI: Eugenia Eng, Deborah Tate (University of North Carolina)
08/01/2020 - 07/31/2021

Principal Investigator
National Cancer Institute, F31CA239331
Associations of tobacco retailer density with neighborhood sociodemographics, individual smoking behaviors, & COPD hospital discharge rates: A spatial health approach
12/01/2019 - 07/31/2020

Principal Investigator
Royster Society of Fellows Dissertation Completion Fellowship; The Graduate School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Associations of tobacco retailer density with neighborhood sociodemographics, individual smoking behaviors, & COPD hospital discharge rates: A spatial health approach
8/20/2019 - 05/31/2020

Select Publications:

  1. Rossheim ME, LoParco CR, Walker A, Livingston MD, Trangenstein PJ, Olsson S, McDonald KK, Yockey RA, Luningham JM, Kong AY, Henry D, Walters ST, Thombs DL, & Jernigan DH. (2024). Delta-8 THC Retail Availability, Price, and Minimum Purchase Age. Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, 9(1): 363-370. doi: 10.1089/can.2022.0079
  2. Kong AY, Herbert L, Feldman JM, Trangenstein PJ, Fakunle DO, Lee JGL. (2023). Tobacco and Alcohol Retailer Availability and Neighborhood Racialized, Economic, and Racialized Economic Segregation in North Carolina.  Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 10(6): 2861-2871. doi: 10.1007/s40615-022-01463-8
  3. McQuoid J, Durazo A, Mooney E, Heffner J, Tan ASL, Kong AY, Horn E. (2023). Tobacco cessation and prevention interventions for sexual and/or gender minority-identified people and the theories that underpin them: A scoping review. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 25(6): 1065-1073. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntad018
  4. Reimold AE, Kong AY, Delamater PL, Baggett CD, Golden SD. (2023) Urban-rural differences in tobacco product availability in food retailers, United States, 2017. Journal of Rural Health, 39(2): 338-346. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12687. PMID: 35708094
  5. Hrywna M, Kong AY, Ackerman C, Hudson SV, & Delenvo CD. (2022). Retailer compliance with Tobacco 21 in New Jersey, 2019-2020. JAMA Network Open, 5(10): e2235637. doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.35637
  6. Tunstall H, Shortt NK, Kong AY, & Pearce J. (2022). Is tobacco a driver of footfall amongst small retailers? A geographical analysis of tobacco purchasing using electronic point-of-sale data.Tobacco Control. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-057089
  7. Kowitt SD, Cox MJ, Jarman KL, Kong AY, Sivashanmugam A, Cornacchione Ross J, Goldstein AO, Ranney LM. (2022). Communicating the risks of tobacco and alcohol co-use. Addictive Behaviors, 134: 107383. doi: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2022.107383. PMID: 35700653.
  8. Kong AY & Henriksen L. (2022). Retail endgame strategies: Reduce tobacco availability and visibility and promote health equity. Tobacco Control, 31(2): 243-249. doi:10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056555.
  9. Kong AY, Golden SD, Ribisl KM, Krukowski RA, Vandegrift SM, Little MA. (2022). Cheaper tobacco product prices at US Air Force Bases compared with surrounding community areas, 2019. Tobacco Control. 31(e2): e169-e174. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2021-056984. PMID: 34907089.
  10. Weinberger AH, Steinberg ML, Mills SD, Dermody SS, Heffner JL, Kong AY, Pang RD, Rosen RL. (2022). Assessing sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and mental health concerns in tobacco use disorder treatment research: Measurement challenges and recommendations from a Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco (SRNT) pre-conference workshop. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 24(5): 643-653. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntab201. PMID: 34622932.
  11. Kong AY, Delamater PL, Gottfredson NC, Ribisl KM, Baggett CD, Golden SD. (2022). Neighborhood Inequities in Tobacco Retailer Density and the Presence of Tobacco-Selling Pharmacies and Tobacco Shops. Health Education & Behavior. 49(3): 478-487. doi: 10.1177/10901981211008390. PMID: 33870767.
  12. Kong AY, Delamater PL, Gottfredson NC, Ribisl KM, Baggett CD, Golden SD. (2021). Sociodemographic inequities in tobacco retailer density: Do neighboring places matter? Health & Place, 71: 102653. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2021.102653. PMID: 34461529; PMCID: PMC8490323.
  13. Kong AY, Gottfredson NC, Ribisl KM, Baggett CD, Delamater PL, Golden SD. (2021). Associations of County Tobacco Retailer Availability with U.S. Adult Smoking Behaviors, 2014-2015. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 61(3): e139-e147. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2021.03.015. PMID: 34134883.
  14. Kong AY, Baggett CD, Gottfredson NC, Ribisl KM, Delamater PL, Golden SD. (2021). Associations of tobacco retailer availability with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease related hospital outcomes, United States, 2014. Health & Place, 67:102464. doi: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2020.102464. PMID: 33276261; PMCID: PMC7854476.
  15. Kong AY, King BA. (2021). Boosting the Tobacco Control Vaccine: recognizing the role of the retail environment in addressing tobacco use and disparities. Tobacco Control, 30(e2):e162-e168. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2020-055722. PMID: 32967986.
  16. Kong AY, Queen TL, Golden SD, Ribisl KM. (2020). Neighborhood Disparities in the Availability, Advertising, Promotion, and Youth Appeal of Little Cigars and Cigarillos, United States, 2015. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 22(12): 2170-2177. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntaa005. PMID: 31917833; PMCID: PMC7733061.
  17. Kong AY, Zhang X. (2020). The Use of Small Area Estimates in Place-Based Health Research. American Journal of Public Health. 110(6): 829-832. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2020.305611. PMID: 32298183; PMCID: PMC7204458.
  18. Kong AY, Myers AE, Isgett LF, Ribisl KM. (2020). Neighborhood racial, ethnic, and income disparities in accessibility to multiple tobacco retailers: Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, 2015. Preventive Medicine Reports, 17: 101031. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2019.101031. PMID: 32021758; PMCID: PMC6993011.
  19. Kong AY, Golden SD, Berger MT. (2019). An intersectional approach to the menthol cigarette problem: what’s race(ism) got to do with it? Critical Public Health, 29(5): 616-623. doi: 10.1080/09581596.2018.1478066.
  20. Kong AY, Derrick JC, Abrantes AS, Williams RS. (2018). What is included with your online e-cigarette order? An analysis of e-cigarette shipping, product and packaging features. Tobacco Control, 27(6): 699-702. doi: 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2016-053061. PMID: 27357936; PMCID: PMC5199627.
  21. Golden SD, Kong AY, Lee JGL, Ribisl KM. (2018). Disparities in cigarette tax exposure by race, ethnicity, poverty status and sexual orientation, 2006-2014, USA. Preventive Medicine, 108: 137-144. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2017.12.017. PMID: 29289642; PMCID: PMC6030689.
  22. Kong AY, Eaddy JL, Morrison SL, Asbury D, Lindell KM, Ribisl KM. (2017). Using the Vape Shop Standardized Tobacco Assessment for Retail Settings (V-STARS) to Assess Product Availability, Price Promotions, and Messaging in New Hampshire Vape Shop Retailers. Tobacco Regulatory Science, 3(2):174-182. doi: 10.18001/TRS.3.2.5. PMID: 29201950; PMCID: PMC5708590.
  23. Golden SD, Kong AY, Ribisl KM. (2016). Racial and Ethnic Differences in What Smokers Report Paying for Their Cigarettes. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 18(7): 1649-1655. doi: 10.1093/ntr/ntw033. PMID: 26874329; PMCID: PMC4902891.

Links to full published works: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/amanda.kong.1/bibliography/public/