Katherine Kitchens, L.M.S.W., Ph.D. Titles and Appointments Assistant Instructor School School of Public Health Department Public Health Biography Download Curriculum Vitae Dr. Katherine Kitchens, LMSW, is an early-stage investigator at the Peter O'Donnell Jr. School of Public Health at UT Southwestern Medical Center. As an Early Impact Faculty Scholar, she leads a research program focused on cognitive impairment in rural populations, with an emphasis on cumulative environmental exposures and biologic susceptibility. Her work integrates Person-in-Environment theory with exposomics to examine how external exposures and internal biologic responses interact across the life course. She focuses on rural agricultural communities where environmental risk and structural disadvantage intersect, contributing to elevated risk for cognitive impairment. Dr. Kitchens brings experience leading cognitive screening efforts in medically underserved community-based settings. She combines symptom-based case definitions, cognitive screening, and epidemiologic methods to clarify mechanisms of risk while addressing community-identified health needs. Data collection is embedded within brain health education and screening sessions, ensuring direct benefit to participants and local partners. She also trains student volunteers from participant communities and incorporates local feedback into study design and delivery. This integrated model supports rigorous data collection and community capacity building, enabling long-term research infrastructure and more responsive approaches to cognitive health in rural settings. Education Graduate School University of Texas-Arlington (2022), Social Work Graduate School University of Texas-Arlington (2022), Social Work Graduate School University of Texas-Arlington (2024), Social Work Research Interest Community-based cognitive screening and brain health education Community-engaged research methods in aging and public health Environmental risk and cognitive impairment in rural populations Exposomics Gene-environment interaction and neurotoxicant exposure Structural and governance determinants of rural health Publications Featured Publications What is the state of the literature about refugees aged 45 and older from Burma in third-country resettlement contexts?: A scoping review Kitchens, K., Sesay, B. J., Fields, N. L., Stringfellow, M. K., Mitschke, D. B. The Gerontologist 2025 Group-Based Intervention Models in Treating Refugee Mental Health in High-Income Countries: A Systematic Review. Kirsch J, Kitchens K, Kerr K, Sivakumaran S, Trauma Violence Abuse 2024 Dec 25 5 4173-4187 Unincorporation in counties as a political determinant of health: An exploration of five states. Gomez-Vidal C, Palmer AN, Kitchens K, Ratliff GA, Graaf G, SSM Popul Health 2024 Dec 28 101728 The Role of Education and English Proficiency in Cognitive Health Among Older Refugee Populations in the United States. Kitchens K, Kim Y, J Gerontol Soc Work 2024 Oct 1-16 The Correlates of Collective and Individual Trauma on Mental Health Outcomes Among Afghan Refugees: A Study of Sociodemographic Differences. Kirsch J, Maleku A, Kim YK, Aziz T, Dada S, Haran H, Kitchens K, Community Ment Health J 2024 Oct 60 7 1255-1270 Outcomes that Matter to Youth and Families in Behavioral Health Services. Graaf G, Kitchens K, Sweeney M, Thomas KC, Adm Policy Ment Health 2024 Sep Piloting a Measure of Segregation at the Census Tract Level: Associations with Place and Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Life Expectancy. Kitchens K, Graaf G, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024 May 21 5 Behavioral Health Services Outcomes That Matter Most to Caregivers of Children, Youth, and Young Adults with Mental Health Needs. Graaf G, Kitchens K, Sweeney M, Thomas KC, Int J Environ Res Public Health 2024 Feb 21 2 Did Medicaid expansion close African American-white health care disparities nationwide? A scoping review. Snowden LR, Graaf G, Keyes L, Kitchens K, Ryan A, Wallace N, BMC Public Health 2022 Aug 22 1 1638 Results 1-9 of 9 1 Professional Associations/Affiliations American Public Health Association (APHA) (2025) Association for Gerontology Education in Social Work (AGESW) (2023) Gerontological Society of America (GSA) (2024) National Association of Social Workers (NASW) (2021) Phi Alpha (2020) Phi Kappa Phi (2020) Society for Epidemiologic Research (SER) (2025) Society of Social Work Research (SSWR) (2022)
