Lexie Contreras, MPH

PhD Student

Suite 1510L

Education & Affiliations

MPH, Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan
BA, Geography, UCLA

Biography

Lexie M. Contreras, MPH is a third-year PhD student in the Department of Social, Behavioral, and Population Sciences at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Her interest in violence prevention stems from her experiences growing up in Stockton, California, and desire to better understand how place is associated with health. She is broadly interested in how the built and social environments are associated with youth firearm injury. Lexie’s current research looks at the role social support plays in youth firearm beliefs and behaviors. Lexie is a strong advocate for the mixed methods and community-engaged research methodologies and strives to incorporate both into her work.

Lexie received her BA in Geography, with a minor in global health, from UCLA and her MPH in Health Behavior and Health Education, with a certificate in social epidemiology, from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new restaurants across the city, taking her two dogs to the park, and travelling with her husband.

Research Areas

  • Violence Prevention
  • Community-Based Participatory Research
  • Health Equity
  • Social Epidemiology

Honors & Awards

  • 2021: Dean's Research Council Merit Scholarship, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

Publications

Rauk, L., Rupp, L., Hohl, B. C., Kondo, M. C., Ornelas, L., Carter, P. M., & Zimmerman, M. A. (2023). Lessons learned from local vacant land management organizations for engaging youth in greening. American Journal of Community Psychology,  1–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12688

O’Keefe, J., Rupp, L., Torres, E., Ornelas, L., Grodzinski, A., & Zimmerman, M. (2021). Keys to Success: Lessons from the Field on Vacant Lot Greening. Center for Community Progress.

Courses

SBPS 6500 "Violence as a Public Health Problem" (TA - Spring 2023, Fall 2023)
SBPS 6460 "Child Health and Development" (TA - Spring 2022)

Dissertation Info

  • Dr. Julia Fleckman (chair)
  • Dr. Katherine P. Theall
  • Dr. Sharven Taghavi