Tim Grigsby

Tim Grigsby is currently Assistant Professor of Community Health at The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He received his Ph.D. in Preventive Medicine with an emphasis in Health Behavior Research from the University of Southern California. He completed his B.A. in Psychology and Social Behavior at the University of California, Irvine. His primary research interest is in the conceptualization, measurement, and prevention of substance misuse (the proximal and deleterious outcomes of escalating substance use behavior). He is also interested in identifying underlying factors that promote concurrent substance misuse and other negative health behaviors (such as violent behavior, risky sexual practices, and behavioral addictions), the unique role of sociocultural factors (such as discrimination) for minority populations, and adapting novel research methodology and analytical techniques to address public health issues. At present, his projects are focusing on the role of childhood trauma and substance use outcomes among Hispanic/Latinx young adults, development of a community level screening measure for smokers at risk or diagnosed with tobacco use disorder, and developing methods to more accurately capture polysubstance use behaviors. In addition, he has also worked on developing health education materials (known as fotonovelas) for low-literacy, minority populations on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, asthma, depression, dementia, diabetes, and obesity. As a first-generation college graduate, Tim participates as a Faculty Coach for first-generation students at UTSA and mentors undergraduate and graduate students pursuing their own research in his lab.