Biography

Dr. Lindsay Taliaferro received her Ph.D. in Health Behavior from the University of Florida in 2009. She then completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Healthy Youth Development -Prevention Research Center, Department of Pediatrics at the University of Minnesota. The UCF College of Medicine (COM) welcomed Dr. Taliaferro as an Assistant Professor of Medicine in July of 2016. Dr. Taliaferro is a member of the Department of Population Health Sciences. Her primary role focuses on Population Health research, with an emphasis on suicide prevention and receipt of high-quality healthcare for adolescents and emerging adults. She conducts strengths-based, mixed-methods research, examining effects of modifiable protective factors across individual, interpersonal, community, and societal/structural levels on mental health outcomes and healthcare utilization. In recognition of her research, she received a UCF Reach for the Stars Award, UCF Women of Distinction Award, UCF COM Research Incentive Award, and UCF COM Early Career Investigator Award for Achievement in Research. She also received an Early Stage Investigator Award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) SGMRO. Her research has been funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, National Institute of Mental Health, and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Dr. Taliaferro is a member of several professional organizations focused on adolescent health and suicide prevention. She is a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of School Health and a standing member on the NIH Social Psychology, Personality, and Interpersonal Processes Study Section. She has presented her research at numerous national, international, and local conferences, and published scholarly articles in a variety of peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Education & Specialties

Education, Training, and Research:
• B.S., Psychology, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA
• M.S., Sports Management, Florida International University, Miami, FL
• M.P.H., Public Health Education, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
• Ph.D., Health Behavior, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
• Postdoctoral Fellowship, Adolescent Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Specialties:
• Public Health
• Adolescent Health & Development

Research Interests:
• Suicide Prevention among Adolescents and Young Adults
• Health of SGM Youth
• Strengths-Based Research