Dr. Amanda Carpenter

Eugene W. Smith Hall, 180

Department of Health Sciences & Risk Management

About Dr. Amanda Carpenter

Dr. Amanda Carpenter serves as the Assistant Dean for Research for the College of Nursing & Health Professions, where she provides strategic leadership for research development, scholarly productivity, and external funding activity across the college. She also holds the roles of Program Director and Associate Professor of Public Health, guiding academic and curricular excellence within the program. In addition, Dr. Carpenter serves as Associate Director of the A-State Institute for Rural Initiatives, an organization dedicated to advancing rural research, fostering community engagement, and building collaborative partnerships that address the unique needs of rural populations. She is an Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI) affiliate faculty, and an affiliate faculty member in the Environmental Sciences MS and Ph.D. programs and the Molecular Biosciences MS and Ph.D. programs.

Education

BA, Michigan State University
MA, Michigan State University
Ph.D., Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
MPH, Johns Hopkins University

Research at a Glance

Summary

Dr. Carpenter’s research agenda is centered around improving health outcomes in rural and underserved communities, with particular emphasis on maternal health, preventive health, and population health. Through this work, she seeks to identify and address the systemic barriers that limit access to quality healthcare in rural settings, and to develop evidence-based strategies that promote and improve health outcomes. Her work has been funded by prestigious federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

A prolific scholar, Dr. Carpenter has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and authored contributions to academic books, sharing her expertise with the broader public health community. She is also a frequent presenter at national and international health conferences, where she engages with fellow practitioners to advance dialogue on rural health disparities and innovative solutions. Dr. Carpenter earned her doctorate at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, and a Master of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University.

Areas of Expertise

Public Health
Rural Health
Maternal Health
Preventative Health

Selected Publications

Carpenter, A. M., & Wimpy, C. C. (2025). The politicization of COVID-19 and implications for public health. In D. Berube, Pandemic Resilience: Vaccination Resistance and Hesitance (pp. 309–317). Springer Nature.
Carpenter, A. M., & Wimpy, C. C. (2025). Rural and other minority populations. In D. Berube, Pandemic Resilience: Vaccination Resistance and Hesitance (pp. 443–449). Springer Nature.

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