Biography
Dr. Katy Ellis Hilts is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management with the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health (IU FSPH). She received her MPH in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 2010 and her PhD in Health Policy and Management in 2020. Following her doctoral program, Dr. Hilts completed an NIH-NCI T32 Postdoctoral Fellowship in Behavioral Oncology with the IU School of Nursing, IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the Purdue College of Pharmacy. Prior to beginning her academic career, she spent eight years working with the Marion County Public Health Department in Indianapolis, IN, seven of which were spent in the tobacco control program. Dr. Hilts draws on her practice experience and connections to support her research and teaching.
Research Interests
Dr. Hilts’ research involves assessing how policies and systems-level strategies influence organizational practices to improve scalable, sustainable implementation of evidence-based interventions, such as tobacco dependence treatment, within and across healthcare settings. Her current work leverages her training as a health services researcher and background in tobacco control to support efforts to train and assist pharmacists in integrating tobacco cessation services (including prescribing) into practice. Dr. Hilts is particularly interested in how expanded access to these services in pharmacy settings can help address gaps in care among traditionally underserved groups, such as rural populations. Additional areas of interest include, cancer prevention and control, lung cancer screening, and community and practiced-based participatory research models.
