Assistant Professor
Education
Biography
Dr. Burton received a bachelor’s degree in 2003 and a Master of Science in 2012. Dr. Burton has over ten years of experience in the community on a range of public health issues including gender violence, poverty, and disability rights. Dr. Burton has worked with children and families across the state of Alabama on prevention education and increasing access to resources and services. She completed a PhD in Health Education and Health Promotion in 2017. Dr. Burton has multiple years of higher education administrative experience with a focus on social justice, including serving as the Director of Inclusivity for two years.
Dr. Burton’s primary research interest is mental health and health equity. More broadly, Dr. Burton investigates the impact of structural and social determinants of health in minoritized communities. She has investigated racial health disparities in low birthweight and mental health, gender violence on college campuses, and inequities facing the LGBTQ+ communities. She has co-authored papers in the Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice, American Journal of Health Education, and Sex Education: Sexuality, Society and Learning.
As an assistant professor in the Capstone College of Nursing (CCN), Dr. Burton teaches in the Graduate Programs. Her primary teaching assignments have been focused on population health. Prior to joining CCN, Dr. Burton taught for approximately ten years including teaching undergraduate and graduate public health students at The University of Alabama.