Executive Leadership & Expert Bios

Andra Teten Tharp, PhD

Health Scientist, Research and Evaluation Branch, Division of Violence Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)

Andra Teten Tharp, PhD, currently works as a health scientist in the Research and Evaluation Branch of the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). Dr. Tharp began her career at CDC overseeing evaluations of sexual and dating violence prevention programs. In addition to this work she conducted intramural research on factors associated with sexual and dating violence, and consulted with a number of federal agencies on sexual and dating violence prevention.

Dr. Tharp began her career at CDC overseeing evaluations of sexual and dating violence prevention programs. In addition to this work she conducted intramural research on factors associated with sexual and dating violence, and consulted with a number of federal agencies on sexual and dating violence prevention.

Dr. Tharp received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, and her M.A. and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR. She completed her predoctoral psychology internship in New Mexico, where she provided mental health assessment and treatment at a community hospital, women’s prison, substance abuse treatment center for Native American adolescents, and at a VA Medical Center. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Clinical Psychology at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX. At the VA she examined the intersection of trauma exposure and violence among combat veterans.

She has over 40 publications, made numerous presentations at international, national, state or local conferences or meetings and received many awards for her work in violence prevention. For example, her work with veterans was recognized by the International Society for Research on Aggression in 2008. In addition to her work at CDC, she is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Tharp was born in Fremont, Nebraska and raised both in Nebraska and Virginia.

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