Tapati Dutta, Ph.D. Chair and Associate Professor of Public Health 970-247-7626 tdutta@fortlewis.edu Areas of expertise Global health Community engaged health promotion College Health Rural Health HIV, cervical cancer, COVID-19 policies Language revitalization and social health AI and healthcare communication Qualitative, mixed-methods, and Community Based Participatory Research Healthcare workforce development in socio-behavioral domain Academia-praxis partnerships Education Ph.D., Public Health, Indiana University, 2019 Master Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES), National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, 2018 Masters in Population Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences, India, 2014 Diploma in Participatory Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Wageningen University, the Netherlands, 2014 M.A. Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, India, 1998 B.S.W., Visva-Bharati University, India, 1996 About Dr. Tapati Dutta Dr. Tapati Dutta’s academe-praxis prowess in US academia and with Asian, and African non-profits is exemplified in her TEDx talk “Life Lessons via Cannibals, S(e)x Workers & Marginalized People.” At FLC she has successfully advanced academia-practice collaborations for healthcare workforce development in socio-behavioral domain and is most popular for introducing storytelling pedagogic methods and virtual global health capstone projects in rural Africa. Her research encompasses global health, rural health, college health, AI in health communication, and women’s sexual and reproductive health focusing on cervical cancer, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19. Via application of participatory methods, her scholarship reports community engagement for better health outcomes, student-centric public health education and analyses of global psychometric tools in tribal dialects (Navajo and Santhali). Dutta’s international service roles include being on the Boards of non-profits serving rural and tribal communities in Zambia, Uganda, and Myanmar. Before joining FLC, she led bilateral and multilateral programs, noteworthy being Government of India’s NARI’s AIDS Rural Research Initiative in Maharashtra (NARRIM), and the Female Condom and Nischay Pregnancy Test programs in South Asia. At Indiana University, she was a Research Associate at their Rural AIDS Control Program. Dutta has a Ph.D. in Public Health from Indiana University, USA and holds three master's degrees in Population Studies, Human Resource Management, and Social Work from Indian Universities. She also has certifications in Participatory Research from Wageningen University, Netherlands, and Health Education from the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, USA. She is the recipient of IUSPH’s Mohammad Torabi Early Career Award and FLC’s Featured Scholar Award, both in 2023, the 2021 Vision Award by the American Public Health Association, the Netherlands Government’s prestigious NUFFIC scholarship in 2014, and the Indian Government’s Education Ministry’s scholarship in1998. In 2024, IU's Women of the World Campaign featured her. Selected publications Dutta, T., Agley, J., Keith, C., & Zimet, G. (2025). Translation and assessment of encultured meaning of the Multi Dimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support in Diné bizaad (Navajo) using community based participatory action research methods. Rural and Remote Health, 25(1), 1-9. https://doi.org/10.22605/RRH9433 Beckstein, A., and Dutta, T. (2025) Lived Experiences of Native American College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic, Palgrave Macmillan Edited volume, COVID-19 in Indian Country. Dutta, T., & Agley, J. (2024). College Leadership Decisions and Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Elite Interview Study, Journal of American College Health. https://doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2024.2328139 Dutta, T., & Keith C. (2023). Evolution of Storytelling Pedagogy in Global Health Course at a U.S. Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution from Fall 2019 to Spring 2023. Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy Article section, Frontiers in Public Health 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1165241 Dutta, T., Agley, J., Xiao, Y., Golzarri-Arroyo, L., & Ali, S. (2023). Students’ COVID-19 vaccine behaviors, intentions, and beliefs at a US Native American-Serving Nontribal Institution (NASNTI). BMC Research Notes, 16(1), 1-7.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13104-023-06439-3. Khurshid, K., Dutta, T., Khan, K.S., Haider, S.A., Ahmed, U.A., Jatoi, H., Tahir, M., Sarfraz, R., Pasha, A., Khan, M., & Ali, M. (2022) Addressing Stigma Among Persons Living with HIV Through the Sujaag Project in Pakistan: A Socioecological Analysis. Journal of Social Issues, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/josi.12547 Torabi, M., Jayawardene, W., Daniels, D., Dutta, T., Bragazzi, N., & Lohrmann, D. K. (2022). Global Perspectives for Strengthening Health Education: A Mixed-Methods Study. Health Behavior Research, 5(3), 9. https://doi.org/10.4148/2572-1836.1119 Dutta T., Agley J., Meyerson BE., Barnes PA., Sherwood-Laughlin C., Nicholson-Crotty J. (2021) Perceived enablers and barriers of community engagement for vaccination in India: Using socioecological analysis. PLoS ONE 16(6): e0253318. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253318 Selected presentations Dhaske, G., & Dutta, T. Aesthetic Equity for Anti-Racist Social Work Education: Bridging the Implicit and Explicit Curriculum, Oral presentation #1468629 Council for Social Work Education Conference, Teaching Methods and Learning Styles track, October 26–29, 2023 Atlanta. Keith C., & Dutta, T. Socio-Culturally Inclusive COVID-19 Vaccine Communication Translation in Navajo (Diné) Language, Braille, and Podcast at a Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institution. 50th Annual Symposium on the American Indian, Indian Symposium CRN 31253, Northeastern State University, April 10-15, 2023, Tahlequah. Kosovich, J.J., Dutta, T., Boland, S., & Schneider, M. Community Equity Indicator (CEI): A Tool to Scan Determinants of Health Inequities in Colorado. Abstract ID#: 76601, Track/Subtheme: Emerging Issues in Research Translation & Implementation, 73rd Annual Conference Society for Public Health Education, The New Age of Civil Rights, Advocacy & Equity, March 21 - 24, 2023, Atlanta. Dutta T., Agley J., & Xiao, Y. College Student COVID-19 Vaccination Prevalence and Context: A ‘Pulse’ Survey Conducted Before and After Formal Statewide Rollout, School Health and Wellness area, Session: COVID and School Health, American Public Health Association’s 2022 Conference, Nov 3-6, 2022, Boston (Abstract#: 912109) Dutta, T., Agley J., “Making Sure Students are At the Center”: Case Study of a Native American-Serving Non-Tribal Institution’s Collegiate Leadership During COVID-19, 2022 Scientific Meeting of the American Academy of Health Behavior, March 13-16, 2022, St. Louis. Dutta, T., Meeker E., Partnerships: An Effective Health Education Method for Diverse Students, 73rd Annual Conference Society for Public Health Education, March 22-25, 2022, St. Louis (Abstract# 65624). Dutta, T., Magala I., Thomson, A.M., Peg, S., Nalubega, R,. Identifying HIV treatment seeking barriers among HIV+ men in TASO-Masaka, Uganda: Findings from a multi-staged participatory research, for the session ‘HIV/AIDS,’ American Public Health Association’s 2020 Annual Meeting & Expo, San Francisco, USA, October 24 -28, 2020. (Abstract #, 464603) Dutta, T., Gassman, R., Agley, J.D., Jun, M.C., King, R., Jayawardene, W. Examining public concerns of a school-based health behavior survey: A qualitative analysis of Facebook comments, American Public Health Association’s 2019 Annual Meeting & Expo, Philadelphia, Nov 2 - 6, 2019. (Abstract # 445425). Dutta, T., Meyerson, B.E., Barnes, P., Agley, J.D., Sherwood-Laughlin, C., Nicholson-Crotty, J. Decision makers’ conceptualization and fostering of community engagement for improved adoption and uptake of existing and emerging vaccines in India. American Public Health Association’s 2019 Annual Meeting & Expo, Philadelphia, Nov 2 - 6, 2019. (Abstract #, 445812). Dutta, T., Meyerson, B.E. African country-level cervical cancer prevention and control plans: A review analysis. 31st International Papillomavirus Conference. HPV 2017, Cape Town, South Africa, February 28 - March 5, 2017. In the news KSUT, 2021, "Seeing public health and vaccine equity through a local and global lens" Foundation for Sustainable Community Based Development, 2021, "A unique story of Fort Lewis College -FSD Jinja partnership" 4 Corners Art Forum, 2021, "The Art of Sharing Stories For Social Change" The Durango Herald, 2021, "From India to Durango, FLC professor seeks to understand, help others." National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, 2020, "Spotlight on COVID-19: An Interview with Dr. Tapati Dutta, MCHES®, Fort Lewis College" Grants and awards HyFlex Distance Learning Initiative: Bridging the Rural Digital Divide, United States Department of Agriculture (Awarded ~$1m), 2020-2023 Boards and committees Member Board Member, Shanta Foundation Board Member, Foundation for Sustainable Community Development (FSD), Uganda Lifetime member International Papillomavirus Society Peer Reviewer Preventing Chronic Disease journal Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice Advances in Social Work Abstracts submitted for the APHA's 2017, 2018, and 2019 Annual Meetings Community outreach TEDx Indianapolis Women speaker Member, Working Group on Ethics of International Health Program, Center for Service and Learning, IUPUI. Member, HIV Modernization Movement, Indiana. Member, Giving Back to Africa, Indiana. Global Ambassador, Student Immersion and Global Health Experiences, School of Public Health, Indiana University. Contributor, Africa edition of EHospice, a web-based resource on hospice and end-of-life care. Voluntary writer, WILpower, the newsletter of Walchandnagar Industries Ltd, India. Coordinator, e-discussion at UNAIDS' Solution Exchange on Strengthening biomedical HIV prevention research for women and girls, India. Moderator, e-group, Gender Competence, and Community Life Competence. Volunteer, Delhites' National Initiative in Palliative Care, India.