Jalie A. Tucker, Ph.D., MPH

Mary F. Lane Endowed Professor of Health Education & Behavior Director, Center for Behavioral Economic Health Research

College of Health & Human Performance

2024 Awardee

Professor Jalie A. Tucker is a nationally and internationally recognized leader in the field of addiction, substance use, and applied behavioral economic research. With a distinguished career marked by more than 135 peer-reviewed publications and book chapters as well as co-authoring or editing four books, she has made significant contributions to the field. Notably, in the past five years alone, she has authored 35 impactful, peer-reviewed articles in leading journals. She has also served on the editorial board of several specialty journals in her field, including as senior advisor for the preeminent journal Addiction.

Tucker, a clinical psychologist with public health expertise, joined the UF College of Health & Human Performance’s Department of Health Education & Behavior in 2014 as a professor and department chair (2014-2019). Currently, she is the principal investigator of a novel, five-year study to test a web-based alcohol risk reduction intervention. It focuses on behavioral economic principles to reduce risky drinking among emerging adults who live in disadvantaged communities and are not full-time college students. Another part of her research investigates natural recovery from alcohol use disorder, the dominant pathway to recovery among those with problems.

People entering adulthood are at an increased risk of developing harmful habits with substance use and other risky behaviors, Tucker notes.

“A deeper understanding of behavioral choice processes coupled with insights into the role of peer social networks in shaping these risky behaviors can illuminate potential strategies for early prevention and targeted, evidence-based interventions during this pivotal development period,” she says.

Tucker is also the founder and director of the UF Center for Behavioral Economic Health Research, which promotes research that benefits individual and community health. Tucker has 40 years of funded research guided by behavioral economics on substance misuse and related risk behaviors, including HIV/AIDS.

In addition to her research, Tucker has received numerous awards and recognitions, including the Betty Ford Award from the Association for Medical Education and Research on Substance Abuse in 2018. In 2023, Tucker was awarded the Mary F. Lane Endowed Professorship, a significant recognition for her distinguished career.

“Dr. Tucker is an exemplary scholar and a brilliant scientist,” said Mildred Maldonado-Molina, a professor and chair of the Department of Health Education & Behavior. “Her passion for the field of addiction research and dedication to developing the next generation of behavioral scientists has a profound impact on our field.”