Dr. Scott Walters

MS/PhD Program Director
Regents Professor, Population & Community Health

Education & Experience:
I earned my BA in Psychology from Biola University, MA in Psychology from San Diego State University, and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico. I completed a clinical internship through the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology. Before joining UNT Health Fort Worth (UNT Health), I served as Assistant and Associate Professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health. I currently serve as Regents Professor and Director of the MS/PhD Program in Public Health Sciences at UNT Health.

Teaching Areas & Public Health Interests:
I have taught college and graduate-level courses for more than 25 years. My graduate teaching has included courses on addictive behavior, health behavior theory, motivational interviewing, and health communication. I like to integrate real-world research into my classroom learning, with a focus on health equity and access to care. I have received teaching awards from the University of New Mexico, the UTHealth School of Public Health, and UNT Health. From 2019 to 2023, I also held a Senior Consortium Research Fellowship with the U.S. Army Research Institute.

Professional Activities & Awards:
My professional work spans research, education, and service. I have led numerous efforts to help organizations implement evidence-based practices through tools, assessments, and training. I am a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and have conducted more than 250 trainings for professionals in health care, behavioral health, criminal justice, and social services. I’ve published three practitioner-focused books, authored several newspaper articles and blog posts, and contributed to the commercialization of health programs used nationally.

Scholarly Interests:
My research focuses on developing and testing interventions to help people change high-risk behaviors, particularly in underserved populations. Over the past two decades, I’ve led or collaborated on projects addressing substance use, mental health, interpersonal violence, cancer risk, and other public health issues. Some recent work includes:

• Developing and testing a just-in-time adaptive smartphone intervention to reduce drinking among adults experiencing homelessness
• Creating and evaluating communication skills training for U.S. Army operational units
• Evaluating online vocational training programs for veterans with justice involvement
• Leading dissemination and implementation strategies to address chronic pain, opioid use, and overdose prevention
• Advancing substance use interventions for adolescents, young adults, and people with developmental disabilities

From 2020 to 2025, I served as the Steering Committee Chair for the HEALing Communities Study, the largest implementation science study ever conducted in the field of substance use.

Link to Dr. Walters’ Curriculum Vitae:

Link to Dr. Walters’ Research Profile: