Tyler Prochnow, PhD
Department of Health Behavior
Texas A&M University School of Public Health
Dr. Prochnow is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. He earned his PhD from Baylor University in 2021 and received his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from Carthage College in 2015 and 2014, respectively. His work focuses on the health impacts of social connectedness, with an emphasis on physical activity and mental health. Dr. Prochnow uses advanced methodologies, including social network analysis and ecological momentary assessment, to examine the social and environmental factors that shape health behaviors and outcomes.
His research has been supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), and the Retirement Research Foundation, among others, totaling more than $1.5 million in external funding. Most notably, Dr. Prochnow was awarded a K01 from NHLBI to examine how built and social environments influence adolescent physical activity and mental health during the summer using social network analysis and ecological momentary assessment.
He has also led funded projects investigating social network influences among Black/African American men with type 2 diabetes, the role of social connections in mental health through online gaming, programs to promote social connectedness among older adults, and social-emotional learning and physical activity programs for adolescent girls. Through these efforts, Dr. Prochnow has published more than 120 peer-reviewed articles and contributed to over 160 conference presentations. His work has been featured in more than 1,000 news outlets nationally and internationally.
Dr. Prochnow is deeply committed to mentoring and enjoys working with the next generation of health behavior scholars. On a personal note, receiving the Judy K. Black Award is extremely humbling and meaningful to him. He has attended AAHB since beginning his PhD program in 2018 and would like to thank the many mentors and colleagues, both within AAHB and beyond, who made this accomplishment possible.
