Trenette Clark Goings
Sandra Reeves Spears and John B. Turner Distinguished Professor, School of Social Work
Trenette Clark Goings has been a member of Carolina’s faculty since 2010. Her research focuses on health disparity reduction and prevention science with an emphasis on the prevention of substance use and other risky behaviors among youth and emerging adults of color. She is known internationally for her work to advance the quality of life for residents in under-served and marginalized communities.
Goings has received over $17 million in funding focused on youth substance use prevention and mental health. She is the principal investigator of more than $3 million in grants across two federally funded research projects and has authored 79 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
A native of rural North Carolina, Goings uses her talents to serve the most vulnerable residents of her home state. One of her projects is Substance Use Prevention and Education Research, a five-year initiative for students in Durham and Granville counties. She is also principal investigator of a National Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug Abuse grant to test a model for substance use using integrative data analysis.
Her many honors include the Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award from the Society for Social Work and Research, Wallace Kuralt Early Career Professorship at the UNC School of Social Work, and the Making a Difference Alumni Award from Virginia Commonwealth University, where she earned her doctorate.
