Background

Dr. Sweeney received her B.A.in Psychology from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, OR in 2010. She received her PhD in Social and Health Psychology from Stony Brook University in 2016, with a focus on health-related motivation and mechanisms of health behavior change. After receiving her doctorate, Dr. Sweeney received additional training in community-based interventions and health promotion as a Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of South Carolina in the Department of Psychology. Her research focuses on developing community-based interventions for engaging underserved communities in long-term health behavior change that will promote positive changes in physical, mental, and social well-being. Her approach to developing community-based interventions for underserved communities focuses on the role of the social environment and is guided by the use of community-based participatory strategies, a bioecological framework, and social-cognitive theories of health behavior change.                                   

Teaching 

Dr. Sweeney has taught courses in research methodology, statistics, stress and coping, and health psychology.  

Research

Dr. Sweeney’s specific research interests include:

• Health behavior change (physical activity) 
• Social environmental processes  
• Motivation  
• Community-based participatory research 
• Healthy Equity 

Dissemination

Dr. Sweeney has presented her research at several national conferences, including the Society for Behavioral Medicine, American Psychological Association, and the Association for Psychological Science. She has also mentored several undergraduate students who have disseminated their research through U of SC’s Discovery Day and the Caravel undergraduate research journal.

Professional Service

Dr. Sweeney has served as a peer reviewer for multiple journals including:

• Annals of Behavioral Medicine
• Health Psychology
• International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
• American Journal of Preventative Medicine
• Prevention Science 

Dr. Sweeney is a member of professional organizations including:

•  Society for Behavioral Medicine
• American Psychological Association 

Research Studies (Selected)

Linking Exercise for Advancing Daily Stress (LEADS) Management and Resilience in Black Families. NIH (R01MD019714) (2024-2029) (Wilson/Martin MPIs). Co-Investigator

The Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity (TEAM-PA) trial. NIH R01HL160618. 2022-2026 (Sweeney PI). For more information visit: https://teampauofsc.weebly.com/ 

The Together Everyone Achieves More Physical Activity Trial Supplement Grant Award. NIH 3R01HL160618-02S1 (2023-2024) (Sweeney PI) 

Exploring how African American Women Use Mobile Technology to Achieve Shared Physical Activity Goals: A Qualitative Study. Office of Undergraduate Research, University of South Carolina, Magellan Apprentice Grant (2023-2024) (Student – Anika Nair). Mentor  

Integrating Family Resilience and Cultural Assets to Inform the LEADS Health Promotion Trial with African American Families. NIH F31MD017456-01 (2022-2024) (Wilson/Quattlebaum PI). Co-Sponsor

The Developing Real Incentives and Volition for Exercise Project. NIH F32 HL138928-01A (2018-2020) (Sweeney PI)

Publications (selected)

Sweeney, A.M., Wilson, D.K., Zarrett, N., Simmons, T., Mansfield, M. & Decker, L. (2024). Using Formative Process Evaluation to Improve Program Implementation and Accessibility of Competitive Group-Based Physical Activity in the TEAM-PA Trial. (2024). International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 21, 1-11. doi: 10.1186/s12966-024-01635-1 

Sweeney, A. M., Wilson, D. K., Zarrett, N., Martin, P., Hardin, J. W., Fairchild, A., ... & Decker, L. (2023). An overview of the together everyone achieves more physical activity (TEAM-PA) trial to increase physical activity among African American women. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 107207. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2023.107207 

Sweeney, A. M., Wilson, D. K., Van Horn, M. L., Zarrett, N., Resnicow, K., Brown, A., ... & Gadson, B. (2022). Results from “Developing Real Incentives and Volition for Exercise” (DRIVE): A pilot randomized controlled trial for promoting physical activity in African American women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 90, 747-759. doi: 10.1037/ccp0000740

Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A.M., Van Horn, M.L., et al. (2022). The Results of the Families Improving Together for Weight Loss (FIT) Trial for Reducing BMI in African American Adolescents. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 56, 1042-1055. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaab110   

Sweeney, A.M., Wilson, D.K., Brown, A., Quattlebaum, M., Loncar, H., Gorman, B. (2021). Evaluating experiences of stress and coping among African American women during the COVID-19 pandemic to inform future interventions. Health Education and Behavior, 48, 739-746. doi: 10.1177/10901981211039148   

Brown, A., Wilson, D.K., & Sweeney, A.M. (2021). The Moderating Effects of Social Support on Physical Activity in African American Women. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 55, 376-382. doi: 10.1093/abm/kaaa051

Sweeney, A.M., Wilson, D.K., & Brown, A. (2019). Qualitative Study to Examine How Differences in Motivation Can Inform the Development of Targeted Physical Activity Intervention Programs. Evaluation and Program Planning, 77, 101718. doi: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2019.101718