As director of the Office of Student Applied Practice at WashU School of Public Health, Kate Barbier oversees the applied practice experience — or practicum — program for students working toward their master of public health (MPH) degrees. Her most recent work includes developing the Public Health Practice Corps, an innovative cohort model for applied practice.
She co-teaches the course Foundations of Applied Practice, where she works with students one-on-one to identify their interests and skills, and help them connect with one of more than 150 community partners in St. Louis and across the globe for their practicum experience. Barbier also teaches courses in the foundational curriculum, including Program Planning, Implementation, and Evaluation, Public Health Seminar II, and Cross-Cutting Themes.
Barbier has over 20 years of experience as a social work and public health professional focusing on program planning and implementation, interdisciplinary collaboration, group facilitation, and community engagement in a broad range of social service and health-care settings. Before joining the School of Public Health, Barbier oversaw applied practice education for MPH and dual students at the Brown School. In previous roles, she has served as the program manager at the Behavioral Health Network of Greater St. Louis, where she played a pivotal role in launching the Missouri Child Psychiatry Access Project. This statewide initiative supports pediatric primary care providers in managing youth with behavioral health needs by connecting them with child and adolescent psychiatrists for consultations. Additionally, she co-led the St. Louis Partnership for a Healthy Community Improving Access to Community Health Action Team, part of the St. Louis City and County Community Health Assessment and Improvement Plan.
Barbier holds MPH and MSW degrees from Saint Louis University.
Areas of focus:
- Teaching
- Public health practice
- Program planning and implementation
- Behavioral health
- Racial and health equity