Dr. Grimes is an Assistant Professor in the UMKC School of Nursing and Health Studies’ Health Science program. She received both her master's degree and doctorate in health sciences at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. She joined UMKC in 2013 and helped to build the health sciences program, of which was developed in 2011. Her research focuses on physical activity and the associated health and social influences across demographic groups. Her work is guided by ecological models that posit multiple levels of influence on physical activity. Her recent work has focused on community-based interventions to address obesity and other chronic diseases particularly through physical activity and nutrition interventions. One of her noted research projects, Move More Get More, was funded with a nearly $800,000 grant from the Office of Women’s Health in the US Department of Health and Human Services to assess an intervention to improve physical activity, physical literacy, and fruit and vegetable consumption among middle schoolers in Kansas City. Dr. Grimes is the Co-Director of the Active Lab, which supports community-based research to promotes physical activity and improve health outcomes. The lab also provides graduate and undergraduate training in public health research including 10 positions through Public Health AmeriCorps grant.
Dr. Grimes was honored with the Award for Excellence in Mentoring Undergraduate Research, Scholars, and Artists in 2022 and was selected to be a UM System Presidential Engagement Fellow in 2021. She serves as the physical activity section councilor for the American Public Health Association and was a founding leader of SOPHE Midwest.
Research Methods, Health Issues and Aging, and Health Sciences Internship
Active Lab: Public Health through Physical Activity. Agency: Public Health AmeriCorps, Co-PI, 2023-2024, $167,910
Grimes, A. & Lightner, J. (Co-PIs) (2022-2025). Funding for Zero-Fare: Evaluating the Health and Economic Impacts. Agency: US Department of Transportation, Co-PI, 2022-2025, $500,000
Increasing Student Access to Transportation to Improve Social Determinants of Health. Agency: UMKC Funding for Excellence. Co-PI, 2023, $29,250
Move More Get More. Agency: Health Forward Foundation. Co-PI, 2022-2023, $45,000
Health Impacts of City-Wide Zero-Fare Bus Transit: A Natural Experiment. Agency: National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Diseases, R01, Co-Investigator, 2022–2026, $2,665,578
Move More Get More. Agency: Public Health AmeriCorps, Corporation for National and Community Service, Co-PI, 2022-2023, $73,346
Getting Around KC: An evaluation of Kansas City’s Zero-Fare Bus Transit. Agency: Environmental Protection Agency, PI, 2022-2023, University of Missouri-Kansas City Subaward $56,576; Total award $200,000
Our Healthy Kansas City Eastside. Agency: Jackson County, Co-Investigator, 2021-2022, $5,000,000
YES (Youth Engagement in Sport) Initiative, Agency: United States Department of Health and Human Services, Co-PI, 2019- 2022, $791,110.00
Lightner, J.S., Eighmy, K., Valleroy, E., Wray, B., & Grimes, A. (2023). The effectiveness of an after-school sports sampling intervention on urban middle school youth in the Midwest: A post-test only study. JMIR Pediatr Parent, e42265. Doi: 10.2196/42265
Baughn, M., Arellano, V., Crosby, B., Lightner, J., Grimes, A., King, G. (2022). Physical activity, balance, and bicycling in older adults. PLOS ONE 17(12): e0273880. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0273880
Lightner, J., Grimes, A., Rhone, J., Martin, K., Moss, J., Wray, B., Eighmy, K., Valleroy, E., & Baughn, M. (2022). Fresh produce delivery to middle school youth: Outcomes of a case study in providing fresh fruit and vegetables to underserved youth. American Journal of Health Promotion. [online ahead of print] DOI: 10.1177/08901171221136858
Grimes, A., Lightner, J., Eighmy, K., Wray, B., Valleroy., & Baughn. (2022). Physical activity and nutrition intervention for middle schoolers (Move More, Get More): Protocol for a quasi-experimental study. JMIR Research Protocols. 2022;11(5):e37126 doi: 10.2196/37126
Grimes, A., & Kachadoorian, C. (2022). Understanding physical activity differences among older adults: Validating a proposed typology of physical activity as a tool to increase physical activity by older adults. Gerontology & Geriatric Medicine, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214221094187
Grimes, A., Lightner, J., Eighmy, K., Steel, C., Shook, R., Carlson, J. (2022). Decreased physical activity among youth resulting from COVID-19 pandemic–related school closures: Natural experimental study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(4):e35854 DOI: 10.2196/35854
Grimes, A., Lightner, J., Pina, K., Donis de Miranda, E., Missen-Sibelius, E., Shook, R., Hurley, E. (2022). Designing an adolescent physical activity and nutrition intervention before and after COVID-19: A formative research study. JMIR Formative Research, 6(1).
Grimes, A., Subramaniam, D.P., Lightner, J. (2020). Misconceptions about biking and driving: Drivers’ understanding of Missouri bicycle laws. Journal of Transport and Health, 21 (June).
Grimes, A., & Smirnova, M. (2020). Perspectives on an earn-a-bike intervention on transportation, health and self-esteem among men experiencing homelessness. Journal of Transport and Health, 18 (September).
Carlson, J.A., Grimes, A., Green, M., Morefield, T., Steel, C., Reddy, A., Bejarano, C., Shook, R.P., Moore, T., Steele, L., Campbell, K., & Rogers, E. (2019). Impacts of temporary pedestrian streetscape improvements on pedestrian and vehicle activity and community perceptions. Journal of Transport and Health, 15 (Dec).
B.S., Southeast Missouri State University
M.S., University of Arkansas
Ph.D., University of Arkansas