Mary Kay Rayens: 2026-27 University Research Professor Q&A

Mary Kay Rayens, Ph.D., a professor and a biostatistician in the University of Kentucky College of Nursing, has been honored as a 2026-27 University Research Professor.

Rayens currently has 10 funded projects, including the Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team (AppalTRUST), which focuses on assessing tobacco use behaviors and related factors of Appalachian Kentuckians over time to help inform FDA tobacco policy. This research will provide insights into perceptions of tobacco within a population that is both understudied and disproportionately affected by diseases associated with tobacco use.

Rayens’ AppalTRUST work follows a long history of public health research with an emphasis on tobacco policy. Her collaborative smoke-free policy outcomes research has prompted elected officials in Kentucky municipalities to enact and strengthen smoke-free laws.

She received her M.S. and Ph.D. in statistics from UK. Since joining the UK College of Nursing as an assistant professor in 1998, she has had continuous research funding, participating in more than 100 externally funded grants.

Rayens has broadly disseminated her research, authoring more than 300 papers, including more than 50 as first or senior author. Her papers have won the Michael P. O’Donnell Paper of the Year by the American Journal of Health Promotion and the Sigma Theta Tau International Journal of Nursing Scholarship Best Article of the Year. She has been named a top 2% scientist by standardized citation metrics each year since Stanford/Elsevier began publishing the list in 2021.

She spoke with UKNow about her latest honor as a University Research Professor in this Q&A.

UKNow: What does it mean to you to be recognized as a University Research Professor?

Rayens: I am genuinely honored to have been chosen for this recognition. I am delighted that peers have acknowledged the value of my collaborative research among so many valued colleagues. I believe this award brings increased attention to the pervasive public health problem of tobacco use, which is particularly relevant in a state that continues to suffer from its health and economic consequences.

UKNow: How will the professorships program advance your research?

Rayens: Being a member of the 2026-27 cohort of University Research Professors provides me with greater visibility when applying for external funding and fosters the flexibility to travel to conferences to network with other tobacco regulatory scientists.

UKNow: What inspired your focus on this area of research?

Rayens: My initial inspiration came from collaborating with another University Research Professor, the remarkable Ellen Hahn, Ph.D. (UK College of Nursing professor emerita). While my graduate degrees are in statistics, I had the privilege of developing significant public health expertise while working closely with Dr. Hahn for many years. Through our collaborations, we demonstrated the dramatic health outcomes associated with smoke-free public policies in Kentucky, including reductions in hair nicotine and respiratory symptoms in restaurant and bar workers, county-level adult smoking rates, youth tobacco use rates, asthma-related emergency department visits and hospitalizations for emphysema.

We also found that counties with comprehensive smoke-free laws in the state had lower incidences of preterm birth and lower incidence of lung cancer cases, beyond what would be expected by demographic differences alone. Our early emphasis on healthy indoor air, as it pertains to smoke-free local ordinances, has since been expanded to include observational and intervention studies to lower radon exposure in the home.

UKNow: What continues to motivate your work?

Rayens: More recently, my research has shifted from the population-level effects of healthy indoor air policies to community-engaged research in Appalachian Kentucky. While the focus is still on tobacco use, the emphasis of my research is now more aligned with person-level measures of tobacco and nicotine product choice, addiction and susceptibility to use. As one of the leads of UK’s Appalachian Tobacco Regulatory Science Team (AppalTRUST), my goal is to use these research results to help inform FDA policies that regulate tobacco and nicotine products by considering this highly disparate and understudied population when shaping these important federal policies.

UKNow: How does your research impact Kentucky?

Rayens: While there is still more work to do, my research collaborations have been pivotal in the development and evaluation of smoke-free municipal laws in Kentucky. Further, my work has contributed to radon awareness and lung cancer prevention, resulting in increased testing and mitigation in Kentucky counties. With my collaborative research and leadership in AppalTRUST, the inclusion of data from Appalachian Kentuckians will improve FDA regulations so that the burden of tobacco and nicotine product use may be reduced in these communities.

About the University Research Professors

Each year, the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees approves a cohort of faculty as University Research Professors. The distinction recognizes excellence in work that addresses scientific, social, cultural and economic challenges in Kentucky and the world.

College leadership developed criteria for excellence within their area of expertise and then nominated faculty who excelled at these criteria. Each University Research Professor receives a one-year award of $10,000.