Joaquin Barnoya, MD, MPH

Joaquin Barnoya, MD, MPH, associate professor of surgery, is recognized for his lifelong dedication to community service.

Barnoya is internationally respected for developing global strategies for effective tobacco control. He is particularly interested in advocating for smoke-free environments and in tracking chronic disease risk factors related to tobacco use and secondhand smoke. The impact of his work spans both the United States and Guatemala, where he has achieved national acclaim for what health officials call historical advances in the study of tobacco use leading to a nationwide indoor smoking ban. His research into the effects of secondhand smoke on the cardiovascular system was recognized among the “10 most important scientific advances” by the American Heart Association in 2005. That same year, he received the National Cancer Institute’s Rising Star in Cancer Research award.

In his outreach efforts, Barnoya has established dynamic overseas training rotations for Washington University medical students, residents and fellows. He is particularly noted for his immersion training in medical Spanish and in understanding cultural differences related to the delivery of health care. An international editor for the journal Tobacco Control, Barnoya also serves on the World Health Organization Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Evaluation. Currently he serves as a faculty scholar in Washington University’s Institute for Public Health and is the Guatemala site director for the Global Health Scholars in Medicine program.

Barnoya earned his medical degree from San Carlos University School of Medicine in Guatemala and his master’s degree in public health from Harvard School of Public Health. He served as a postdoctoral fellow on tobacco control at the University of California-San Francisco and joined the Washington University faculty in 2008.