Demetrius Abshire is an associate professor and co-director of the Smart Start Nursing Program at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. He graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Nursing with a BSN in 2006, an MSN in 2009, and a PhD in Nursing in 2014. He was an assistant professor at the Washington State University College of Nursing from 2015 to 2017 before joining the faculty at the University of South Carolina College of Nursing. His research focuses on rural health, men’s health, obesity, physical activity, nutrition, and psychosocial determinants of health. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Rural Health and serves as a peer reviewer for multiple journals including the American Journal of Public Health, the American Journal of Men's Health, the American Journal of Health Promotion, and many others. He is a member of multiple professional organizations including the National Rural Health Association, the American Public Health Association, and the Southern Nursing Research Society. He has received multiple awards including the mid-career investigator award and outstanding undergraduate teaching award from the University of South Carolina College of Nursing, a breakthrough star award from the University of South Carolina, and the Steven P. Hooker Research Award for Outstanding Research in the Area of Physical Activity in Public Health from the Physical Activity Section of the American Public Health Association.