• University of Maryland, Baltimore County, BA, Sociology, 2010
• West Virginia University, MPH, Social and Behavioral Science, 2013
• University of the Cumberlands, MA, Clinical Mental Health Counseling, 2018
• Capella University, DrPH, 2022

Dr. Dark is a public health researcher whose work addresses the bridge between macro-level public health interventions and micro-level clinical care delivery. His research focuses on health systems transformation, implementation science, and chronic disease management, specifically evaluating how institutional workflows, health information technology, and clinical decision support systems can be leveraged to integrate evidence-based tobacco treatment, lung cancer screening, and substance use assessments directly into routine healthcare delivery.

Dr. Dark's research has examined the longitudinal impact of clinical decision support, clinician training, and positive reinforcement models on improving electronic referral rates to the Maryland Quitline and driving systematic tobacco dependence treatment. More recently, his work has expanded into investigating the health outcomes and hospital utilization patterns among users of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) and other tobacco products, particularly during public health crises and among populations with underlying chronic and cardiovascular risk. 

His research also emphasizes community-based health equity and workforce development, evaluating scalable models that utilize community health workers and academic-community partnerships to mitigate health disparities, address vaccine hesitancy, and improve health outcomes in rural and underserved communities.

Tobacco, nicotine, electronic nicotine delivery systems, lung cancer screening, cancer, chronic disease, rural health, practice transformation, primary care, health equity

Dark M, Klyushnenkova E, Gaynor A, Kernan C, Khanna N. Tobacco Cessation Champions – Recognizing Physicians Who Ask, Advise, and Refer. Ann Fam Med. 2022 Nov;20(6), 579. doi: 10.1370/afm.2891

Khanna N, Klyushnenkova E, Gaynor A, Dark M, Melamed J, Bennett M, et al. Integrating a Systematic, Comprehensive E-cigarette and Vaping Assessment Tool into the Electronic Health Record. J Am Board Fam Med. 2023 May 8; 36(3):405-413. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2022.220410R1

Khanna N, Kwan C, Klyushnenkova E, Dark M, Deepak J. Hospital Utilization in Ambulatory Patients With COVID-19 With History of Tobacco Use. AJPM Focus. 2025 Aug;4(4):100352. doi: 10.1016/j.focus.2025.100352

Kwan C, Klyushnenkova E, Dark M, Kernan C, Khanna N. MACE-associated Hospital Utilization among ENDS and other Tobacco Users. Ann Fam Med. 2025 Sep;23(Suppl 1):8220. doi: 10.1370/afm.23.s1.8220

Khanna N, Kwan C, Klyushnenkova E, Kernan C, Dark M, Melamed J, Deepak J. Hospital Utilization Among Users of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS) Compared to Other Tobacco Users. J Am Board Fam Med. 2026 Sep;39(1):167173. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.2025.250265R1