David H. Chae named associate dean for research at Tulane Public Health

Dr. David H. Chae

Dr. Thomas LaVeist, dean of the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, today announced that Dr. David H. Chae has been named associate dean for research, effective September 2020.

 “I’ve followed David’s work for many years, and I continue to be impressed by his exceptional and highly diverse research skillset,” said Dean LaVeist. “His work merges the social and behavioral sciences with biological sciences. He has the perfect background to serve as associate dean for research in a highly diverse research environment like ours.”

Chae studies social determinants of health inequities and related psychobiological mechanisms of disease. He examines the interplay between contextual factors, developmental period, and behavior, and the biological embedding of stress. As part of this work, he examines structural inequities at the area-level and unjust population patterns in the distribution of disease. 

“Endemic health inequities represent a pressing moral and social dilemma,” said Chae. “Tulane is well-positioned to be at the forefront of the next generation of research on the causes of important public health problems and their solutions.”

He comes to Tulane from Auburn University where he is Human Sciences Associate Professor and director of the Society, Health, and Racial Equity (SHARE) Lab. He is an elected fellow of the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research.

Chae received his Doctor of Science in social epidemiology from the Department of Society, Human Development, and Health at the Harvard School of Public Health.  He completed postdoctoral work in the field of psychoneuroimmunology as part of the Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program at the University of California, San Francisco and Berkeley.

He previously served on the faculty of Emory University, Rollins School of Public Health and the University of Maryland School of Public Health. 

At Tulane, his appointment will be in the Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences.