Caryn N. Bell, PhD

Caryn Bell’s research focuses on the unique impacts of socioeconomic status (SES) and place on cardiovascular disease risk factors in Black Americans and racial disparities. Her work explores the nuanced ways in which SES is associated with obesity and related behaviors in Black women and men by examining the role of place and sociocultural factors. She uses varied techniques including spatial statistics and mapping approaches. She also examines how place shapes structural racism in the U.S. and the implications for Black health and racial health inequities. She teaches courses on health equity, racism and health, as well as, place and Black health in the U.S. Prior to joining the faculty at Tulane, she was an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University Maryland, College Park. She received her PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and a BS in Chemistry from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.