Caryn Bell, African American Studies

About the Presentation

Dr. Bell will present a study that explores the associations between measures of structural racism and population health, as well as possible mechanisms and important moderators.  The health effects of interpersonal racism (or discrimination perpetuated by individuals) is well-established.  However, macro-level racism perpetuated by institutions and societal structures is pervasive, and the effects of structural racism on health are understudied.  Using data from the American Communities Survey and County Health Rankings, associations between structural racism (measured by county-level racial inequality) and health were assessed.  The roles of urbanization and racial segregation were determined as well.  Associations between some, but not all, measures of structural racism will be discussed as they have policy implications and demonstrate the need for future research.

About the Presenter

Caryn Bell is an Assistant Professor of African American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park and is a Faculty Associate at the MPRC.  She studies the intersection between race, place, socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease risk factors.  She examines the role of the social and physical environment in African American health across the socioeconomic spectrum and utilizes geographic informational systems and spatial statistics to do so.  Dr. Bell received her PhD from the Department of Health, Behavior & Society at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and completed a postdoctoral appointment in community-based participatory research at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.