Overview
Dr. Keisha Bentley-Edwards is the Associate Director of Research for the Samuel DuBois Cook Center on Social Equity and an Associate Professor at Duke University’s School of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine. She is the Co-Director of Duke’s CTSI Center for Equity in Research. Dr. Bentley-Edwards’ research focuses on how racism, gender, and culture influence health and education outcomes throughout the lifespan, especially for African Americans. Her research emphasizes cultural strengths and eliminating structural barriers to support healthy development in communities, families, and students. Dr. Bentley-Edwards nurtures complex conversations around race and racism in ways that not only identify disparities but prompt meaningful strategies for remedying these disparities around infant and maternal health, cardiovascular disease, and kidney disease, as well as educational disparities.
Current Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
Reported changes in romantic and sexual behavior among college and graduate students during COVID-19.
Journal Article J Am Coll Health · April 2025 Objective: To understand changes in romantic and sexual behavior among college and graduate students in North Carolina during COVID-19. Participants: Participants were between 18-30 years old and enrolled in a two- or four-year college or graduate program ... Full text Link to item CiteDuke Research at Pickett: The evolution of a free-standing research site partnering with communities toward health equity advancement.
Journal Article J Clin Transl Sci · 2025 While clinical research intends to improve health outcomes for all, access to research participation is often limited and inequitable. Geographic proximity is a recognized barrier, thus, systemic infrastructure solutions through federal programs including ... Full text Open Access Link to item CiteDeveloping a Public-facing Tool to Monitor Inclusion of Special Populations in Clinical Research
Journal Article Journal of Clinical and Translational Science · January 1, 2025 Clinical trials have provided evidence for determining treatment effectiveness. However, clinical trial participants have been underrepresented by diverse and special population groups (e.g., younger and older adults, different races/ethnicities), contribu ... Full text CiteRecent Grants
Nurse LEADS: Training in Nurse-LEd models of care ADdressing the Social Determinants of Health
Inst. Training Prgm or CMEMentor · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2029Interventions that Address Structural Racism to Reduce Kidney Health Disparities Research Coordinating Center
ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2023 - 2028Religion, Spirituality and CVD Risks: A Focus on African Americans
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2017 - 2024View All Grants