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Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell

Research Professor of Global Health
Duke Global Health Institute
Box 90392, Durham, NC 27708
310 Trent Drive, Room 310, Trent, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell is interested in the interplay between mental and physical well-being and has designed and tested interventions that integrate care for people with obesity and depression; HIV/AIDS and substance use; and hepatitis C and alcohol use.

Most recently, Rae Jean has been studying positive mental health as a way to prevent depression and promote caring for one's physical health. Her work currently focuses on caregivers, including clergy in North Carolina and caregivers of orphaned and vulnerable children in Kenya, Ethiopia, India, and Cambodia.

Soon, she will be testing four interventions to reduce stress symptoms.

As someone trained in both clinical and community psychology, Rae Jean is interested in the impact of systems and environmental contexts on individuals.

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Research Professor of Global Health · 2021 - Present Duke Global Health Institute, University Institutes and Centers
Director, Center for Health Policy and Inequalities Research · 2025 - Present Center for Health Policy & Inequalities Research, Duke Global Health Institute

Recent Publications


Embedding Positive Emotions Activities in a Family-Strengthening Intervention to Enhance Receptivity and Engagement

Journal Article Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion · April 2025 Fostering participant engagement in behavioral interventions, especially those delivered via videoconferencing and with families, is challenging. Drawing on social-psychological literature on positive emotions and known emotion-action tendency sets ... Full text Cite

An Exploration of the Mediators and Moderators of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Among Clergy: Secondary Analysis of Data From the Selah Trial, a Preference-Based Randomized Wait-List-Controlled Trial

Journal Article International Journal of Stress Management · March 20, 2025 We conducted a secondary analysis of the Selah trial, a preference-based, partially randomized, wait-list-controlled trial, to evaluate mediators and effect modifiers of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention. Participants were United Met ... Full text Cite

The Selah trial: A preference-based partially randomized waitlist control study of three stress management interventions.

Conference Translational behavioral medicine · January 2025 Chronic stress undermines psychological and physiological health. We tested three remotely delivered stress management interventions among clergy, accounting for intervention preferences. United Methodist clergy in North Carolina enrolled in a partially ra ... Full text Cite
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Recent Grants


Evaluate stress Innoculation and Intervention Programs for UM Clergy in NC

Institutional SupportDirector · Awarded by Duke Endowment · 2018 - 2023

mHealth-supported telecolposcopy for cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2021

Sabbath Living Evaluation

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Blessed Earth · 2017 - 2020

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Education, Training & Certifications


Arizona State University · 2003 Ph.D.
Arizona State University · 1998 M.A.