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.
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 CiteAn 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 CiteThe 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 CiteRecent Grants
Evaluate stress Innoculation and Intervention Programs for UM Clergy in NC
Institutional SupportDirector · Awarded by Duke Endowment · 2018 - 2023mHealth-supported telecolposcopy for cervical cancer screening in low-resource settings
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2018 - 2021Sabbath Living Evaluation
ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Blessed Earth · 2017 - 2020View All Grants
Education, Training & Certifications
Arizona State University ·
2003
Ph.D.
Arizona State University ·
1998
M.A.