Belinda Needham

My research centers on health disparities, highlighting that individuals from socially disadvantaged groups often experience poorer mental and physical health compared to those of higher social status. I aim to identify, explain, and mitigate health disparities related to race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, and sexual orientation. My primary objectives include employing innovative methods to evaluate health disparities across the life course and uncovering the social structural, psychological, behavioral, and physiological mechanisms through which social disadvantage contributes to these disparities. Currently, I serve as a Multiple Principal Investigator on an R01 award from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) that investigates racial and ethnic differences in DNA methylation as a potential mechanism for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality disparities. Additionally, I am a Multiple PI on an R21 award from NIMHD, exploring whether second-hand exposure to the Flint Water Crisis during pregnancy has worsened racial and ethnic disparities in birth outcomes in Michigan.