Kristal Brown, PhD, (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Drexel University’s College of Nursing and Health Professions.
Dr. Brown is excited to join the Drexel FIRST program because it provides a unique opportunity to continue growing and glowing as a young health disparities investigator alongside a cohort of brilliant researchers and trailblazers in the field. Moreover, she hopes that she will have access to an abundance of resources both within the College of Nursing and Health Professions and the Dornsife School of Public Health, which allow her to continue building her program of research. Dr. Brown is thrilled to submerge herself in the local Philly community and work to establish partnerships. Finally, she is excited about teaching and mentoring the next generation of students – she believes every student is a star in their own right!
Prior to joining the Drexel family, Dr. Brown delivered group-based coaching over technology-based platforms both in research and clinical care settings. She’s also received extensive training in intervention delivery as part of multiple large-scale NIH funded trials. In her work, she examines exposure to racism and the subsequent adverse physiological, behavioral, and psychological effects within this period – all with an eye towards improving interventions in service of health equity.
Dr. Brown is interested in exploring additional mechanisms and psychological factors that could contribute to poor cardiometabolic health and modest treatment response in young Black women, using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Some of her current and ongoing projects include examining the association between racial discrimination and maladaptive eating behaviors that may contribute to obesity disparities among black women. Most recently, Dr. Brown joined the Wellness Achieved through Changing Habits (WATCH) team here at the Drexel University Center for Weight, Eating and Lifestyle Science (WELL Center) as a co-investigator – this study will test the effects of an acceptance-based lifestyle modification program on cardiometabolic risk in racially/ethnically diverse adolescents.
Research Expertise:
Obesity | Cardiometabolic Health | Cardiovascular Health | eating Behaviors | Racial Identity | Racial Discrimination | Emerging Adults | Adolescents | Health Disparities | Young Women | Intersectionality| Biopsychological Factors | Behavioral Interventions |Qualitative & Quantitative Research | Mixed Methods| Ecological Momentary Assessment |
View Dr. Brown’s full list of publications
