Keisha Leanne Bentley-Edwards
Keisha Leanne Bentley-Edwards

Keisha Leanne Bentley-Edwards

Associate Professor in Medicine

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. 

Positions

Associate Professor in Medicine in the School of Medicine

2021 School of Medicine

Affiliate of the Center for Child and Family Policy in the Sanford School of Public Policy

2023 Sanford School of Public Policy

Affiliate, Duke Global Health Institute in the University Institutes and Centers

2019 University Institutes and Centers

Member of the Duke Cancer Institute in the School of Medicine

2017 School of Medicine

Education

M.A. 2000

2000 Columbia University

Ph.D. 2009

2009 University of Pennsylvania

Publications, Grants & Awards