Kamesha Spates

  • William S. Dietrich II Chair & Associate Professor

Dr. Kamesha Spates (she/her/hers) is a first-generation college student, medical sociologist, and a funded health equity scholar. She is the founder and director of the Racial Justice and Health Equity Research and Education Collaborative (RJHEREC). The mission of RJHEREC is to create a training space for students, health equity scholars, and community members to work toward addressing the mental and physical impacts of structural oppression on Black families and communities. In addition, her scholarship aims to inform future studies, policy change, and community engagement through transdisciplinary and translational science.  

Dr. Spates is an internationally recognized scholar on the following topics: a) intersectionality, b) US Race Relations and Anti-Black Racism, c) mental health, suicide, and trauma, and d) Race and Gender-Based Stressors. She has published two books and over two dozen scientific articles. In 2018, Dr. Spates's research was among the most downloaded within the discipline of sociology, according to the American Sociological Association. She has mentored countless BIPOC undergraduate and graduate-level students and faculty over the span of her career. Some of her works can be found in Essence Magazine, HuffPost, Cleveland News Channel Five, and in a host of other peer-reviewed journal outlets, including Social Problems, the Journal of Black Psychology, The Ohio Journal of Public Health, Death Studies, and Sex Roles. 

During her free time, Dr. Spates enjoys spending time with loved ones, practicing meditation, watching documentaries, and listening to podcasts.  

Areas of Specialization

  • Medical Sociology
  • Health Equity
  • Black and African American families and communities
  • Anti-Black Racism 
  • Trauma
  • Suicidology 
  • Mental Health and Wellness 

Education & Training

  • Texas A&M University, PhD
  • Texas A&M University, M.S.
  • Northern Illinois University, B.A.

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