Linda M. Chatters

Linda M. Chatters is a Professor at the University of Michigan, holding joint appointments in the School of Public Health (Department of Health Behavior and Health Education) and the School of Social Work. She serves as a Faculty Associate with the Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research and the Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture, and Health.

• PhD in Psychology (1983), University of Michigan
• Certificate in Aging (1977), Institute of Gerontology, University of Michigan-Wayne State University
• AB in Psychology (1975), University of California, Berkeley

Her research focuses on the intersection of religion and spirituality with health outcomes, particularly among older African Americans and Caribbean Black populations. Key areas include social support networks, intergenerational family dynamics, mental health disparities, and religious coping mechanisms. She has published extensively on topics such as spiritual correlates in emerging adults, policy impacts on transgender health, and structural social isolation in psychiatric disorders.

Recent studies highlight her work with the National Survey of American Life (NSAL), examining demographic predictors of well-being and distress. She has received prestigious accolades including the 2025 James S. Jackson Outstanding Mentorship Award, 2025 Distinguished Career Award from the Society for Social Work and Research, and the 2024 Distinguished Faculty Award. As a Highly Cited Researcher in General Social Sciences and Fellow of The Gerontological Society of America, her scholarship bridges gerontology, public health, and social work.

• Scientific Awards
  • 2025 James S. Jackson Outstanding Mentorship Award
  • 2025 Distinguished Career Award from the Society for Social Work and Research
  • 2024 Distinguished Faculty Award
  • Fellow, Behavioral and Social Sciences Section of The Gerontological Society of America
  • Thomson-ISI Highly Cited Researcher in General Social Sciences

Her editorial contributions include co-editing Family Life in Black America (1997) and Aging in Black America (1993), and authoring Religion in the Lives of African Americans: Social, Psychological and Health Perspectives (2004). Current courses include Behavioral and Psychosocial Aspects of Health and Racial/Ethnic Health Disparities.