Verna M. KeithView profile
Professor
Verna M. Keith is a Professor and Chair in the Department of Sociology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), part of the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research focuses on social inequality and health, particularly examining how race/ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic status intersect with health outcomes. She holds a BS from the University of Central Arkansas and MA/PhD in Sociology from the University of Kentucky. Her work bridges sociology, public health, and social psychology, addressing topics like health disparities, racial discrimination, and the impact of skin tone on well-being. Dr. Keith has taught courses including Social Problems, Medical Sociology, and Race/Ethnicity and Health. She currently chairs the department while maintaining active research collaborations, including studies on Black immigrant health, skin tone disparities, and the psychological effects of discrimination. She has advised numerous graduate students and holds administrative roles at UAB's School of Public Health. Her recent publications explore racial context effects, socioeconomic influences on health, and the role of skin tone in health inequities. Her grants include a 2020 project on community-driven strategic planning for Birmingham's Fire and Rescue Service. She has collaborated with interdisciplinary teams on projects addressing health inequities in marginalized populations. Her research emphasizes actionable insights to reduce systemic health disparities, particularly for African Americans and immigrant communities.










