Emma K. T. Benn

Dr. Emma K. T. Benn serves as Associate Professor in the Center for Biostatistics and Department of Population Health Science and Policy at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS), concurrently holding leadership roles as Founding Director of the Center for Scientific Diversity and Associate Dean of Faculty Well-being and Development. Her interdisciplinary career centers on methodologically rigorous health disparities research with translational applications for intervention design.

Her educational foundation includes:

• BA from Swarthmore College
• MPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health
• DrPH from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health

Dr. Benn's research program uniquely integrates causal inference methodologies with diversity initiatives, exemplified by her graduate course "Race and Causal Inference" and leadership of the Center for Scientific Diversity. Her work targets systemic barriers in academic medicine promotion while developing frameworks for engaging underserved communities in genomics research through initiatives like the NHGRI-funded CREiGS Short Course.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals consistent thematic focus across domains: dental care access barriers during pregnancy, pandemic-related stressors in urban populations, and genetic prostate cancer risk factors in Black men. These works demonstrate cross-disciplinary application of biostatistical methods to racial/ethnic health inequities spanning public health, epidemiology, and genomic medicine.

Her distinguished recognition includes:

• American Statistical Association Fellow designation
• ISMMS Outstanding Teaching Award
• NIH/NIMHD Loan Repayment Program for Health Disparities Research
• Women in Statistics Junior Researcher Travel Award
• JSM Diversity Mentoring Program Fellowship
• Delta Omega Honorary Society induction

As principal investigator for the NIH FIRST Cohort Cluster Hiring Initiative and CREiGS Short Course, Dr. Benn directs transformative funding exceeding $5M to rebuild academic recruitment pipelines. Her mentorship through the Math Alliance and JSM Diversity Workshop actively develops underrepresented talent, while her co-founding of the NHLBI BEST Diversity Program established national training infrastructure for biostatistics.

The Center for Scientific Diversity, under her direction, operates as Mount Sinai's primary engine for DEI strategy implementation, with initiatives directly influencing institutional policy on faculty advancement and community-engaged research practices.