John B. Jemmott III

John B. Jemmott III is the Kenneth B. Clark Professor of Communication and Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, with dual appointments in the Annenberg School for Communication and the Perelman School of Medicine. His endowed chair honors psychologist Kenneth B. Clark, emphasizing social justice and health equity. Dr. Jemmott holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from Harvard University and previously held faculty positions at Princeton University.

Research Focus: Jemmott develops culturally tailored, theory-based interventions to reduce health disparities. His work integrates social cognitive theory and qualitative community research to address HIV/STD risks, physical activity promotion, and COVID-19 mitigation. Key populations include African American adolescents/adults, South African communities, and postpartum women. Eight of his curricula are nationally disseminated by CDC and HHS.

Publication Trends: Recent articles (2023-2025) focus on:

• Behavioral mechanisms in HIV/STD prevention
• Health equity interventions for Black communities
• COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and mitigation
• Culturally adapted therapies (e.g., CBT-I)
• Syndemic influences on health behaviors

Awards & Honors:

• Fellow, American Psychological Association
• Fellow, Association for Psychological Science
• Fellow, Society for Behavioral Medicine

Grants & Advising: Jemmott has secured over $64M in NIH funding as principal investigator. Current projects include HIV stigma reduction and SARS-CoV-2 behavior mitigation. He teaches graduate courses in Attitude and Behavioral Prediction, Health Psychology, and Quantitative Methods, and mentors emerging researchers in health communication.