Karen Lincoln

Karen Lincoln is a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health and Director of the Center for Environmental Health Disparities Research at the University of California, Irvine's Program in Public Health. A social worker and sociologist by training, her scholarship focuses on social determinants of health disparities, particularly among Black Americans and Caribbean Blacks. She founded Advocates for African American Elders, a Southern California outreach program for aging populations.

• Education: B.A. in Sociology from UC Berkeley, Ph.D. in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan.
• Research: Interdisciplinary work spans mental health, aging, racial discrimination, and cardiovascular disease, with emphasis on negative social interactions and community-based support systems.

Scientific Contributions include over 80 publications in journals like Annals of Epidemiology and Social Service Review, addressing topics like redlining's impact on maternal health, stress's biological mechanisms, and religiosity's role in aging. Her work has been funded by the National Institute on Aging and National Institute of Mental Health.

Honors include Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, Next Avenue Influencer in Aging, and Top 2% Global Scientist recognition. She has testified before the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Aging and contributed to major media outlets including the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.