Dr. Gary Bennett
gary_bennett@dfci.harvard.edu

Dr. Bennett, a clinical psychologist with training in social epidemiology, joined the Center for Community-Based Research in 2003.

Primarily interested in cancer disparities, Dr. Bennett’s research program investigates psychosocial determinants of racial and ethnic differences in cancer risk. He is also involved in the development of e-health cancer risk reduction interventions for socially disadvantaged populations.

Dr. Bennett currently investigates the manner in which social stressors (including perceived racial discrimination and social occupational hazards) affect racial and ethnic differences in cancer risk behaviors. He is currently studying the notion of the “rest ethic” as a determinant of physical inactivity among African Americans. Dr. Bennett is also currently funded to examine the manner in which social and physical occupational factors affect racial and ethnic differences in a series of cancer-related biomarkers.

Dr. Bennett is particularly interested leveraging technological advances to broaden the scope and reach of behavioral interventions for underserved populations. Examples of current collaborative intervention work include the development of computer-based screening decision aids, a pilot web-based physical activity enhancement program for African Americans, refinement of a web-based cancer risk communication program for underserved populations, and the construction of an electronic data collection device to monitor health behaviors in-vivo.

Recent publications

Merritt, M.M., Bennett, G.G., Sollers, J., Edwards, C.L., Williams, R.B. Low educational attainment, John Henryism and cardiovascular reactivity and recovery to personally relevant stress. Psychosomatic Medicine 2004; 66(1): 49-55.

Bennett, G.G., Merritt, M.M., Edwards, C.L., Sollers, J.T. Perceived racism and affective responses to ambiguous interpersonal interactions among African-American Men. American Behavioral Scientist 2004; 47(7): 963-976.

Bennett, G.G., Merritt, M.M., Sollers, J., Edwards, C.L., Whitfield, K., Brandon, D. Stress, coping, and health outcomes: A review of the John Henryism hypothesis. Psychology and Health (in press).

Bennett, G.G., Merritt, M.M., Yaus, K.P. Ethnicity, education, and cortisol secretion: A preliminary investigation. Ethnicity and Health (in press).

Bennett, G.G., Berkman, L.F. Psychosocial factors in cardiovascular disease prevention. In Wong, N., Black, H., Gardin, J. (Eds.) Preventive Cardiology. McGraw Hill: Columbus, OH; 2004.

Bennett, G.G. John Henryism. In Anderson, N.B. (Ed.) The Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA; 2004.

Bennett, G.G. Health Disparities. In Anderson, N.B. (Ed.) The Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA; 2004.