Gary G. Bennett, Ph.D.

Gary G. Bennett is an associate professor in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience at Duke University. He is also a member of the Duke Global Health Institute and the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Bennett also holds appointments at the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Dr. Bennett received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from Morehouse College. He completed his graduate studies in clinical psychology (with a focus in behavioral medicine) at Duke University. Following an internship in clinical health psychology at the Duke University Medical Center, Dr. Bennett pursued postdoctoral studies in social epidemiology as an Alonzo Smythe Yerby Research Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health. He was a faculty member at the Harvard School of Public Health and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute until joining Duke University in January 2009.

Dr. Bennett’s work seeks to understand and intervene to reduce obesity in high risk populations. His work investigates social and psychosocial sources of disparities in a range of health behaviors, including obesity, physical inactivity, and tobacco use. Dr. Bennett’s research program is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Dr. Bennett's intervention research is characterized by an attempt to leverage advances in health information technologies to better manage obesity, particularly in the primary setting.

Dr. Bennett is committed to the dissemination of evidence-based interventions. He was a co-founder of Crimson Health Solutions, a wellness corporation that commercialized behavior change interventions in the disease management sector; Crimson was acquired by Health Dialog in 2007.

Disparities in health remain a vexing problem, particularly for obesity and its associated outcomes. Dr. Bennett’s research is heavily focused on disparities he has advocated for increased policy attention to the issue. His work has been recognized by both community-based and national organizations alike. In 2004, he was named one of Boston's Ten Outstanding Young Leaders.