Sierra Carter, PhD

Dr. Carter is an Assistant Professor in clinical and community psychology at Georgia State University. Her research focuses on racial health disparities and investigating how psychosocial and contextual stressors can affect both mental and physical health outcomes for underrepresented and marginalized populations across the life course. She has had a long-standing interest in the ways that health disparities in Black American populations arise and are maintained by psychological, physiological, and contextual processes. A common theme throughout much of her work has been examining how racial discrimination, as an acute and chronic stressor, effects development and exacerbation of chronic illnesses and stress-related disorders across the life course. Her research aims to aid in improved identification of mechanisms that can be targeted in prevention and treatment efforts to reduce racial health disparities.