The STAR community welcomes Dr. Karen Jennings Mathis, our newest research scientist recruit!

Dr. Jennings Mathis is joining the STAR COBRE as a Research Scientist. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Amherst College and a MS and PhD in Nursing from Boston College. She completed a NIMH T32 Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at the University of Chicago under the mentorship of Dr. Jennifer Wildes and subsequently joined the faculty at University of Rhode Island College of Nursing.

Dr. Jennings Mathis’s research focuses on biopsychosocial mechanisms linking chronic and acute stress with eating disorders psychopathology within Black populations with a focus on intersectionality and discrimination. She holds active leadership positions in various organizations, such as the Academy for Eating Disorders and the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Dr. Jennings Mathis has received several awards and recognitions for her leadership and research, including selection as a Rockefeller University Heilbrunn Scholar and a Jonas Nurse Leaders Scholar. In addition to her many research accomplishments, Dr. Jennings Mathis is a Psychiatry-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.

In her free time, Dr. Jennings Mathis enjoys kayaking, hiking, spending time with her spouse and their dog, and relaxing with a good film or book.

We are so thrilled to have her join the STAR community!