Acquel Allen-Mitchell, PhD, MPH, MBA, is a recent graduate of the Public Health, Social and Behavioral Sciences concentration. She brought over five years of experience in the nonprofit sector to her academic work. While at UF, her research focused on understanding the relationship between gentrification and social determinants of health (SDOH) and how this interaction contributes to health disparities. Currently, Dr. Allen-Mitchell is a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Dr. Allen-Mitchell earned her B.A. in Medicine, Health, and Society from Vanderbilt University and her M.P.H. and M.B.A. from the University of Florida. Prior to pursuing her doctoral studies, she held roles at the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, as well as in hospital systems in Florida and New York. During her doctoral program, she received funding from the University of Florida’s Brown Center for Leadership & Service to co-develop a community-based intervention aimed at mitigating the harmful impacts of gentrification in East Gainesville.
Her research examined the intersection of gentrification and health outcomes in the United States, with a focus on engaging minoritized communities and fostering resilience through community collaboration. She was mentored by Brittney Dixon, Ph.D., M.P.H., a Clinical Assistant Professor of Health Services Research, Management, and Policy, and Director of the Bachelor of Public Health program. Together, they collaborated on several initiatives related to the built environment, healthy food affordability, and other topics surrounding SDOH.
In addition to her primary research, Dr. Allen-Mitchell contributed to projects exploring tobacco-related health inequities among Black Americans, sexual violence prevention training in military populations, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with disabilities. She was also awarded a graduate student fellowship from Cohort Sistas, an organization aimed at providing mentorship and support to historically excluded women pursuing doctoral degrees and received the Best All Around Poster award from the Florida Public Health Association during their annual education meeting. Her long-term goal has been to reduce health disparities rooted in the social determinants of health through evidence-based, community-centered research.