About Dr. Lincoln
Dr. Karen D. Lincoln is an academic and public scholar whose work highlights societal and social factors that contribute to health disparities. Her research, writing and advocacy are rooted in the African American experience and across the fields of social work, sociology, and gerontology. She is the owner of Karen D. Lincoln Consulting Services and Founder and Director of Advocates for African American Elders.
Dr. Lincoln has authored over 80 articles and book chapters that explore and reveal the connection between societal determinants of inequity, social determinants of health and the human condition. Her research has been funded by several agencies, including the National Institute on Aging and the National Institute of Mental Health.
Dr. Lincoln has written op-eds for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other media outlets focused on racial disparities in long-term care, Alzheimer’s disease, caregiving, and COVID-19. She has testified before the Senate Select Committee
on Aging and Long-term Care, and has been appointed to several legislative committees by elected officials, including Mayor Greg Nickels (D-Seattle), Senator Kevin De Leon (D-California) and Governor Gavin Newsom (D-California).
Dr. Lincoln has participated in broadcast interviews on radio and television as an expert on health disparities, racial discrimination, minority aging, and mental health, and has been quoted in over 40 media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and US News & World Report.
Dr. Lincoln is a Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America, a Hartford Faculty Scholar, an Encore Public Voices Fellow, and a Next Avenue Influencer in Aging. She was ranked third among the most influential African American social work scholars in the United States.
Dr. Lincoln is an honor’s graduate from UC Berkeley where she received a B.A. in Sociology with a minor in African American studies and a graduate from the University of Michigan where she earned a MSW, a M.A. in Sociology and a Ph.D. in Social Work and Sociology.
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Download Dr. Lincoln's Vitae.