Main ContentCaroline E. Compretta, PhD
Dr. Compretta is an assistant professor in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Pediatrics in addition to being core faculty in the Center for Bioethics and Medical Humanities at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
As an anthropologist working in Mississippi's only academic medical center, Dr. Compretta has developed and implemented medical humanities curricula and experiential learning exercises designed to teach medical students about social determinants of health, health disparities, culinary medicine, and diverse contexts of care. In addition, Dr. Compretta's research interests include health equity, food insecurity, pediatric obesity, and community-based programs. She is an experienced qualitative researcher with years of experience conducting community-engaged research. Her current work examines the social determinants of pediatric obesity and barriers to physical activity in a low-income community in Jackson.
Dr. Compretta has received several awards for her teaching and research including the Trailblazer Teaching Award from UMMC, the Association of Emeriti Faculty Endowed Fellowship from the University of Kentucky, and the P.E.O. Scholar Award from the Philanthropic Education Organization International. She has also been accepted into the Mississippi Center for Clinical and Translational Research (MCCTR) Community-Engaged Research Summer Institute and Mentor Academy as well as the NSF Summer Institute for Research Design. Since joining the faculty at UMMC in 2015, Dr. Compretta's research has been funded by the National Institute for Minority Health Disparities, the University of Mississippi Wellbeing Constellation, and the Mississippi Humanities Council. In addition, she has worked on projects funded by the National Institutes of Health Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA), American Heart Association, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and the Bower Foundation. She has presented her work at national conferences as an invited speaker and has published book chapters and papers in peer reviewed journals.