Julie Ober Allen

Assistant Professor

joallen3@wisc.edu



Allen, Julie

   Download CV   https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3969-8130  

I am an Assistant Professor of Health Promotion and Health Equity in the Dept. of Kinesiology. My research investigates mechanisms generating chronic disease burden and disparities within the older U.S. adult population. This work focuses on how exposure to chronic stressors rooted in social inequities (e.g., ageism, discrimination, race and gender ideologies, adverse life events) affect behavior, biology, psychosocial factors, and subsequent health in later life. My work to date emphasizes the health implications of ageism, Black-White health disparities, and health outcomes such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers, and multimorbidity. The underlying motivation for this research is to inform innovative community, societal, and policy level change to promote health and reduce health disparities among older U.S. adults. I completed my MPH and PhD at the School of Public Health and postdoctoral fellowship at the Institute for Social Research, both at the University of Michigan.

Select Media Contributions

  • CBS Sunday Morning, Fighting back against ageism. (November, 2022). Media Link

Select Publications

  • Allen, J. O., Moïse, V., Solway, E., Cheney, M. K., Larson, D., Malani, P. N., Singer, D., & Kullgren, J. T. (2024). How old do I look? Aging appearance and experiences of aging among US adults ages 50-80. Psychology and Aging, 39(5), 551-564. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., & Sikora, N. (2023). Aging stigma and the health of US adults over 65: What do we know? Clinical Interventions in Aging, 18, 2093-2116. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Elias, L. K., & Greenwood, J. C. (2023). Differences and disparities in ageism affecting older adults: A review. Current Epidemiology Reports, 10, 17-32. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Solway, E., Kirch, M., Singer, D., Kullgren, J., Moïse, V., & Malani, P. N. (2022). Experiences of everyday ageism and the health of older US adults. JAMA Network Open, 5(6), e2217240. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Mezuk, B., Byrd, D., Rafferty, J., Abelson, J., Abelson, J., White, C. J., & Jackson, J. S. (2022). Mechanisms of cardiometabolic health outcomes and disparities: What characteristics of chronic stressors are linked to HPA-axis dysregulation? Journal of Aging and Health, 34(3), 147-157. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Solway, E., Kirch, M., Singer, D., Kullgren, j. t., & Malani, p. n. (2022). The Everyday Ageism Scale: Development and evaluation. Journal of Aging and Health, 34(2), 147-157. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Concha, J. B., Mejía Ruiz, M. J., Rapp, A., Montgomery, J., Smith, J., Wolfson, J. A., Thornton, W., & Mezuk, B. (2020). Engaging underserved community members in diabetes self-management: Evidence from the YMCA of Greater Richmond Diabetes Control Program. The Diabetes Educator, 46(2), 169-180. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Watkins, D. C., Chatters, L., Geronimus, A. T., & Johnson-Lawrence, V. (2019). Cortisol and racial health disparities affecting Black men in later life: Evidence from MIDUS II. American Journal of Men’s Health, 13(4), 1-13. Online Publication/Abstract.
  • Allen, J. O., Griffith, D. M., & Gaines, H. C. (2013). “She looks out for the meals, period”: African American men’s perceptions of how their wives influence their eating behavior and dietary health. Health Psychology, 32(4), 447-455. Online Publication/Abstract.