Phone:

(317) 278-0765

Email:

anmbritt@iu.edu

Departments:

Epidemiology

Additional Appointments:

Department of Community and Global Health (CGH)

Degrees:

PhD, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Purdue University

MPH, Purdue University

MS, Applied Statistics, Purdue University

BS, Applied Mathematics, Norfolk State University

Biography

Dr. Angelitta Spells is currently an Assistant Professor in Epidemiology in the IU Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health (FSPH). Her career path includes being a Data Scientist in the Data Analytics Center of Excellence (DACoE) for the DOD and being a tenured Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Indianapolis. Dr. Spells has a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from Norfolk State University. She also holds a M.S. in Applied Statistics, a Masters in Public Health, and a PhD in Health Promotion from Purdue University (West Lafayette). Her training includes quantitative analysis, health promotion, social epidemiology, and health disparities. Her research focuses on under-recognized health needs and social determinants of health among vulnerable and marginalized populations. Dr. Spells’ research includes examining the relationship between determinants of health and health behavior/access among older Medicare beneficiaries, and exploring the impact of discrimination as a psychosocial stressor on health outcomes among Black males. Her main focus is assessing the impact of social determinants of health (SDH) on health disparities and the health outcomes and access among underserved populations. Additionally, Dr. Spells’ has also served as a statistical consultant and an outreach health worker in the community creating and implementing health promotion/prevention programs among vulnerable populations.

Research Interests

• Health inequities in maternal mortality and infant mortality.
• Health inequities and social determinants of health in access to organ transplants and among organ transplant recipients
• Health inequities amongst mental health resources, outcomes, and access to care.