Life course epidemiologist · UNC Chapel Hill

Hi, I'm Dr. Chantel Martin

I study how the places we live, grow, work, and play get under the skin to shape our health.

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My story

Epidemiology found me

I didn't start out in public health — I earned my degree in finance with a minor in economics. Then a post-bac class introduced me to public health, and everything clicked: epidemiology married my curiosity about why communities experience health so differently with my lifelong love of math and numbers. I've been asking those questions with data ever since — and I still can't imagine doing anything else.

More about my journey →

My work

Ways we can work together

Whether you're planning an event, building a study, or growing as a scientist — here's how I show up.

Research

I lead studies on epigenetics, cardiometabolic health, and healthy aging across the life course — tracing how social and environmental stressors become biology.

Speaking & Consulting

From keynotes to workshops, I translate complex science into stories people carry home — and I partner with organizations making health equity real.

Mentorship & Collaboration

I invest in the next generation of scientists and build cross-disciplinary teams — because these questions are too big for any one of us alone.

Why I do this work

Science in service of community

My work is committed to communities disproportionately impacted by structural inequities — particularly Black communities. By understanding how neighborhood conditions, segregation, and environmental stressors get under the skin, I aim to build the evidence for earlier, more equitable prevention strategies and policies that let every community thrive.

Featured talks

Invite me to speak

Keynote

Embodiment of Place: How Neighborhoods Get Under the Skin

Invited seminar · NC State Toxicology Program

Panel

Social Epigenetics and the Roots of Health Inequities

Annual Review of Public Health authors series

Workshop

Translating Life Course Science into Equitable Policy

Community & public health partners

In the media

Feature

Research on early-life disadvantage and Black women's mental health covered in national outlets

Cited

“Understanding Health Inequalities Through the Lens of Social Epigenetics” — Annual Review of Public Health

Press

Highlighting inequities in treatment of postpartum depressive symptoms

Honors & awards

Award

ASPPH award for research excellence

NIH

K99/R00 Pathways to Independence Award, NIMHD

Fellow