Shellae Versey is a psychologist and critical health researcher, and her interests focus on questions at the intersection of social determinants of health, the environment and an aging society. Her research examines links between health and social engagement, as well as implications of place and policy for older adults. In a separate thread of research, Shellae explores health and intersectionality, with a focus on outcomes among women. Shellae is currently working on a geographical mapping project for changing spaces, and exploring the dynamics of community and social engagement in cities. She teaches Research Methods and Social Psychology at Fordham University.
Previously, Shellae was a postdoctoral fellow at Rutgers University in the Institute of Health, Health Care Policy and Aging Research. Her work has been supported by the NIH (NIMH, NIA and NIMHD) and has been recognized by the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at the University of Michigan. Her current and future research projects aim to advance interdisciplinary conversation about the ways in which the environment gets under the skin.
Shellae grew up in South Carolina and graduated from Tuskegee University with a B.S. in biology. She then earned her M.P.H in The Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, M.S in epidemiology from the School of Public Health at The University of Michigan, and Ph.D. in psychology from the Department of Psychology (Program in Personality and Social Contexts) at the University of Michigan, where she also taught undergraduate courses in psychology, human development, and political psychology.