Dr. Rakale Collins Quarells is a behavioral scientist and Professor of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at the Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), where she also serves as Associate Director of the MSM Prevention Research Center. She holds a joint appointment as Adjunct Professor in the Department of Behavioral, Social, and Health Education Sciences at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health. Since joining MSM in 2000—after completing a prestigious postdoctoral fellowship in chronic disease epidemiology and prevention at the Stanford Prevention Research Center—Dr. Quarells has built an influential career dedicated to advancing health equity through community-engaged research, translational science, and evidence-based intervention development.

Trained as a personality psychologist (M.S., Ph.D., Howard University), Dr. Quarells applies behavioral science frameworks to understand and reduce the burden of chronic diseases—including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and epilepsy—among Black and Latinx communities. Her work centers on the belief that sustainable health improvements emerge from equitable partnerships, culturally attuned methodologies, and authentic collaboration with community stakeholders. These commitments have positioned her as a national leader in community-engaged chronic disease prevention and self-management research.

Dr. Quarells has served as Principal Investigator, Multi-Principal Investigator, or Co-Investigator on more than $45 million in federal and private funding, including major awards from the National Institutes of Health (NIDDK, NIMHD, NINDS, NCATS, NHLBI), CDC, and multiple pharmaceutical partners. Her research portfolio includes the development and adaptation of innovative behavioral interventions—such as Project UPLIFT for depression in people with epilepsy—epidemiologic studies of social determinants of health, and large-scale community-engaged initiatives such as Georgia CEAL and National CEDER. She currently leads the UCB Epilepsy High Utilizer Program and serves as MPI for the NIH-funded Georgia CEAL RESTORES initiative.

An accomplished educator, Dr. Quarells directs the Georgia CTSA Joint Course in Community Engagement and Health Disparities in Clinical and Translational Research, providing interdisciplinary training to students from MSM, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Georgia. She has mentored more than 70 trainees—including medical students, MPH students, doctoral students, and undergraduate researchers—many of whom have advanced into academic, clinical, and public health leadership roles. Her dedication to teaching and mentorship has earned multiple awards, including the MSCR Faculty Teaching Award.

Dr. Quarells has authored or co-authored peer-reviewed publications spanning community-engaged research, chronic disease epidemiology, cardiovascular and metabolic health disparities, behavioral risk reduction, and epilepsy self-management. Her work is widely cited for its culturally centered approach, and real-world translation into community and clinical practice. She also co-authored the 2025 book chapter “Community Engagement and Translational Research” in Community-Centered Public Health Practice: Strategies, Tools, and Applications for Advancing Health Equity, a reflection of her leadership in shaping national discourse on equitable research practices.

Her service record includes numerous NIH study section appointments, consulting roles for federal and industry partners, and leadership on national initiatives focused on behavioral health, chronic disease prevention, and research equity. She has been recognized as a C-Change Fellow (Brandeis University), a member of MSM’s Million Dollar Research Club, and a recipient of Mayor Shirley Franklin’s Phoenix Award for her community-based cardiovascular prevention work.

Across more than two decades, Dr. Quarells has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to addressing health inequities through research excellence, community partnership, and compassionate leadership. Her career reflects a deep belief in the transformative power of community-engaged science to advance health, dignity, and opportunity for historically marginalized populations.