Biography
Rachel Bergmans, MPH, PhD, is a Research Assistant Professor in the University of Michigan Department of Anesthesiology, Chronic Pain and Fatigue Research Center (CPFRC) and leads the CPFRC Health Equity Core. As a social epidemiologist and community-engaged researcher, Dr. Bergmans uses quantitative and qualitative approaches to study health inequities in pain care and research. Her program of work is focused on putting permanent infrastructure in place to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion within pain research at the University of Michigan; establishing sustainable academic-community partnerships; and prioritizing the perspectives of historically underrepresented and marginalized communities in the development of non-pharmaceutical therapies and interventions for pain management. Dr. Bergmans earned her BA in exercise science from Hope College in 2009 and her MPH from the University of Michigan in 2013. In 2017, she obtained her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Bergmans is committed to mentoring and training junior investigators in health equity and community-engaged research. As a mentor to undergraduate, graduate, and medical students, she enjoys helping students identify their academic concentrations, encouraging mentees to pursue leadership positions in their fields of interest, and increasing access to academic and career development resources.