Gary Bennett is the Bishop-MacDermott Family Professor of Psychology & Neuroscience, Global Health and Medicine at Duke University. He was appointed Duke’s Dean of Trinity College of Arts & Sciences on February 1, 2023. Dr. Bennett also directs the Duke Global Digital Health Science Center. He is a fellow of the Association for Psychological Science and Past President of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, the nation's largest professional organization of behavior change experts.
Dr. Bennett’s research program designs and tests digital obesity treatments, especially in primary care. He developed the interactive obesity treatment approach (iOTA) and has authored more than 135 scientific papers; Dr. Bennett’s research program has been continually funded by the National Institutes of Health. Additionally, Dr. Bennett has co-founded three digital health startups, including Crimson Health Solutions (acquired by Health Dialog in 2007), Scale Down (acquired by Anthem in 2017), and Coeus Health.
Dr. Bennett is a member of Duke’s Bass Society of Fellows and is the founding director of Duke’s undergraduate major in global health. His students’ course ratings have repeatedly placed Dr. Bennett in the top 5% of Duke’s undergraduate instructors.
Prior to joining Duke in 2009, Dr. Bennett served on the faculties of the Harvard School of Public Health and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He earned degrees at Morehouse College and Duke University, and completed postdoctoral studies at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Dr. Bennett and his double-Dukie wife, Leah Moore, live in Raleigh and have two daughters.