Michele Tracy Berger

Michele Tracy Berger has been recently named Eric and Jane Nord Family Professor in the Department of Religious Studies and director of the Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities at Case Western Reserve University.

She retired in Dec 2022 as Professor Emeritus in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She was also the Associate Chair of the department.

Her research, teaching, and practice all focus on intersectional approaches to studying areas of inequality, especially racial and gender health disparities. This work spans the fields of public health, sociology, and women's and gender studies.

Her latest book is Black Women’s Health: Paths to Wellness for Mothers and Daughters (New York University Press). Black Women’s Health explores the real-life meanings and everyday practices of health (i.e., mental, physical, emotional, and sexual). The book’s focus is on southern African American mothers and their adolescent daughters and examines the themes that emerge about health, information, access to health care, and sexuality at a crucial period of girls’ lives—early adolescence. Her book will be the first monograph focusing on African American mother and daughter relationships and their role in shaping health practices. 

She is the former Director of the Faculty Fellows Program at the Institute for the Arts and Humanities. In this role, she engaged and mentored a diverse array of faculty in an interdisciplinary environment. 

She served as Vice-President of the National Women’s Studies Association (NWSA) from 2010-2014. She currently serves on Ms. Magazine’s Scholars Board.