SINAI Urban Health Institute

Maureen Benjamins, PhD

Professional Summary
Maureen R. Benjamins joined the Sinai Urban Health Institute in 2005 to evaluate data from the Jewish Community Health Survey. Based on the findings from that survey, she developed a multi- component obesity prevention program for the Jewish school system in Chicago. This initiative is currently being pilot tested in two schools, with hopes of expanding to the remaining 18 schools at the end of the two-year grant.

In addition to these projects, Dr. Benjamins’ research interests pertain to the influence of social factors, such as religion, race, and ethnicity, on health care utilization and physical health outcomes. Two of her current projects include examining the influence of religion on health behaviors in Mexico and investigating race/ethnic differences in self-rated health in Chicago.

Education
Postdoctoral Fellow in Gerontological Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 2005
Ph.D., Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2004
M.A., Sociology, The University of Texas at Austin, 2001
B.A., Sociology, Duke University, 1998

 Current C.V.

Select Publications:

• Benjamins, MR and Whitman S. A Culturally Appropriate School Wellness Initiative: Results of a 2-Year Pilot Intervention in 2 Jewish Schools Journal of School Health 2010;80(8):378-386.
• Benjamins, MR & Buck, AC. Religion: A Sociocultural Predictor of Health Behaviors in Mexico. Journal of Aging and Health 2008;20(3) 290-305.
• Benjamins, Maureen R. and Marcia Finlayson. Religious Service Use in a Sample of Middle-Aged and Older Adults with Multiple Sclerosis. Journal of Aging and Health, 19(3): 537-553, 2007.
• Benjamins, Maureen R., Dana M. Rhodes, Joel M. Carp, and Steven Whitman. Conducting and Responding to a Jewish Community Health Survey: Rationale, Results, and Advice. Journal of Jewish Communal Service. 2007; 82:83-95.
• Benjamins, Maureen R. Predictors of Preventive Health Care Use Among Middle-aged and Older Adults in Mexico: The Role of Religion. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology. 2007; 22: 221-234.
• Benjamins MR, Rhodes DM, Carp JM, Whitman S. A Local Community Health Survey: Findings from a Population-Based Survey of the Largest Jewish Community of Chicago. Journal of Community Health 2006; 31(6):479-95.
• Benjamins M, Rhodes DM, Carp JM, Whitman S. Report of the Findings of the Jewish Community Health Survey: Final Report. Chicago, Illinois: Sinai Urban Health Institute, 2006.
• Benjamins MR. Religious Influences on Preventive Health Care Use in a Nationally Representative Sample of Middle Age Women. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. 2006; 29(1): 1-16.
• Benjamins MR. Religious Influences on Trust in Physicians and the Health Care System. International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine. 2006; 36(1): 69-83.
• Benjamins MR, Trinitapoli JA, Ellison CG. Religous Attendance, Health Maintenance Beliefs, and Mammography Utilization: Findings from a Nationwide Survey of Presbyterian Women. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. 2006; 45(4): 597-607.
• Benjamins MR. Does Religion Influence Patient Satisfaction? American Journal of Health Behavior. 2006; 30(1): 85-91.
• Ellison, CG; Lee, JW; Benjamins, MR; Krause, NM; Ryan, DN; and Marcum, JP. Congregational Support Networks, Health Beliefs, and Annual Medical Exams: Findings from a National Sample of Presbyterians. Review of Religious Research 2008, vol 50(2): 176-193.