Bio:
James R. Muruthi, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and Brain Sciences at Drexel University. His research examines how psychosocial experiences, social relationships, and community environments shape resilience, health, and well-being across the life course. Drawing on perspectives from health psychology, lifespan development, gerontology, and behavioral science, he investigates the mechanisms through which chronic stress, social adversity, and structural inequities influence psychological functioning, behavioral adaptation, and long-term health outcomes.
Dr. Muruthi's research focuses on aging, cardiometabolic health, and cancer prevention, with particular attention to Black communities, immigrants, and other historically underserved populations. His work seeks to understand why some individuals maintain resilience and adaptive capacity despite substantial social and environmental challenges, while others experience accelerated health decline. Through community-engaged and population-based research, he studies how social support, social connectedness, discrimination, neighborhood conditions, and psychosocial stress shape psychological well-being, coping processes, health behaviors, and chronic disease risk.
An emerging area of his scholarship examines the interplay between psychosocial and environmental exposures, cardiometabolic dysregulation, and prostate cancer risk among Black men. This work aims to identify modifiable behavioral and psychosocial pathways to inform more effective prevention, screening, and health promotion strategies.
His research spans both domestic and international settings and includes collaborations across the United States and several African countries. At Drexel, Dr. Muruthi teaches research methods, behavioral science, biostatistics, and human development, and mentors undergraduate, master's, and doctoral students. His long-term goal is to develop culturally responsive, community-engaged interventions that strengthen resilience, enhance health-promoting behaviors, and reduce health disparities across diverse populations.