Carmen Sceppa, Northeastern University

Carmen Castaneda Sceppa

MD, PhD, FGSA

Dean of Bouvé College of Health Sciences


Overview

Carmen Castañeda Sceppa, MD, PhD, FGSA, is the Dean of Bouvé College of Health Sciences and Professor of Health Sciences at Northeastern University.

Dr. Sceppa received her medical degree from Francisco Marroquín University in Guatemala City, Guatemala, where she was born and raised. She received her PhD in Nutrition from The Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Dr. Sceppa is a clinician, researcher, educator, mentor, and leader. Her work centers around advancing and prolonging health for all. Her research seeks to understand the role of lifestyle interventions on advancing overall health and quality of life. She examines health and wellness in settings that promote physical activity among underserved and vulnerable populations, specifically, older adults and the elderly, particularly Hispanics and African Americans. Dr. Sceppa’s research has provided evidence-based information to transform the way we think about healthy lifestyle from personal choice to preventive medicine.

Continued funding for Dr. Sceppa’s translational program of research includes funding from the Brookdale Foundation, the International Life Sciences Institute, the National Institutes of Health (NIA, NINR, NIDDK, NHLBI), the National Space and Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI), as well as corporations and foundations such as Novartis, Departments of Public Health, and Boston Children’s Hospital.

Dr. Sceppa serves as senior faculty mentor for the Network of Minority Research Investigators (NMRI) at the National Institutes of Health. She is an active and long-time member and contributor of the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) and is a GSA Fellow. In 2021, Dr. Sceppa is the Treasurer (2022-2025) of the GSA Board of Directors. She also serves as Faculty Mentor for the Gerontological Society of America (GSA) Career Development & Mentoring Technical Assistance Workshop. She is an active member of the American Society for Nutrition.