04/23/2026
We are pleased to announce that Devon Betts will join CAAAS as the second Dr. Anthony B. Pinn Postdoctoral Associate, beginning August 1, 2026.
Devon Betts is a PhD candidate in American Studies at the University of Maryland, where he is completing his dissertation, “There’s No Pill for What Ails Us: Paranoia, Power, and the Politics of Prevention,” under the direction of La Marr Jurelle Bruce (expected defense: April 2026). His interdisciplinary research draws on media studies, q***r of color critique, history, and the medical humanities to examine how paranoia shapes health decision-making among Black Americans.
Betts’s work explores topics such as Black women’s skepticism toward prescription birth control, Black q***r men’s mistrust of HIV prevention medications, and broader hesitations around participation in vaccine trials.
