Shelbretta Ball

Fellow

Shelbretta (Brett) Ball, (she/her), PhD, is a first-year post-doctoral fellow in the Research on Eating and Activity for Community Health (REACH) training program in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health at the University of Minnesota led by Dianne Neumark-Sztainer. Brett earned her BA in Criminal Justice and was a student-athlete for the University of South Carolina Women’s Basketball program. Her injury sparked her initial research interest in different aspects of athlete’s mental health. 

She earned her MA in Integrated Marketing Communications from the University of Mississippi and was the women’s basketball graduate assistant and liaison to Ole Miss Sports production. She  earned her PhD in Mass Communications from the University of South Carolina in 2023. Her early academic training focused on health communication. Inspired by personal experiences in sports and with media, she recognized the growing complexity of mental health and sports. She took an interest in how sports media shapes our worldviews and self-perception, specifically through the lens of the Black female athlete. Her research centers around the intersection of new media technologies, identity, race, gender, body image, and sports/physical activity. She values theoretical concepts equally to practical application.

Therefore, her research agenda plans to expand on these topics and for her work to have academic and industry impact. Brett is also a content creator who seeks to merge her research interest with digital storytelling. She does this through “Ballin’ with Brett", an athlete storytelling brand that is informed by research, empowered by athletes, and inspired by stories. She desires to leverage her research and the power of sports and physical activity to enhance underserved communities domestically and globally.

Shelbretta (Brett) Ball portrait