Senior Research Director
David is an Assistant Research Professor of Global Health and Sociology, along with being the Senior Research Director of the Duke Clergy Health Collaborative Religion, a world leader in researching and designing interventions for pastors and religious leaders.
He received his Ph.D. in Sociology of Religion at Duke University, a Th.M. from Duke Divinity School, an M.Div. from Fresno Pacific Seminary, and a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alberta. Methodologically, he is skilled in the collection and analysis of survey data, including longitudinal and social network data. He is a certified R-nerd.
He is an expert on the health of religious clergy, the changing role of churches in North American society and the implications of these trends for the professional training of ministers. He has done significant work on burnout, depression and social support. A major strand of his research explores how structural racism impacts the experience of Black clergy.
He is also the Principal Investigator of The Seminary to Early Ministry Study, a multi-year, multi-cohort study seeking to understand how seminary impacts the health, occupational wellbeing, theology, and career trajectories of students.