I am a social scientist focusing on research to promote the health and wellbeing of various marginalized populations. My specific research agenda is related to improving mental health outcomes of African Americans. The significance of my research involves reducing the burden of depression and other mental illnesses and improving mental health treatment outcomes for African American adults and older adults. My experience as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker informs my research questions which focus on uncovering patterns in mental health treatment utilization, risk profiles for depression, and variations in the experience of depression over-time among African Americans. I am particularly interested in uncovering heterogeneity in the experience, expression, and treatment of mental illness within the African American population. Also, my research focuses on exploring ways that religiosity influences mental health outcomes and suggests that increased partnerships between mental health professionals and clergy can improve mental and emotional wellbeing in African American communities.

Development of My Research Agenda

 “I’m just going to pray my way through it.” This seemed to be a common sentiment spoken by many African Americans in both my professional and personal life in response to emotional or mental problems. African Americans with a diagnosable mental disorder have more severe, persistent, and disabling symptoms compared to non-Hispanic whites yet tend to not to utilize professional mental health services in favor of social and religious coping. For many African Americans, cultural beliefs and the preference for religious forms of coping with mental health problems can pose a barrier to accessing professional mental health treatment as an additional source of support. To bridge the gap between informal support and formal mental health services for African Americans I have developed a program of research that focuses on increasing access to culturally competent mental health treatments while also promoting the use of effective psychosocial and sociocultural supports to manage mental and emotional problems.

My research agenda is also informed by my work as a clinical social worker in a publicly-funded community mental health clinic serving low-income, racially and ethnically diverse clientele with severe and persistent mental illness. As a clinical social worker, I engaged in individual therapy, case management, and group therapy with a caseload of approximately 30 adult clients. I was the only African American therapist in an agency that served approximately 140 African American clients. Many of the African American clients reported how connected their symptoms and recovery were to their cultural and religious experiences. However, there seemed to be a lack of evidenced-based interventions directly tailored to meet the needs of this population.

After several years as I clinical therapist, I transitioned from direct practice into mezzo-level community organizing. In this capacity, I facilitated partnerships between the local mental health authority, community-based organizations and churches in the area. As the co-convener of the Interfaith Collaboration on Mental Health I held conferences, conducted workshops and interacted with clergy who disclosed their personal challenges with reconciling the need for mental health support with a reliance on faith. Ministers and lay leaders expressed the need for increased knowledge about mental illness and how to effectively address it. Unfortunately, there was a dearth of available evidence-based interventions or culturally tailored materials to train clergy to effectively respond to the complex mental health needs of their congregants.

Research Activities

My entire program of research is a direct response to these professional experiences. My research and publications have focused on examining underexplored areas related to the efficacy of faith-based interventions, help-seeking behaviors of African Americans, pastors’ attitudes towards mental illness, and risk and protective profiles for depression. Specifically, I have conducted the only systematic literature review that examines the outcomes of faith-based mental health programs designed for African Americans. Also, I have conducted several secondary data analyses using national data sets to produce findings that will inform future intervention designs. I have conducted several latent class analyses using data from the National Survey of American Life (NSAL) that identified help-seeking profiles for mental disorders among African Americans with results suggesting that one’s level of religiosity is associated with the kind of support sources sought out to manage mental problems. My methodological expertise includes the use of multinomial logistic regression, latent class analysis, latent transition analysis, and growth mixture modeling which will allow me to uncover variations in the experience of mental health.

In addition to secondary data analyses, I have experience working directly with marginalized communities as a researcher. When conducting research in communities of color it is imperative that researchers have the ability to develop trust and rapport with groups who have had negative experiences with researchers and research institutions. I have had extensive training on how to navigate the sensitive nature of engaging populations that have been labeled “hard to reach”, in qualitative interviews and surveys to collect data on their community and health experiences. I have conducted culturally competent survey design, face-to-face interviews, data management, data analysis, and results reporting to community members and stakeholders.

Recently I have focused my scholarly efforts on implementing and testing mental health promotion interventions in various community settings. I served as Co-PI on a study that tested the effectiveness of Mental Health First Aid among congregants. This study resulted in a co-authored publication that reveals preliminary evidence around the efficacy of mental health education training among church members and leaders. This research project was then expanded to assess the cultural appropriateness of implementing this intervention in Uganda. I conducted primary research in Uganda and served as lead author on a publication that examined the cultural adaptations needed and challenges of implementing a Western evidence-based intervention in an international context.

Future Research Plans

Moving forward my plans are directed at advancing research and intervention development to provide tailored mental health treatments to reduce the burden of mental illness for African Americans and other populations likely to suffer disproportionately. I will continue to utilize large national data sets to uncover new behavioral profiles which will lead to publications that advance knowledge in social work. I also plan to use my experience as a community organizer and researcher to develop meaningful community relationships and partnerships with organizations (e.g. churches) that are natural support sources for marginalized groups . My familiarity with conducting qualitative and quantitative data analyses will aid me in gathering new information about the mental health needs and resources in the community. My scholarly agenda also includes securing government and foundation grants to support my primary research. Throughout the course of my research career I will continue to address disparate mental health outcomes by engaging in research to develop and test community-based interventions to improve lives.