|
FALL 2023 DIRECTOR'S CORNER | | |
Letter from our Director
Dear Curtis Center Team Members and Affiliates,
As I sit down to pen my last message to you as Curtis Center Director, it is with a sense of excitement, a sense of accomplishment, and an overwhelming gratitude for the privilege of having served as the leader of our Curtis Center for Health Equity Research and Training for the past five years. This journey has been incredible, and I find it both bittersweet and humbling to bid you all farewell.
When I first stepped into this role, I could only imagine the potential and the incredible team I was about to embark on this journey with. The last five years have been a remarkable adventure, and your unwavering dedication, passion, and brilliance have propelled our research center to new heights. I have witnessed this team tackle complex challenges with vigor and produce groundbreaking research, educational opportunities, and community impact that can transform lives. Your commitment to our vision and our mission has been nothing short of inspiring. Our work has expanded the boundaries of knowledge and helped bridge the health disparities plaguing our communities. Thankfully, the impact of our collective efforts will resonate far beyond our time together.
During these five years, I have also had the privilege of getting to know each of you on a personal level. The friendships forged here will stay with me, and I am deeply thankful for our connections. Change is the only constant, and it is time for me to pass the torch to a new leader (Dr. Jaclynn Hawkins) who will guide the Curtis Center into the future. I leave with a sense of accomplishment and pride in the amazing work we have done and hope and excitement for our research center's continued growth and success.
I would like to express my sincere gratitude to each one of you for your unwavering support, dedication, and the countless hours of hard work you've put in. You are an extraordinary team, and working alongside you has been an absolute privilege. Though I have decided not to renew my term as director, I am not saying goodbye to our cause. I will continue championing health equity from a different vantage point and look forward to our paths crossing again in pursuing our shared mission.
Please stay in touch, and remember that the bonds we've formed here are more than professional; they reflect the incredible team we have become.
With deep appreciation and warm regards,
Daphne C. Watkins, Ph.D.
Director, The Curtis Center
January 2019 - December 2023
| | |
Alana Ewen, MPH
Curtis Center Predoctoral Fellow Alana Ewen is a PhD student in Behavioral and Community Health at the University of Maryland School of Public Health. Her research focuses on understanding the perceived stressors (e.g., racism and discrimination) experienced by Black adults over the life course and how these stressors impact the onset and management of type 2 diabetes. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Health and Society from the University of Rochester, and Master of Public Health in Epidemiology from the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health. Alana is working with Dr. Hawkins.
| |
|
The Curtis Center kicked off the fall semester with our first in person all team meeting since 2019! The team discussed milestones and brainstormed future events, offerings, and initiatives for the Curtis Center!
| |
|
|
The Research Incubator Program, part of the Eisenberg Family Depression Center’s Data & Design Core, has selected Faculty Affiliate and Inaugural Signature Program Faculty member Dr. Anao Zhang as part of the 2023 cohort!
His Incubator project will use the Health and Retirement Study to examine the mental health trajectories of adult survivors of cancer who received their diagnoses in adolescence or young adulthood (AYA). This project seeks to better understand the long-term mental health impacts of a cancer diagnosis in AYA throughout the life course.
| |
|
We have two new faculty affiliates joining the Curtis Center Team!
Welcome Dr. Ed-Dee Williams, previous Curtis Center Postdoctoral Research Associate, and Dr. Allura Casanova, previous Curtis Center Doctoral Student Research Assistant.
| |
|
Ed-Dee Williams, PhD, LLMSW
Curtis Center Faculty Affiliate, Assistant Professor of Social Work, Boston College
| |
|
Allura Casanova, PhD
Curtis Center Faculty Affiliate,
Visiting Assistant Professor of Psychology, Furman University
| |
|
Curtis Center Faculty Affiliate Dr. Janelle R. Goodwill participated on a panel for local Chicago PBS News discussing suicide in young Black people and how early intervention can help.
| |
|
Dr. Williams was recently interviewed by CBS Boston about his work on autism and depression, including the intervention he is developing to help Black youth with autism talk about their health.
| | |
|
|
Doctoral Student Research Assistant Brittany Ribeiro Brown was awarded the CEW+ Mary Malcoson Raphael Scholar distinction for her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through her research on the mental health of Black adolescents and adults with an intersectional lens.
Ribeiro also successfully passed her Social Work Preliminary Exams at the end of August!
| |
Dr. Watkins and her YBMen team (Keith Miller and Brittany Ribeiro Brown) are working with The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB) to adapt the YBMen program for ACB males ages 16-30 who have experienced the murder of family members and/or friends and reside within five neighborhoods disproportionately impacted by homicide in Toronto, Canada. This culturally adapted YBMen program for ACB males will be called Restore, Intervene, Support, and Educate (RISE) YBMen Toronto, or RISE YBMen Toronto. | |
The YBMen Project Team has been working with Curtis Center Faculty Affiliate Professor James Smith at Flinders University for the past two years to conduct a trial implementation of an adapted online social and emotional well-being health promotion program (YBMenNT), which aims to engage young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander males from the Northern Territory, Australia. The project uses a private social media group (i.e., Facebook or Instagram) to generate strengths-based discussions about mental health, cultural identity, and progressive concepts of manhood and masculinities. | |
The Essex Summer School (ESS) in Social Science Data Analysis in Colchester, England provides world-leading social science methods training from internationally renowned faculty from the world’s top research institutions. Dr. Watkins joined other social science faculty from all over the world to teach at the 56th annual ESS in Social Science Data Analysis. Dr. Watkins had an opportunity to teach mixed methods research to doctoral students and faculty participants in July and August 2023. | |
Curtis Center staff Kate Kloss and Srijani Sengupta attended the MIU Men's Health Foundation's 13th annual Men's Health Event on September 30th! They talked with attendees about current research opportunities and knowing the risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. | |
|
Blanco Martinez, S., [...], & Cross, F. L., (August, 2023). Sharing the Burden: Latinx Immigrant Parents and Teens' Sociopolitical Discussions and Their Impact on Youth Mental Health. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development.
Boden-Albala, B., [...], & Griffith, D. M. (August, 2023). Use of Community-Engaged Research Approaches in Clinical Interventions for Neurologic Disorders in the United States. Neurology.
Braet, D. J., [...], Powell, C. A., et al. (September, 2023). Comparative Evaluation of Transcutaneous Oxygen Tension vs Ankle Brachial Index as Predictors of Need for Below-knee Amputation Revision Journal of Vascular Surgery.
Dualeh, S., Powell, C. A., et al. (September, 2023). Rate of Emergency Lower Extremity Amputations in the United States among Medicare Beneficiaries. Annals of Surgery.
Gale, A., Johnson, N. C., [...], Anyiwo, N., & Byrd, C. M. (July, 2023). Reflecting on change: Critical consciousness as a protective factor for Black youth. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology.
Gómez, J. M., [...], Delva, J., et. al. (February, 2023). Institutional courage in action: Racism, sexual violence, & concrete institutional change. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation.
Granner, J., [...], Burns, J., et al. (September, 2023). Childhood maltreatment history and trauma‐specific predictors of parenting stress in new fathers. Infant Mental Health Journal.
Griffith, D. M., et al. (August, 2023). Determinants of Inequities in Neurologic Disease, Health, and Well-being: The NINDS Social Determinants of Health Framework. Neurology.
Griffith, D. M., et al. (October, 2023). Fathers' Perspectives on Fatherhood and Paternal Involvement During Pregnancy and Childbirth. Health Education and Behavior.
Griffith, D. M., et al. (August, 2023). Mighty Men: A Pilot Test of the Feasibility and Acceptability of a Faith-Based, Individually Tailored, Cluster-Randomized Weight Loss Trial for Middle-Aged and Older African American Men. American Journal of Men’s Health.
Griffith, D. M., et al. (July, 2023). Peer Reviewed: Promoting Health Equity Through the Power of Place, Perspective, and Partnership. Preventing Chronic Disease.
Hai AH., […] Delva, J. (July, 2023). Culturally adapted motivational interviewing's effects on drinking in response to immigration and acculturation stressors among Latinx adults with heavy drinking problems. Journal of Substance Use and Addiction Treatment
Hall, S. V., Zivin, K., Piatt, G. A., et al. (September, 2023). Racial Disparities in Diagnosis of Postpartum Mood and Anxiety Disorders Among Symptomatic Medicaid Enrollees, 2012–2015, 2012–2015. Psychiatric Services.
Iglesias-Rio, L., [...], Fleming, P. J., et al. (August, 2023). The Michigan Farmworker Project: A Community-Based Participatory Approach to Research on Precarious Employment and Labor Exploitation of Farmworkers. Labor Studies Journal
Ignacio, M., [...], Spencer, M. (July, 2023). Establishing core content for culturally grounded harm reduction intervention for urban Indigenous after-school youth in the Pacific Northwest. International Journal of Indigenous Health.
Jones, L. M., et al. (September, 2023). Psychometric Evaluation of the Modes of Health Information Acquisition, Sharing, and Use Questionnaire: Prospective Cross-Sectional Observational Study. Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Kim, H. M., [...], & Zivin, K. (September, 2023). Autonomy in work location decision and burnout in behavioral health providers: Lessons learned from COVID-19. Journal of Affective Disorders Reports.
Lim, J. W., Zhang, A., & Zebrack, B. (September, 2023). Technology-Based Cancer Survivorship Care Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Research on Social Work Practice.
Lin, Y. K., [...], Kloss, K., Piatt, G. A., et al. (October, 2023). An mHealth Text Messaging Program Providing Symptom Detection Training and Psychoeducation to Improve Hypoglycemia Self-Management: Intervention Development Study. JMIR Formative Research.
Loeb, S., [...], Griffith, D. M., et al. (July, 2023). The Effect of Racial Concordance on Patient Trust in Online Videos About Prostate Cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Network Open.
Martinez Jr., R. R., & Ellis, J. M. (September, 2023). A National Study Exploring Factors Promoting Adolescent College Readiness in Math and Science (STEM-CR). Educational Researcher.
Murphy, S. L., [...], Piatt, G. A., [...], Watkins, D. C. (September, 2023). Evaluation of an Online Research Best Practices Training for Community Health Workers and Promotoras. Journal of Clinical and Translational Science.
Oneha, M., Spencer, M., & et al. (March, 2023) Ho’olina Pono A’e: Integrating Native Hawaiian healing into primary care. Hawaii Journal of Health & Social Welfare.
Pfeiffer, P. N., [...], Zivin, K., et al. (September, 2023). Guideline-concordant use of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia in the Veterans Health Administration. Sleep Health.
Piatt, G. A., (September, 2023). Impact of Research: Achieving Health Equity for Adults With Diabetes. The Science of Diabetes Self-Management and Care.
Rauch, S. M., [...], & Zivin, K. (August, 2023). Improving function through primary care treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder study outcomes: A randomized controlled trial of prolonged exposure for primary care in veterans. Families, Systems, & Health.
Roux, M. A., [...], Williams, ED., et al. (August, 2023). More Than Just a Variable: The Need to Explicitly Focus on Black Youth Within Autism Transitions Research. Autism in Adulthood.
Tabb, K. M., [...], & Zivin, K. (July, 2023). The relationship between diagnosed antenatal depression and anxiety and adverse birth outcomes between 2009 and 2020. General Hospital Psychiatry
Valdez, L. A., [...], & Griffith, D. M. (September, 2023). Breaking Down Machismo: Shifting Definitions and Embodiments of Latino Manhood in Middle-Aged Latino Men. American Journal of Men’s Health.
Ware, O. D., [...], Frey, J. J., et al. (June, 2023). Higher Perceived Stress During Admission is Associated with Shorter Retention in Short-Term Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment. Addictive Behaviors Reports.
Zhang, A., et al. (July, 2023). Tailoring Solution-Focused Brief Therapy for Adolescents and Young Adults with Cancer: A Qualitative Investigation. Clinical Social Work Journal.
| |
THANK YOU, CURTIS CENTER TEAM! | |
The Curtis Center for Health Equity Research and Training leadership and staff would like to extend a huge thank you to our group of leaders, scientists, community organizers, practitioners, educators, and students dedicated to cutting-edge research, education/training, and community outreach. Thank you for all you have done over the past 5 years to advance health equity. We are so excited to see how this team will grow and continue this important work under the leadership of Dr. Hawkins! | |
SPOTLIGHT ON OUR
EXTERNAL ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS
| | |
|
Dr. Paula Allen-Meares serves as Co-PI on a grant funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) titled EAGER: A Hybrid Dialogue System Architecture for Symbolic Control of Deep Learning Networks which is an artificial intelligence project to develop a dialogue agent targeted at African American and Latinx patients with heart failure. The team recently published an article in the Journal of Cardiac Failure that discusses their work. | |
Dr. Jorge Delva will be returning to the Boston University School of Social Work faculty as professor at the completion of his one-year sabbatical in fall 2024. Some of his ongoing work during his sabbatical includes serving as Co-Guest Editor of a special issue entitled “Institutional Betrayal and Academic Trauma” for the ADVANCE Journal. The issue focuses on narratives of those who have experienced academic trauma and betrayal in higher education. | |
| |
|
Dr. Michael Spencer recently edited the book Dual Pandemics: Creating Racially Just Responses to a Changing Environment through Research, Practice, and Education. | |
WHAT ARE WE LISTENING TO? | | |
|
|
Aging Fast & Slow: Roots of Inequity - Native American Health
From enduring the consequences of forced displacement and cultural disruption to grappling with inadequate resources and discriminatory policies, Native American communities have faced multifaceted challenges that have deeply impacted their ability to receive equitable and effective healthcare. This podcast features Dr. Emily Haozous, a distinguished Research Scientist at the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.
Podcast Description adapted from the Health Equity Podcast Channel
| |
Do you have questions about health equity? Click the button below to ask us your question(s)! We will provide answers in our next newsletter! | |
"We acknowledge that The University of Michigan, named for Michigami, the world’s largest freshwater system and located in the Huron River watershed, was formed and has grown through connections with the land stewarded by Niswi Ishkodewan Anishinaabeg: The Three Fires People who are the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi along with their neighbors the Seneca, Delaware, Shawnee and Wyandot nations.” | |
WHAT ARE YOU DOING TODAY TO PROMOTE HEALTH EQUITY? | | | | |
