Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research
MCUAAAR Scientists
2020 Scientists
Jennifer M. Gómez
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology and Merrill Palmer Skillman Institute for Child & Family Development (MPSI), Wayne State University
Board Member/Chair of Research Committee, Center for Institutional Courage
Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Postdoctoral to Faculty Transition (PFT) Program, 2017-19, Wayne State University
PhD, Clinical Psychology, 2017, University of Oregon
M.S., Psychology, 2012, University of Oregon
B.A., Psychology, 2011, San Diego University
jennifer.gomez@wayne.edu
More about Jennifer M. Gómez
Jennifer M. Gómez, Ph.D. has published over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, scholarly writings, and pieces for the general public. Additionally, she is the lead co-editor of a special issue of the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation, Discrimination, Violence, & Healing in Marginalized Communities (anticipated publication date: Spring 2021). She also is a Board Member and Chair of the Research Committee for the Center for Institutional Courage, a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming institutional approaches and responses to trauma and inequality. She is the Cultural Liaison for the Metro Detroit Association of Black Psychologists as well. Her research has been recognized by the National Academy of Sciences and funded by the Ford Foundation Fellowship Programs and Michigan Center for Urban African American Aging Research (MCUAAAR). By focusing on societal inequality’s role on the impact of violence for marginalized youth, young adults, and elders, Dr. Gómez uses her cultural betrayal trauma theory to both document harm and identify avenues of hope and healing for youth, families, communities, institutions, and society.
Research Interests
Clinical psychology; cultural betrayal trauma theory; betrayal trauma theory; institutional betrayal; trauma psychology; child sexual abuse; campus sexual violence; youth/young adults; Black/African Americans; cultural minorities; discrimination; cultural competency & humility
Christina N. Harrington
Assistant Professor, School of Design, College of Computing and Digital Media, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois
Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Inclusive Technology Lab, 2017-19, Northwestern University
Ph.D., Design, 2017, Georgia Tech
M.S., Industrial Design, 2013, North Carolina State University
B.S. Electrical Engineering, 2009, Virginia Tech
christina.harrington@depaul.edu
More about Christina N. Harrington
Christina Harrington, Ph.D. is a designer and qualitative researcher and currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the School of Design in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University. Her research focuses on addressing health-related challenges experienced by marginalized populations through design. In particular, she is interested in leveraging co-creation and community-based participatory research methods to understand the needs and experiences that can inform inclusive interactive health technologies for low-income and minority older adults. She explores how constructs of identity and social positioning impact our interactions with technology, including individual access to online information, the relevance of certain systems in our everyday lives, and the ways we accept certain interventions.
As an assistant professor at DePaul University, Dr. Harrington teaches classes in human-computer interaction, interaction design, and ethics in technology design. She is the author of several conference proceedings, top-tier journal articles, and a book chapter about aging, technology, health and equitable approaches to participatory research.
Christina is the Director of the Equity and Health Innovations Design Research Lab at DePaul which serves as an innovation studio where students work alongside community residents to envision solutions to health challenges. Dr. Harrington received her Ph.D. in Industrial Design with a focus on accessible interaction design from Georgia Tech in the fall of 2017. She earned a Master’s in Industrial Design from North Carolina State University and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Virginia Tech. You can see more about her work and research interests at www.christinaharrington.me.
Research Interests
Inclusive design, human-centered design, community-based participatory research, health information technology, participatory design, design for aging.
Mieka Smart
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostats & Division of Public Health, Michigan State University
Director, Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved
DrPH, 2015, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
MHS, 2008, Johns Hopkins School of Public Health
BA, 2001, Johns Hopkins University
smartmie@msu.edu
More about Mieka Smart
Dr. Smart aspires to provide insight around medical and public health research to underserved and understudied populations. As a MCUAAAR scholar, she will utilize CBPR approaches to increase awareness around the need for genomic and other research participation among older African American adults. She currently directs Leadership in Medicine for the Underserved (LMU), a competitive program for medical students. LMU offers service learning and didactic modules designed to strengthen their clinical and leadership skills for serving medically underserved populations in urban and rural locations locally and internationally.
She also directs the sachet ban-monitoring project in Uganda, a longitudinal data collection and analysis effort. The study is designed to provide the practical evidence needed to monitor policy interventions, enforcement strategies, and refine campaigns for compliance uptake.
At Michigan State University, Dr. Smart contributes leadership and expertise around the management of primary data collection, measurement of environmental predictors, and community engagement. Internationally, she champions cross-cultural professional development via peer-to-peer experiential learning. More than 100 students have taken her cross-cultural public health courses in Uganda and South Africa.
Research Interests
- CBPR approaches to increasing genomic and other research participation among older African American adults.
- Systematic Social Observation (SSO) for evaluating drug and alcohol policy interventions.
Samuele Zilioli
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences (joint appointment), Wayne State University
Postdoctoral Fellow, 2014-2016, Department of Psychology, Wayne State University, Detroit, USA
Ph.D., Psychology (Area: Cognitive and Neural Sciences), 2014, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
M.A., Developmental and Communication Psychology, 2009, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
B.A. Psychological Sciences and Practice, 2006, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy
samuele.zilioli@wayne.edu
More about Samuele Zilioli
Dr. Samuele Zilioli is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences at Wayne State University, Detroit. He received his Ph.D. in Cognitive and Neural Sciences from Simon Fraser University and was the recipient of the Governor General’s Gold Medal for achieving the highest academic standing upon graduation. His program of research focuses on understanding socioeconomic status and racial/ethnic health disparities. He is the director of the Biopsychosocial Health Laboratory, whose research focuses on the relationships between social stressors, psychosocial resources, and endocrine function (e.g., glucocorticoid-related mechanisms), and the extent to which these biopsychological mechanisms serve as pathways through which stress affects other biological systems (e.g., immune, cardiovascular, and metabolic system) and physical health across the lifespan. Ultimately, the mission of the Biopsychosocial Health Laboratory is to improve health in local and global communities through basic science discoveries that can be instrumental for the development of effective interventions.
Research Interests
Health Psychology, Psychoneuroendocrinology, Psychoneuroimmunology, Social Neuroendocrinology, Racial Health Disparities
2019 Scientists
Riana Elyse Anderson
Assistant Professor, The University of Michigan
Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2017, Applied Psychology, University of Pennsylvania
Predoctoral Internship, 2015, Clinical and Community Psychology, Yale University
PhD, Clinical and Community Psychology, 2015, University of Virginia
M.A., Clinical and Community Psychology, 2011, University of Virginia
B.A., Psychology and Political Science, 2006, University of Michigan
rianae@umich.edu
More about Riana Elyse Anderson
Riana Elyse Anderson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Behavior and Health Education at the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health. She uses mixed methods in clinical interventions to study racial discrimination and socialization in Black families to reduce racial stress and trauma and improve psychological well-being and family functioning. She is particularly interested in how these factors predict familial functioning and subsequent child psychosocial well-being and health-related behaviors when enrolled in family-based interventions. Dr. Anderson is the developer and director of the EMBRace (Engaging, Managing, and Bonding through Race) intervention and loves to translate her work for a variety of audiences, particularly those whom she serves in the community, via blogs, video, and literary articles. Finally, Dr. Anderson was born in, raised for, and returned to Detroit and is becoming increasingly addicted to cake pops.
Katrina Ellis
Assistant Professor, The University of Michigan’s School of Social Work
PhD, Public Health – Health Behavior & Health Education, The University of Michigan
MPH, Health Behavior/ Health Education, The University of Michigan
MSW, Interpersonal Practice/Health, The University of Michigan
B.A., Secondary Education/Art, Dillard University
kahe@umich.edu
More about Katrina Ellis
Rodlescia S. Sneed
Assistant Professor, Michigan State University
PhD, Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University
MPH, Epidemiology, Columbia University
A.B. Molecular Biology, Princeton University
sneedrod@msu.edu
More about Rodlescia S. Sneed
Research Interest: Successful Aging in Vulnerable Communities
2018 Scientists
Lenette Jones
Assistant Professor, The University of Michigan
Pilot study PI, MCUAAAR
Post-Doctoral Fellowship, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, 2017
PhD, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2014
MS, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2011
BSN, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 2002
lenettew@umich.edu
More about Lenette Jones
Dr. Jones is a behavioral nurse scientist interested in eliminating the health disparities affecting African-American women with hypertension. Her program of research is focused on uncovering the mechanisms – biological, psychological, social, and physical – of self-management interventions. She uses neuroimaging (fMRI) to explore the neuroprocesses associated with self-management behaviors, such as diet, exercise, and medication-taking. She also examines how health information behavior (seeking, sharing, and use) can be enhanced to support blood pressure self-management. In her current studies, Dr. Jones is designing and pilot-testing interventions to improve self-management of blood pressure among African American women.
Research Interests:
- Hypertension self-management
- Health disparities
- Neurobiological mechanisms of interventions
- Health information behavior