Health Policy Research Scholars award

Brianna's research concerns the study and protection of Black mental health using community-level, clinical psychological science. As a Southern Black woman, she has watched anti-Black racism and gender-based violence become internalized by those who look like her. She is particularly concerned with how American colonialism continues to affect the mental well-being of the Black community. Sociopolitical determinants of mental health, including national history, policies, and social attitudes, can have devastating effects on the Black psyche, which manifest in various forms of mental illness. Given this, she is dedicated to the mental decolonization of Black people using intersectional and collectivistic approaches to holistic mental well-being. A passionate storyteller, Brianna seeks to mesh her passions for communications, public health, and psychology to bring Black mental health to the forefront of America's social, moral, and political agendas and achieve mental health equity.