Study Recruitment Flyer titled "Seeking Study Participants: Understanding How Mental Health Professionals Provide Care to Black Caribbean Communities" that lists Twanna Hodge's email and a QR code to more study information

Invitation to Participate in a Research Study: Understanding How Mental Health Professionals Provide Care to Black Caribbean Communities

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Twanna Hodge, a member of the CEDI Lab, is conducting a research study called “Understanding How Mental Health Professionals Provide Care to Black Caribbean Communities: A Phenomenological Study.” This research study examines mental health professionals’ experiences providing care to English-speaking Black Caribbean communities. Understanding mental health professionals’ experiences could lead to reshaping mental health education, policy, and promotion to address health disparities and combat the sociocultural stigma around mental health for English-speaking Black Caribbean communities.

She is looking for participants who are:

  • at least 18 years of age

  • speak English

  • a licensed mental health professional who practices in the contiguous United States of America, Jamaica, or Trinidad and Tobago

  • current licensure status or professional credentials

  • currently provides professional mental health services to English-speaking Black/Afro-Caribbean immigrants in the United States OR to people of African descent in Trinidad or Jamaica

Participants will be asked to complete a 4-question online screening questionnaire that will take less than 5 minutes and a 13-question demographic questionnaire that will take 10 minutes or less. If ineligible based on the screening survey, they cannot access the demographic survey or will be invited for an interview. Permission to audio-video record is required for participation. Then, they will participate in a 90-minute virtual interview via Zoom. Afterward, they will receive a $50 US Visa digital gift card for participating in the interview.

The University of Maryland’s Institutional Review Board approved the study, protocol number 2195613-1. Participation is confidential. If you have any questions, please get in touch with her at tkhodge@umd.edu.

Photo of Twanna Hodge speaking at a podium in front of a projected slide titled "Libraries' Role in Fostering Critical Information Literacy: Nurturing Democracy Through Informed Citizenship." Three panelists, including Dr. Ana Ndumu, sit at a table before an audience.

Living Democracy Symposium

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CEDI Lab member Twanna Hodge was the moderator, and Dr. Ana Ndumu was a panelist, for the panel “Libraries’ Role in Fostering Critical Information Literacy: Nurturing Democracy through Informed Citizenship” as part of the University of Maryland Libraries’ Living Democracy Symposium. The panel was held on October 13th from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. Photo credit to Hayley Park, 1st year PhD student in the College of Information.

The logo of the Health Resources & Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau, with a stylized icon of a mother holding a child at left.

Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Screening for Perinatal Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders Roundtable

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On December 5, Dr. Jasmine L. Garland McKinney participated in a panel hosted by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) Technical Assistance Innovation Center (TAIC) to share her insights on maternal mental health. The panel investigated “the complexities of using screening tools for perinatal mental health and substance use disorders, focusing on cultural and linguistic responsiveness.”

Cover of Health Equity Journal: Seven different colored hands reaching up towards the text "Health Equity," with a solid blue background.

Opportunities to Retrofit, Reform, and Reimagine Systematic Reviews for Racial Equity

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With other BELIEVE collaborators, Dr. Gibson published an open-access article on designing systematic reviews that consider systemic bias and racism in academic literature, especially against Black birthing parents. The coauthors use McLemore’s framework of “Retrofit, Reform, and Reimagine” to consider how systematic reviews can be better conducted to build health equity. You can find the open-access article in the Health Equity journal here.

Daily conference schedule image for the 2024 Black Maternal Healthcare conference September 12–14, 2024, in Atlanta

BELIEVE at the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Black Maternal Health Conference and Training Institute

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At the Black Maternal Health Conference and Training Institute being held this fall by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Dr. Amelia Gibson and Dr. Jasmine L. Garland McKinney joined BELIEVE collaborators to present findings from surveys and interviews for developing a new Black maternal healthcare interprofessional medical training curriculum. The conference and training institute took place September 12–14 and had two CEDI presentations:

  • Panel: Liberation NOW: Making Visible Black Women’s Experiences of (Dis)Respectful Care Through Theory, Narrative, and Measurement (Panel) with panelists Nicole Harris, Jasmine L. Garland McKinney, Denae Bradley-Morris
  • Poster: Building Equitable Linkages with Interprofessional Education Valuing Everyone (BELIEVE): Amplifying Reproductive Justice through a Novel, Interprofessional Medical Curriculum, authored by Jasmine L. Garland McKinney, Kristin Tully, Amelia N. Gibson, and Kimberly D. Harper
Save the Date image for the 2024 Postpartum Support International Conference on July 26–28

Postpartum Support International Annual Conference: Perinatal Mental Health First Aid

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On July 24–28, Dr. Jasmine L. Garland McKinney co-presented a training model for community-health workers in perinatal mental health at the Postpartum Support International Annual Conference. Information on the conference can be found here.

EASST/4S 2024 Amsterdam logo

4S/EASST Privacy-enhancing technologies: From solution to reconfiguration

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Sam DiBella presented his research into encryption technology as a sign of community membership “Pretty good privacy as free/open source software shibboleth” in the “Privacy-enhancing technologies: from solution to reconfiguration” panel at the 4S/EASST conference on July 17. The conference program and panel description are here.

May SMRLA Presentation

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Amelia Gibson discussed her library research at the May 16 (10am) meeting of the Southern Maryland Regional Library Association.

NCAAL XII

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On July 24–27 in New Orleans, Twanna Hodge presented at the twelfth annual conference for the National Conference of African American Librarians, which has the theme “Culture Keepers XII: Unity in Diversity – Stronger Together in the African Diaspora.” The conference program is posted here.

Redefining Wellness by Setting Realistic Expectations

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Dr. Jasmine Garland McKinney presented “Redefining Wellness by Setting Realistic Expectations” as part of the UNC–Greensboro Trauma Informed and Culturally Responsive Wellness Workshop Series on April 11, 2024. You can download the program PDF here.