mental health

Dr. Laura Armstrong

September 21, 2018 by Laura Armstrong
department: Psychological Science

Laura ArmstrongAssistant Professor
Department of Psychological Science

My primary research interests are in the area of early childhood mental health. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] Broadly, I am interested in the role of family risk and parenting behaviors in the development of child emotion regulation during the toddler and preschool years. This has led to two interrelated lines of research focused on: (a) understanding how young children develop the ability to use language as a way to effectively manage negative emotions and how certain child-rearing environments (e.g., parental psychopathology, poverty) may compromise this process; and (b) examining how cognitions among low-income parents (e.g., cognitive complexity, mind-mindedness, parenting self-efficacy and locus of control) as well as child and family functioning influence parents’ ability to promote self-regulatory skills in their preschool-age child. My long-term goal is to refine intervention targets for low-income families raising young children.
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For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Laura Armstrong

keywords: mental healthsocioeconomic status

Dr. Erin Basinger

September 21, 2018 by Erin Basinger
department: Communication Studies

Erin BasingerAssistant Professor
Department of Communication Studies

My research focuses on interpersonal processes, including conflict, social support, and coping, as they occur in the health contexts. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] Specifically, I investigate how family members manage a variety of health stressors, including chronic illness, grief and loss, and mental illness.
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keywords: chronic conditionsmental healthstress

Dr. Zinobia Bennefield

September 28, 2018 by Zinobia Bennefield
department: Sociology

Zinobia BennefieldAssistant Professor
Department of Sociology

I study systemic inequality in the U.S. healthcare system with a focus on how these inequities impact the health and illness experiences of women and children.[read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’]I have constructed a research agenda which involves the study of the sociology of health and illness, utilizing an intersectionality theoretical perspective in health research, and using a mixed methodological approach to create pragmatic suggestions for the eradication of health disparities. My current research explores the complexities of adolescent mental health and extends the theoretical and methodological literature concerning the relationship between socioeconomic status, race, gender, social integration and mental disorder.[/read]

For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Zinobia Bennefield

keywords: gender and socioeconomic statushealth disparitiesmental healthrace

Dr. Jim Cook

September 28, 2018 by Jim Cook
department: Psychological Science

Jim CookProfessor
Department of Psychological Science

My area of research is community psychology, which focuses on changing systems and settings to better meet the needs of individuals and families. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] With a strong emphasis on community-based participatory research (CBPR), my faculty and student colleagues and I work with community groups as partners. We work together to develop research questions, collect data, and use the knowledge gained to improve the community. Examples of current partnerships (with Ryan Kilmer) include: evaluation of a major children’s mental health initiative; evaluation of family support programs within both mental health and child protective services (CPS); pilot efforts to improve social workers’ ability to identify and meet the mental health needs of youth in CPS; evaluating efforts to increase school readiness and skills for young children. Through working with these programs to evaluate their impact, we help them improve their ability to help children and families.
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For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Jim Cook

keywords: community engagementcommunity healthcommunity-based participatory researchmental health

Dr. Christine Davis

September 28, 2018 by Christine Davis
department: Communication Studies

Christine DavisProfessor
Department of Communication Studies

My research interests are in the intersection of family, culture, and health communication. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] I publish regularly on topics such as children’s health, end-of-life communication, disability, and qualitative research methods. I have published over 50 academic books, journal articles, book chapters, and other publications and has received numerous research awards. I specifically study people with illnesses and conditions that are incurable as they face revisions in their personal identity and narrative and negotiate the liminal spaces between ‘well’ and ‘unwell,’ alive and dead, and power and marginalization. I am the author of Death: The Beginning of a Relationship (2010); Conversations about Qualitative Communication Research: Behind the Scenes with Leading Scholars (2014); Communicating Hope: An Ethnography of a Children’s Mental Health Care Team (2014); and Focus Groups: Applying Communication Theory through Design, Facilitation, and Analysis; and is lead author of Talking through Death: Communicating about Death in Interpersonal, Mediated, and Cultural Contexts (2018) and Straight Talk about Communication Research Methods (3rd edition, 2017)..
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keywords: culture and healthend of life communicationhealth humanitieshealthcare groups and teamshealthcare organizationsmental health

Dr. Virginia Gil-Rivas

September 28, 2018 by Virginia Gil-Rivas
department: Psychological Science

Virginia Gil-RivasProfessor
Department of Psychological Science

I study the development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally appropriate brief cognitive behavioral interventions that can be widely disseminated in primary care and community settings. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] In particular, my work aims to develop interventions that address the needs of individuals living in poverty and other vulnerable populations (i.e., ethnic/racial minority groups, immigrants, individuals with mental health disorders, and other marginalized groups).
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keywords: behavioral healthglobal healthmental healthstresstrauma

Dr. Shaoyu Li

September 28, 2018 by Shaoyu Li
department: Mathematics and Statistics

Assistant Professor Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Department of Mathematics and Statistics,

My research interests include both developing statistical methodologies and applications to different scientific research areas to gain novel insights. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] Especially, I am currently working on statistical and computational methods for the analysis of microbiome data to understand its effects on human wellness and diseases, and integrative analysis of omics data to identify genetic markers associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
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For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Shaoyu Li

keywords: agingclinical researchmental health

Dr. Julian Montoro Rodriguez

September 28, 2018 by Julian Montoro-Rodriguez
department: Gerontology Program

montoro-rodriguez

Professor of Sociology and Gerontology
Gerontology Program

My research background focuses on aging, health, human development and family studies. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] Most of my research during the past 20 years has examined the interrelations between formal and informal support systems and optimal adaptation and adjustment to developmental changes for older adults.
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For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Julian Montoro Rodriguez

keywords: agingfamily caregivingmental health

Dr. Teresa Scheid

September 28, 2018 by Teresa Scheid
department: Sociology

Teresa ScheidProfessor
Department of Sociology

I am a full professor in the Department of Sociology with joint appointments in Public Policy and Health Services Research. [read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’] I also work with doctoral students in Public Health and Health Psychology. My research focuses on the organization and delivery of mental health services and the work of mental health and HIV providers. I have examined the impact of a number of legislative mandates including outpatient commitment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and state level efforts to reform mental health care. I have worked collaboratively with local agencies to develop and conduct cross-training workshops to help integrate mental health, substance use, and physical healthcare, and have been involved in a number of community based initiatives designed to integrate diverse systems of care for minority populations living with HIV/AIDS (see my 2015 book, Comprehensive Care for HIV/AIDS: Community-Based Strategies). I am senior editor (with Eric Wright) of the “Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems”, and am currently working on a book on community mental health care. I advise doctoral students across all of the health related graduate programs on campus, and have worked with them to get their work published (including a recent book with Stephany De Scisciolo, “Reducing Race Differences in Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising: The Case for Regulation”). I have also served as Executive Director of the Health Academy, the first UNC-C Academy, which is designed to foster collaborations across campus as well as within the community.
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For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Teresa Scheid

keywords: community-based participatory researchhealth policyhealth systems and organizationsmental health

Dr. Dorothy Smith Ruiz

September 28, 2018 by Dorothy Smith-Ruiz
department: Africana Studies

Dorothy Smith RuizAssociate Professor
Department of Africana Studies

I received a Ph.D. in sociology from Michigan State University and pursued postdoctoral studies in Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University, and the Duke University Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development.[read more=’Read more’ less=’Read less’]I was also a Fulbright Scholar. I study race and cultural differences in health behaviors and chronic disease among women of African descent in the U.S., including African American, Afro-Caribbean, and transnational African[/read]

For more information: Faculty Connections > Dr. Dorothy Smith Ruiz

keywords: agingchronic conditionsmental healthrace