Center for Ethnic Psychological Research and Application

Research: A professional focus with an emphasis on research productivity, collaboration, grantsmanship and information dissemination

Education: A community focus to expand the knowledge of the general public in regards to behavioral/mental health issues and mental health literacy

Training: A student focus to develop student researchers and nurture effective change agents in addressing the needs of African Americans and other minorities

Each of our activities addresses one or more of the components that make up our work.

In terms of research, we identify studies relevant to a multicultural focus and create a literature database to inform manuscript development and grant writing, engage in research to better understand behavioral/mental health issues, particularly among ethnic minorities and underserved populations, and establish grant initiatives to support research related to behavioral and mental health.

Our research has played out in terms of our community education. One of our activities is to establish a website reflecting current information on multicultural research and training in behavioral/mental health. This site includes a user- and community-friendly section that provides up-to-date information to the general public on behavioral/mental health issues.

We establish community-based participatory research initiatives to better understand and address mental health needs of underserved populations. Alongside that activity, we serve as a major resource and location for behavioral/mental health literacy education training for the general public, with special emphasis on improving knowledge of behavioral/mental health issues, recognizing behavioral/mental health symptoms, promoting early intervention and enhancing help-seeking behaviors. 

Finally, we provide support and training in the development of undergraduate and graduate student researchers. As part of this activity, we offer specialized training on research methods and protocols in behavioral/mental health when working with African Americans and other underserved populations, and we establish culturally sensitive intervention protocols that can be tested and used in the community.