Congratulations to Ashley Harris (Clinical Area) and Gifty Ayawvi (Clinical Area) on being selected to participate in one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundations leadership programs

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Date published: 10/09/24

We are proud to announce that Ashley Harris (Clinical Area) and Gifty Ayawvi (Clinical Area) have been selected to participate in one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s leadership programs. These programs connect changemakers across the country—from diverse professions and fields—to learn from and work with one another in creating more just and thriving communities.

Specifically, Ashley and Gifty were selected for Health Policy Research Scholars. Designed for doctoral students from historically marginalized backgrounds and populations underrepresented in specific disciplines, Health Policy Research Scholars helps students from all fields apply their work to policies that advance equity and health while building a diverse network of leaders who reflect our changing national demographics.

As a members of the program’s newest cohort, Ashley Harris will focus eradicating racial disparities in youth mental health. Ashley studies scalable, evidence-based prevention and intervention to promote mental health and wellbeing for BIPOC youth in school and community settings. Ashley’s research aims to examine structural conditions in K–12 settings that erode health among BIPOC youth, develop culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based interventions, and design implementation strategies to improve access to care and increase the supportive capacity of schools and communities.

As a members of the program’s newest cohort, Gifty Ayawvi will focus on addressing mental health disparities among immigrants and refugees in the United States, emphasizing postmigration stressors like employment challenges and discrimination. Gifty aims to uncover policy-related determinants of mental health, providing insights to inform advocacy and support initiatives. Additionally, her work explores the effects of racial-ethnic discrimination on mental health trajectories, highlighting the intergenerational impact on young migrants. By identifying risk and protective factors, Gifty leverages within-group strengths and vulnerabilities to inform trauma treatments, contributing to the understanding of race-based traumatic stress in clinical science. Ultimately, she seeks to develop culturally tailored interventions and advocate for policies supporting mental health care for migrant populations, promoting health equity and improved outcomes for marginalized communities.

To learn more about Health Policy Research Scholars and RWJF’s other leadership programs, and to meet other participants, visit www.healthpolicyresearch-scholars.org