MEDICINE · PUBLIC HEALTH · PSYCHOLOGY · NURSING
GLOWING, GROWING, & GETTING OUR WORK DONE.
Our team’s research focuses on reducing health disparities in sexual, mental, and maternal health among Black girls and women.
We are an interdisciplinary team spanning Medicine, Public Health, Psychology, and Nursing. We use research, mentorship, and education to empower Black girls and inform policies, programs, and practices that foster thriving.
THE FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
NATASHA CROOKS, PhD, RN
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
Dr. Crooks founded the BGD Research Group in 2021 to create an intentionally safe space and research team for Black women and women of color advancing the health and well-being of Black girls. Her community-engaged research focuses on protecting Black girls’ and women’s sexual and reproductive health through family-based interventions and PrEP for HIV prevention.
She developed the Becoming a Sexual Black Woman framework and the IMAGE intervention, and uses a culturally sensitive, transformational leadership approach to mentor the next generation of scholars.
OUR TEAM
Honorable Mentions & Medical Students
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Annette Okafor
MD
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Kimberly Sanker-Panchal
MS
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Wuraola Sosina
PhD
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Enky Mhlongo
MS
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Diamond Coleman
MD
Summer Interns
Current
Tiffany Jackson-Felicien
Past
Saada Marvel
Ebere Udeogu
DiAvionne Irving
