Psychology Colloquium - Enrique W. Neblett, Jr., Ph.D.

Date: 

Tuesday, April 27, 2021, 3:00pm to 4:30pm

Location: 

Recording of talk available via link

Psychology Colloquium ~ Recording of talk:

https://harvard.zoom.us/rec/share/dAFkZnG9NJ0lqa9DRzXXp69dN5O6aAvlChM3dKzKuxSXeLaRuu6ClwuHVKaxW80T.Snflx70xeiZJv_kN

Enrique W. Neblett, Jr., Ph.D. Professor | Health Behavior and Health Education

University of Michigan | School of Public Health   Faculty Profile   Twitter

Topic - Racism, Biopsychosocial Mechanisms, & Racial Equity: Pathways and Destinations

ABSTRACT:  Racism remains a significant and persistent barrier to achieving health equity. In prior work, we have applied a biopsychosocial model of racism to examine how sociocultural protective factors interact with biology to influence health. Psychophysiological methods afford the opportunity to elucidate: 1) individual differences in responses to racism; 2) mechanisms by which racism might impact health; and 3) specific characteristics of individuals that may influence the impact of racism experiences on physiological activity. In the African American Health and Experiences Longitudinal Study, we examined if racial identity patterns and Africentric worldview shaped the association between racial discrimination and blood pressure in Black young adults. We also used imagery to investigate how racial identity might account for individual differences in affective responses and cardiovascular reactivity to blatant and subtle racism events. Recent work examined the protective role of religious involvement in the link between racial discrimination and cortisol/DHEA imbalance. I will summarize key study findings and discuss implications for intervention development, the advancement of science and research on racism and health, and building a more equitable society.