![Aaron Neal](/sites/default/files/2024-07/neal_aaron_150x210.png)
Undergraduate School
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Graduate School
Teachers College Columbia University (MS)
University of Michigan Ann Arbor (PhD)
Interests & Career Goals
My long-term career goal is to work in community and academic partnerships to generate action-oriented and policy-focused research aimed at addressing the mental health concerns of marginalized communities.
Favorite Pastimes
I enjoy playing Overcooked with my friends, going to the farmers market to buy local produce to make new dishes, and making playlists on Spotify.
Why I Chose Duke
I chose Duke because North Carolina is home. I have always wanted to come back to my community to provide mental health services to youth and their families. I chose Duke with the hopes of being able to contribute just and equitable mental health care in the Durham community.
Research Interests
I broadly study structural racism and the psychosocial impact that it has on the health, well-being, and development of Black youth. I aim to use findings from my research for targeted policy and programmatic interventions that support Black communities as we improve our mental health and well-being.
Publications
- Bernard, D. Gaskin-Wasson, A. Jones, S. Lee, D. Neal, A., Sosoo, E. Willis, H. Neblett, E. (2023) Diversifying Child and Adolescent Psychology: A Change Gonna Come. Journal of Child and Adolescent Clinical Psychology.
- Neblett, E. Neal, A. (2023) Measuring Institutional and Structural Racism in Research on Adolescence and Developmental Science. Journal of Adolescent Research.
- Coombe, C., Simbeni S., Neal, A. Allen, A. Gray, C. Guzman, J. Lichenstein, R. Marsh, E. Piechowski, P. Reyes A. Rowe, Z. Weinert, J. Israel, B. (2022) Building the foundation for equitable and inclusive research: Seed grant programs to facilitate the development of diverse CBPR community-academic research partnerships. Journal of Clinical Translational Science.
- Volpe, V., Katsiaficas, D., Neal, A. (2021) “Easier Said Than Done”: A Qualitative Investigation of Black Emerging Adults Coping with Multilevel Racism. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology
- Willis, H.A. Sosoo, E. Bernard, D. Neal, A. Neblett, E. (2021) The Associations Between Internalized Racism, Racial Identity, and Psychological Distress. Emerging Adulthood
Presentations & Invited Talks
- Baxter, S. Neal, A. (2023) Psychosocial correlates related to hypertension among millennial Black men. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting.
- Neal, A. McGregor, B. Jones, A. Carmardelle, A. (2023) Justice for the Justice-Involved: Dismantling Systems and Organizational Barriers to Sustained Well-being. Society for Community Research and Action.
- Neal, A. (2023) Black Justice Involved Families' Experiences Obtaining SNAP/TANF and Mental Health Consequences. National African American Child and Family Research Center Inaugural Meeting.
- Shaheed, J., Neal, A. McBride, M. Maereg, T. Brown, A. (2023) Conducting Community Engaged Research: Graduate School through Early Career. Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting
- Coomb, C. Salmba, S. Neal, A. Israel, B. (2022) Building a strong foundation for equity: CBPR grant programs to seed development of community-academic research partnerships American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
- Neal, A. Baxter, S. (2021) Mapping solutions: Understanding neighborhood impacts on Black men's health American Public Health Association Annual Meeting
- Neal, A. Neblett, E. (2021) Black Joy: Understanding the Effects of Racial Discrimination. Society of Research on Child Development
- Gibson, S. Neal, A. Cooper, S. (2020) African American Fathers' Discrimination Exposure and Stereotype Awareness: Implications for Socialization and Involvement. Paper Symposium Special Topics Meeting Constructing the other. (2020) Cancelled due to COVID-19
- Neal, A. (2019) We are Architects: Building and Fixing Social Determinants of Wellbeing. Environmental Grantmakers Association Annual Meeting
- Neal, A. Neblett, E. (2019) Differential positive affective responses to racial discrimination in Black college students. Black Graduate Conference in Psychology.
- Neal, A. (2019) Racial Equity in Detroit: Current and Future Conceptualizations. City of Detroit Annual Budget meeting.