APA Convention 2024 - American Psychological Association

Derek Griffith, PhD

Georgetown University

Dr. Derek M. Griffith is a Founding Co-Director of the Racial Justice Institute, Founder and Director of the Center for Men’s Health Equity, Member of the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Professor of Health Management & Policy and Oncology at Georgetown University. He also serves as the Chair of Global Action on Men’s Health—a global men’s health advocacy organization. Trained in psychology and public health, Dr. Griffith’s program of research focuses on developing anti-racism approaches to achieve racial, ethnic, and gender equity in health. He specializes in interventions to promote Black men's health and well-being, and anti-racism interventions to mitigate and undo the effects of structural racism on health. Dr. Griffith is a contributor to and editor of three books and the author of 175 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters. He has been the principal investigator of research grants from the American Cancer Society, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and several institutes within the National Institutes of Health. Last year he received a citation from the president of the American Psychological Association, “For his extraordinary leadership in addressing the impacts of racism on the health and well-being of the nation and specifically for African American and Latino men”. As of September 1, 2024, Dr. Griffith will be a Professor in the School of Nursing and in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

Visions for Manhood and Men's Health Equity

Friday, August 9

9:00-9:50 a.m. PDT

Seattle Convention Center, Arch Building,

Ballroom 6BC

Despite more than three decades of efforts to achieve health equity, the poor health of men, particularly Black men, has been a critical yet understudied focus of research and practice. In this presentation Dr. Griffith applies an intersectional approach to illustrate that the advantages of maleness and masculinity do not necessarily translate to healthier or longer lives for men. Using the case example of Black men, he offers ways to pursue men’s health equity that consider the limitations that historical and contemporary forms of gendered racism provide, but highlights how achieving optimal health and well-being for these men can only come from policies and interventions rooted in the assets, values, and goals that specific groups of men seek to celebrate, promote, and achieve. The obstacles and strengths that can only be revealed through an intersectional approach are fundamental to creating new programmatic and policy interventions to achieve men's health equity.