We are proud to announce that Assistant Professor Tawandra Rowell-Cunsolo has been selected to participate in one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s leadership programs. These programs connect changemakers across the country—from every profession and field—to learn from and work with one another in creating more just and thriving communities.
Specifically, Dr. Rowell-Cunsolo was selected for the Interdisciplinary Research Leaders program. Designed for teams of two researchers and one community leader, Interdisciplinary Research Leaders support teams as they work with their communities to design and conduct rigorous research to explore critical issues, then apply the findings in real time to advance health and equity.
As a member of the program’s newest cohort, Dr. Rowell-Cunsolo will examine the impact of paternal involvement in the criminal justice system on children’s health. This study will: 1) provide an in-depth understanding of the sources of disadvantage and resilience experienced by Black fathers with criminal justice involvement, and their children; and 2) examine the relationship between weathering (accelerated aging) in Black youth and paternal exposure to disadvantage. The project, “Understanding and responding to the determinants of weathering in central Brooklyn Black youth ages 18 to 24,” is a collaboration with researchers at SUNY-Old Westbury and the Brooklyn Movement Center in Brooklyn, New York
To learn more about Interdisciplinary Research Leaders and RWJF’s other leadership programs, and to meet other participants, visit www.irleaders.org.