Center for the Study of Family Health and Well-Being
Families and children in the United States continue to face alarming adversities. Many families, for instance, struggle with dire economic hardships and poor health conditions, while many children face social, emotional, and educational challenges. Understanding family health and well-being is a crucial topic for both research and policy. Therefore, our center is dedicated to investigating how inequality manifests in the lives of families and children, with a particular focus on economic inequality, health disparities, and children’s well-being.
Overview
The Center for the Study of Family Health and Well-Being aspires to be a leading research center that fosters transformative scholarship on families and children in the United States. Our goal is to cultivate a vibrant intellectual community at the University of Tennessee, attracting and supporting scholars and students engaged in high-quality research. This work not only benefits the university and Knoxville but also informs regional, national, and international discussions. To fulfill our mission, the Center for the Study of Family Health and Well-Being is dedicated to creating an inclusive research environment that facilitates groundbreaking work, bridges the gap between research and practice, promotes professional development, and encourages collaboration.
901 McClung Tower
1115 Volunteer Blvd.
Knoxville, TN 37996
People
Deadric Williams
Associate Professor, Department of Sociology
Director, Center for the Study of Family Health and Well-Being
Deadric Williams’ research and teaching focus on race & racism, Black families, poverty & economic hardship, stress & health, and quantitative methods (longitudinal and dyadic analyses). My work emphasizes three general themes: (1) racism and families, with an emphasis on Black families; (2) racism and quantitative methods; and (3) stress and health.
Jennifer Bolden-Bush
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
Jennifer Bolden-Bush is interested in understanding neuropsychological correlates of attention, learning, and disruptive behavior problems in children to inform psychological science and evidence-based practices. Her research programs seeks to understand core and associated features of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in an effort to inform the development and validation of novel, impairment specific assessments/intervention methods.
Jasmine Coleman
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology & Neuroscience
Jasmine Coleman uses a social-ecological framework to explore the roles of youths’ family, peer, and community microsystems in the development and maintenance of aggressive behavior. Her research program aims to develop, implement, and evaluate family-focused programs that reduce violence and promote positive development in Black families.
Lyndsey Hornbuckle
Associate Professor, Department of Kinesiology, Recreation, and Sport Studies
Lyndsey Hornbuckle researches health disparities in underserved groups, particularly African American communities. Her current work aims to reduce cardiometabolic risk through culturally relevant physical activity and exercise interventions.
Andrea Joseph-McCatty
Assistant Professor, College of Social Work
Andrea Joseph-McCatty’s research focuses on children’s well-being with a specific interest in school discipline and trauma among Black girls.
Programs
We will have monthly brown bag presentations. For Fall 2024, we have two scheduled. Lyndsey Hornbuckle will offer the first presentation on October 21st, and Andrea Joseph-McCatty will give the second on November 13th (Times and Locations TBD).