Nickholas Grant

As an applied researcher, my research focuses on prevention and health promotion initiatives that target Black youth and their family’s positive development. I have engaged in multiple, interdisciplinary research projects studying the social and psychological health of marginalized individuals and families in vulnerable contexts through the support of the National Science Foundation and my post-doctoral training. Utilizing participatory action research, implementation science, mixed methodologies, and secondary data analysis of national datasets, I have acquired a diverse set of skills researching and evaluating prevention and health promotion practices, in service of translating data into meaningful recommendations for practitioners. These experiences are rooted in my research agenda to cultivate safe and supportive environments that protect African Americans from violence across domestic and community-based settings as well as reduce racial disparities in mental, educational, and physical health resources and outcomes. Currently, my research agenda is divided into two core areas: 1) promoting healthy Black boys, men, and families through examining how parent-focused interventions effectively a) engage and promote father’s knowledge and skillset with parenting their children and supporting their maternal partner and b) include and evaluate the impact that fathers have on birth outcomes, child development, family dynamics, and maternal health; and 2) developing and evaluating mental, substance use services, and health promotion programs, particularly in underserved communities, through community-university research partnerships that aim to improve the provision of services.