Tiffany N. Younger, MSc, PhD

Dr. Tiffany N. Younger is a social medical scientist and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Yale School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. Her research explores intersections of race, gender, the economy, and health, utilizing both quantitative and qualitative methods within a critical community participatory action research framework. Known for her expertise in trauma-informed research, Dr. Younger emphasizes the importance of lived experience in research and prioritizes healing as a key outcome in collaborations with participants and co-researchers. She has conducted extensive research across the United States and internationally in South Africa, Brazil, and Ghana.

Prior to pursuing her doctoral program, Dr. Younger served as a policy fellow for United States Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, focusing on issues of criminal justice, gender, and race equity. During her doctoral studies, she founded the Social Change Agents Institute (SCAI), fostering collaborations with local students and community activists in countries within the African Diaspora such as South Africa, the Dominican Republic, and Brazil. Additionally, Dr. Younger directed policy and advocacy efforts as the Director of Policy and Advocacy at Closing the Women's Wealth Gap, where she developed strategic agendas and launched the Community Leaders Fellowship to elevate the voices of Black and Latina women facing economic inequality.

Dr. Younger brings extensive teaching experience, including senior lecturer positions at Columbia School of Social Work, where she teaches courses on Human Behavior and the Environment and Social Welfare Policy. She also instructs Practice Lab at Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work and Social Policy and Law at the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Younger earned her Doctor of Philosophy in Social Welfare from the Graduate Center at CUNY and completed her Clinical Epidemiology degree at Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences. During her predoctoral training, she conducted research as part of a T32 clinical research science fellowship with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), focusing on health disparities and the impact of structural racism on cardiovascular disease, maternal health, and cancer disparities. She also holds a Master of Science in Social Policy from the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy and Practice. Dr. Younger resides in Harlem, New York, with her daughter Grace.