The APA Working Group on Health Disparities in Boys and Men has released a report highlighting that racial/ethnic and sexual minority males are among the unhealthiest people in America. This is partly due to the systemic oppression and discrimination they face. The group suggests a range of solutions to health eliminate these inequities.

This working group is chaired by HDI’s Director, Dr. Wizdom Powell.

Denise Smith, will be one of the judges in the upcoming Hackathon in Hartford.

Upward is hosting a Hackathon that enables Hartford’s best thinkers to come together in an effort to build a model to identify, refer, and treat young bystanders to gun violence and allow them to lead healthy and productive lives.

See what HDI’s Director, Dr. Wizdom Powell, says about the Hackathon:

Dr. Wizdom Powell, Ph.D., and the UConn Health Disparities Institute (HDI) team announce the launch of several arts-based initiatives to advance health equity in CT. These events will begin in June, during National Men’s Health Month, and will focus initially on visualizing health equity for Boys and Men of Color.

Register for the Upcoming Events on Visualizing Health Equity for Boys and Men of Color

You can also read media coverage on this initiative:

Visual Arts Inspiring Health Equity for CT Boys and Men of Color

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has appointed Dr. Wizdom Powell to the National Advisory Committee for their Interdisciplinary Research Leaders Program. Read more below:

National Honors for UConn Health

The Connecticut Health Foundation and the Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health have published two policy briefs on best practices in connecting clinical care with community organizations:
Key Elements for Advancing Clinical-Community Integration, written by Health Disparities Institute Director Wizdom Powell, Ph.D., M.P.H., provides an overview of the work and recommendations for designing effective models.

Clinical-Community Integration: The Role of Health Information Technology, written by Health Disparities Institute Associate Director Victor G. Villagra, M.D., focuses on the importance of systems that allow clinical and community providers to communicate and share information about their shared clients.

Dr. Powell, a clinical psychologist, and the director of the Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health, recently sat down with Morning Edition Host Tom Kuser to discuss her work and why it’s so difficult to reach males in need of mental healthcare and support.

HDI Director, Dr. Wizdom Powell, is interviewed on her professional and personal accomplishments and goals for the future. Read the full interview here.

Men’s Health Network in collaboration with the Congressional Men’s Health Caucus held a briefing on Men’s and Boys’ Mental Health Issues: Gateways to Opioid and Drug Abuse? HDI’s Director presented alongside many others. View the presentation below.

Refinery 29 talks to Jay Z, Dr. Wizdom Powell, and others about the stigma that exists around Mental Health care for men of color. Read more about the discussion.

UConn Today sat down with Dr. Wizdom Powell, a prominent psychological scientist and director of the Health Disparities Institute at UConn Health, to find out more about her mission to close the huge gap in men and boys mental health awareness, resources, and services. As chair of the American Psychiatric Association’s Working Group on Health Disparities in Boys and Men, Powell will testify on Jan. 30 at the Congressional Briefing on Men’s Mental Health in Washington, D.C. Read the article here.