Category: Announcements

The Family and Community Health Study (FACHS), one of the ongoing research projects of CFR, was recently awarded the “Inclusive Voices Award” from the American Association for Public Opinion Research.  The award recognizes “the important data sets, research, and survey methods that have improved the ability to study complex social phenomena related to understudied populations,” and is presented “to the scholars/researchers, organizations, or institutions who have produced the scholarship (including data collection, methodological approaches, or publications).”

The FACHS project, on-going since 1996, has worked to understand the effect of family processes, neighborhood characteristics, and other contextual factors on African American parents and their children. Congratulations to the entire team from CFR and associates around the country on the recognition of the importance of this work from AAPOR.

Much of the work of CFR in recent years has focused on the concept of skin-deep resilience–the idea that Black Americans who strive for success through adversity appear resilient on the outside, but underneath, suffer long term, physical consequences from the stress of their striving to succeed. The idea was first labeled in a CFR paper in 2013, and since then, our researchers have deepened their understanding of this phenomenon. In this new, CFR-produced video, Dr. Edith Chen, a professor at Northwestern University and collaborator with CFR, explains the concept succinctly. For more, see our Research Digest on Skin-Deep Resilience.

Recent CFR work was featured in a UGA Today publication that describes a newly published paper the demonstrates the effectiveness of SAAF and SAAF-T. Read it here: Programs can reduce impact of racism on Black youth (uga.edu)

The Chess and Community program, led by CFR associate Lemuel “Life” LaRoche, expands its scope of work into robotics. Read about how the program will support STEM education for Clarke County youth.

UGA, Chess & Community launch new partnership

CFR’s Drs. Steven Beach and Ron Simmons delivered their Regent’s Charter Lectures April 6. The lectures are part of the celebration of those named as Regent’s Professors by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Dr. Simmons was appointed as a Regent’s Professor last year and Beach this year (read more about Beach’s recent appointment here).

In these online lectures, Beach describes recent work at CFR with special attention to the ProSAAF intervention designed to help protect Black families (couples and kids) from the negative effects of financial strain on the family and individuals. Simmons explains the effort to better understand biological aging as a precursor to improving outcomes for individuals. Watch both below, or see the entire series of lectures here: 2021 Charter Lectures – YouTube

CFR’s Dr. Gene Brody and Dr. Tracy Anderson were featured in an “Athens News Matters” story highlighting recent research that demonstrates the efficacy of SAAF and SAAF-T programs. Listen here: Athens News Matters: Family Prevention Programs Empowering African American Families | WUGA | University of Georgia

Newly published research by CFR “shows that receipt of high levels of warmth and emotional support and parental involvement provides a shield that allows young Black people to better cope with the negative and pernicious effects of racial discrimination.” The research explores the efficacy of two CFR interventions: SAAF-T and AIM. This work, in a just-published paper by the Journal of American Medical Association Network was featured in a story by UGA Today.

Lemuel “Life” LaRoche

CFR associate Lemuel “Life” LaRoche was recently featured in a story about how he works with local youth through a community based project.

See Lemuel ‘Life’ LaRoche: The Game of ‘Life’ – Georgia Magazine (uga.edu)

The legend of John Henry tells of a post-Civil War Black man who proved   greater than a steam powered drill, but afterwards, died from exhaustion. Whether the legend is interpreted as a tragedy, a heroic tale, or both, the story contains a sober truth for all Americans.  There are many examples of African Americans who, like John Henry, overcome humble backgrounds and systemic barriers to achieve great success, but at what costs to their health?

MARCH 24, 2021
3 – 4pm EST

REGISTER HERE

This Charter lecture is scheduled for Tuesday, April 6 at 3:30pm.

Register for Zoom Link:  https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUodeiorj4sEtBb2Q0lWX4dRL-k35u3lx5g

Ronald L. Simons, 2020 Regents’ Professor and Distinguished Research Professor in the department of sociology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Simons’ research focuses on the processes by which social experiences become biologically embedded and influence mental and physical health outcomes. His research suggests that social factors, such as marital, work, financial and social status variables, impact biological aging and the development of chronic illness more so than the effects of diet, exercise, body mass index, smoking and other known health-risk factors.

Steven R.H. Beach, 2021 Regents’ Professor and Distinguished Research Professor in the department of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Beach’s scholarship focuses on the way that community, family and marital process affect mental and physical health. His pioneering work and collaborations have shown that strengthening close relationships, including marriage and parenting relationships, can play a critical role in reducing depression and physical health problems, and can buffer the impact of stress from economic and social factors.

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