Sidney Hankerson, MD, MBA

Address:
Associate Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Director, Mental Health Equity Research
Institute for Health Equity Research (IHER)
Department of Population Health Science and Policy
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Personal Website:: SidneyHankerson.com
Faculty Profile: Sidney Hankerson, MD, MBA

“Partnering with Black Churches to Promote Mental Health Equity”

African Americans with depression are more impaired, have a longer illness course, and have more severe symptoms compared to White Americans. The purpose of this talk is to briefly review socio-ecological factors that contribute to mental health inequities and describe a novel, church-based depression intervention with a focus on engaging Black men in depression care.

Dr. Hankerson is Vice Chair for Community Engagement in the Department of Psychiatry and Director of Mental Health Equity Research in the Institute for Health Equity Research at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. His research focuses on reducing racial/ethnic disparities in mental health. He is a nationally recognized expert at faith-based mental health services research.

The National Academy of Medicine recognized Dr. Hankerson as a “Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine,” an honor bestowed upon only 10 healthcare professionals annually. NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio recently appointed Dr. Hankerson as Chair of the Community Services Board of the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Hankerson has presented his study results at the White House, United Nations, NIMH, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Gracie Mansion (NYC Mayor’s Office), and numerous national academic conferences. He was an inaugural member of the American Psychiatric Association’s (APA) Council of Faith and Community Partnerships and served on the APA Council of Minority Mental Health and Health Disparities.

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