Our PhD students choose an array of pressing topics to concentrate on in their research endeavors. Here are the students who have picked matters pertaining specifically to the health care of the African American and Black communities.

Amnazo Muhirwa

Amnazo Muhirwa is focusing her work to try and better understand the barriers to chronic disease management among African American women, particularly in the barriers that contribute to the high mortality rate that currently exists among African American women in cases of heart disease or breast cancer.

“Previously, I worked as a nurse on a cardiothoracic surgical unit and encountered challenges in educating patients on lifestyle changes that could prevent readmission and observed the importance of culture on a patient’s decision to incorporate these changes,” she said.

Recently, she and her faculty sponsor Devon Noonan, associate professor, were awarded for Muhirwa’s Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing (Sigma) Small Grant proposal entitled: "Stress, the Superwoman Schema and Cardiovascular Wellbeing among Rural African American Women." The project’s objective is to examine the relationship between community stressors and Ideal Cardiovascular Health (ICH) and the moderating effect of the Superwoman Schema.

In the fall, Muhirwa was one of two DUSON students chosen for the inaugural cohort of the Purpose Project at Duke’s Race and the Professions Fellowship, a year-long program that will explore the challenges of racial inequities and the work of antiracism in the professions, the broader community, and the world.

Kaitlyn Daly

Kaitlyn Daly’s current research interests explore the intersection of spirituality, theology and health in holistic patient care, caregiver support and the academic setting. She was awarded a Black Church Health Promotion Grant in December by The Duke Divinity School to support her dissertation project to understand and engage Black churches in health promotion for healthy eating. Her faculty sponsors are Isaac Lipkus, professor, and Tolu Oyesanya, assistant professor.

Anna M. Diané

Anna M. Diané’s research broadly focuses on respecting cultural sensitivity and reducing health disparities through digital health.

“As a Black woman, I have experienced firsthand how fragmented and limiting the nation’s health care system can be to the health needs of people of color,” she said. “I believe that in order to truly work towards reducing health care disparities, advocacy and minority representation must key pillars of the innovation stages of health interventions.

Despite efforts to improve health services for Black Americans and other culturally diverse groups, research shows there are still numerous health disparities and that these disparities will continue to worsen if nothing is done.”

Last spring, she and her faculty sponsor Ryan Shaw, associate professor, received an award for her NIH/NINR NRSA Fellowship proposal entitled "Engaging Black Men in Digital Health to Improve Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes: An Iterative Participatory Design Approach." The project is focused on looking at the potential barriers and facilitators and the potential influence of various factors (e.g. culture, masculinity, health care team-patient relationship, diabetes knowledge, and graph literacy) on the acceptability and use of digital health to facilitate self-management among Black men with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).

“Understanding specific differences could facilitate the creation of tailored interventions that may resonate more with the intended audience and lead to improved T2D self-management practices and health outcomes,” Diané said. “I believe that in order to truly work towards reducing health care disparities, advocacy and minority representation must key pillars of the innovation stages of health interventions.

Innovations that respect patients’ racial/ethnic needs and preferences have been shown to increase the likelihood of an effective intervention. Thus, I want to make sure these changes, solutions, and technologies are accessible and tailored to all parts of our population.”

Darchelle Excellent

Darchelle Excellent’s research area pertains to investigating factors that affect African American women's decision to breastfeed. Her interest in this area comes from her experiences with collecting data from mothers of premature infants about breast pumping initiation with her mentor and her own experiences with her mom having difficulties breast pumping and later breastfeeding her sister born premature.