ATA translational and clinical research focuses on understanding the impacts of stress and trauma and related risk and resilience factors for suicide, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use and other stress-related behavioral and physical health comorbidities and developing and examining the effectiveness of culturally responsive evidence-informed, accessible interventions. The research conducted within the ATA leverages a wide range of neuroimaging, physiological and psychophysiological, psychosocial and cultural techniques and approaches. In keeping with its social justice focus, ATA research, which is conducted with individuals seeking medical or behavioral health care at Grady Health System and within the broader Atlanta community, has as its long-term goal reducing health inequities and improving health outcomes in Black and other marginalized communities. Research findings from the ATA inform local, regional, national and global advocacy, policy and social action.
Major areas of research focus at the ATA include:
- Establishing biopsychosocial-cultural mechanisms of risk and resilience to adverse health and behavioral health outcomes in Black adults with limited socioeconomic resources who experience substantial health inequities and oppression and have been historically underrepresented in research
- Addressing adverse childhood experiences and intergenerational and interpersonal trauma-related risk and adverse outcomes along with factors that protect against such negative outcomes
- Investigating the mechanisms by which women are more at risk than men for PTSD and other stress- and trauma-related adverse health outcomes and co-morbidities (e.g., reproductive dysfunction, cardiovascular and metabolic disease, immune dysfunction, infectious disease, cancer and aging)
- Understanding the biology of adverse health outcomes related to trauma exposure
- Identifying new neurobiological treatment targets following acute trauma exposure
- Developing culturally responsive evidence-informed, accessible interventions for suicidal behavior, PTSD, depression, substance misuse and other stress- and trauma-related adverse health outcomes