Sociocultural, Personality, Neurocognitive, and Biological Factors of African American Drug Use & Health

Data obtained through collaborations (Dr. Steven Kogan) with the Center for Translational and Prevention Science and the Carolina African American Twins Study of Aging (Dr. Keith Whitfield) allow for the examination of the role of the environment in shaping individual differences in  patterns of substance use among rural African Americans. African Americans and many other minority populations in the US are disproportionately impacted by the negative outcomes of substance involvement. Moreso, these effects are exacerbated among minorities in rural communities. The goal of these collaborations is to contribute to the global mission towards personalized medicine by developing and testing hypotheses to inform our understanding of multidimensional factors associated with drug use in African Americans.