Tuesday, May 25, 2021, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EDT

Nadine J. Kaslow, Professor, Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Chief Psychologist and Director of the Grady Nia Project, Director, Atlanta Trauma Alliance, Director of Postdoctoral Residency Training in Health Service Psychology, School of Medicine

“’The Nia Project’: Culturally Responsive Care for Suicidal African American Women”

The Nia Project began in the early 90s, shortly after Dr. Kaslow came to Emory (and Grady), when she garnered grants to support studies of suicide among African American women. Discovering they had participated in the studies, some of these women came knocking on her door, wanting to know “‘Why do you just ask us these questions? When are you going to give us help?” They wanted a group to talk about suicide and another group to talk about domestic violence—and soon, the two longest running programs of the Project were born, with the Project itself named “The Nia Project,” after the Kwanzaa principle that means “purpose.” In the many years since, Dr. Kaslow and her team, as committed to social justice as she and as determined to integrate research and clinical work, have much expanded the Project programming to still better help the women they serve find meaning enough in their lives to survive and, indeed, to thrive.  She will share stories of their struggles and of their amazing resilience, as well. And she will share her dreams for further expansion of The Nia Project.