Student awarded BCBS Michigan Foundation grant for addressing Black adolescent health disparities

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—Winnie Wilson, a counseling psychology doctorate student in the College of Education and Human Development at Western Michigan University, has been awarded a grant by the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan(BCBS-MI) Foundation to address health disparities among Black adolescents. With the grant, she will analyze their personal experiences with racial trauma to then inform clinicians of best practices.

"Despite recent attention to the impacts of racial trauma, very few studies have explored the impacts of this trauma on Black adolescents; especially through the lens of these youth," says Wilson. "Capturing the language used by Black adolescents to describe their own experiences with racial trauma is imperative in understanding, identifying, and counteracting the emergence of this trauma."

The student award grant is part of the BCBS-MI Foundation's effort to fund progressive and behavioral health care projects that serve to build healthy and sustainable in Michigan. Wilson was one of 20 students who received funding in 2024 and the second Bronco in the award's history.

"Findings from this study will allow psychologists to address health disparities by unveiling the detrimental impacts of racial trauma on Black youth biopsychosocial health outcomes while also deepening understanding of developmentally specific reactions to racial trauma," explains Wilson. 

"This study provides clinicians with the opportunity to assess the language Black adolescents are using to describe racial trauma experiences. It will also encourage culturally responsive practices that prioritize Black adolescents’ needs."

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.