top of page
The facts:
4/10
Four in 10 Black men aged 20 or older have high blood pressure, a rate 30% higher than White men.
Black men are less likely to receive guideline-consistent care and be included in research.
Black men are more likely to receive a misdiagnosis of schizophrenia when expressing symptoms related to mood disorders or PTSD.
African-Americans tend to be diagnosed at a later stage of Alzheimer’s disease — limiting the effectiveness of treatments that depend upon early intervention.
2X
Black men's risk of a stroke is twice that of White men.
Being open will strengthen you.
So few Black men have stepped up to be involved in studies that pertain to black bodies. This resistance has resulted in a lack of data that’s needed to combat the biggest threat facing Black men today, mental health.
Your courage will empower others.
Black men face unique barriers to health care and positive health-seeking behaviors. These barriers include socioeconomic status, masculinity, racism, lack of awareness of the need for primary care, religious beliefs, and peer influence. The good news is that Black men’s social network of family and friends can positively influence health-seeking behavior.
We want to see more Black men uplifted with positive representation.
Your contribution is priceless.
We understand your resistance to joining scientific studies. One of our missions is to dismantle the legacy of government-sanctioned research exploitation.
Development over detriment.
Understanding mental health, and separating what we can control and what we can not is essential to developing ways to improve our mental fitness and overall wellness.
The Emerging Scholars Program
The Black Men's Brain Health Emerging Scholars Program aims to cultivate a culturally competent workforce committed to addressing Black men’s brain health, cognitive aging, and Alzheimer’s Disease/Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia (AD/ADRD) research.
Risks & Resilience
The Black Men’s Brain Health (BMBH) Conference during Super Bowl week aims to convene scientists and community leaders to increase the representation of Black men in brain science research and to reduce brain health disparities among Black men.
Partners
Get to Know Our Partners
-
Alzheimer's AssociationPartner Statement: The Alzheimer’s Association is pleased to partner with the National Institute on Aging and the National Football League Alumni Association to convene the Super Bowl Brain Health Conference. This conference series will provide a forum to advance topics relating to Black men in aging research, including cognitive health, Alzheimer’s Disease/Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias. We proudly support this dialogue, which will engage researchers and other interested stakeholders on this important topic. https://www.alz.org/
-
National Institute on AgingPartner Statement: The National Institute on Aging is committed to conducting research on health disparities in ADRD. Healthy brain aging is a growing public health concern. Black men, in particular, suffer high rates of biological, psychological, and sociocultural vulnerabilities that could uniquely and substantially increase their AD/ADRD risk. Black males are sorely underrepresented in brain aging research, with participation at only 20-25 % of that of Black females https://www.nia.nih.gov/
-
NFL Alumni AssociationPartner Statement: The mission of the NFLAA Mental Health & Wellness Initiative is to put mental health and wellness at the core of supporting former NFL Athletes and their families, by creating an integrated balance between their post-football identity, their community, their peers, and their spirituality. Our goals are to: Optimize human potential Create opportunities for positive mental health Help players transition to life after the game Support former athletes, the communities they come from and the communities they live in Aggregate mental health & wellness information for alumni to access easily Build opportunities for NFLAA members to help others raise their mental health https://www.nflalumni.org/
-
USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on AgingPartner Statement: The USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging builds upon the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work’s longstanding tradition of conducting socially relevant research, innovating educational practices, influencing policy making, fostering community-university partnerships and sharing best practices with direct service providers. The USC Roybal Institute maintains a strong interdisciplinary focus, with collaborations among faculty and professionals in such fields as social work, gerontology, psychology, preventive medicine, family medicine, psychiatry, oncology, American studies and ethnicity, and public policy. Its mission is to advance research whose goal is to enhance optimal aging for persons in minority and low-income communities. https://roybal.usc.edu/press/
Contact
Get in Contact
Media Contact
Connect with us!
Questions?
Drawing on personal experience as a former pro football player and interactions with over 140 current and former NFL athletes, Dr. Robert W. Turner II (Co-PI) reveals what it means to be a high school and college athlete pursuing the dream of playing in the NFL, and why so many players struggle with life after football.
Purchase this book:
bottom of page