Connecting with Community

When it comes to building healthy brains, neuroscientist Anita Randolph, PhD, believes in reaching out. As director of community engagement and education for the MIDB, she aims to break down barriers between underrepresented populations and the important work happening at the U to address child and adolescent brain health.

“It’s an unprecedented time for the pursuit of equality in America. We want to make sure we’re not leaving anyone out,” she says. “MIDB programs need to work for a wide range of family structures, circumstances, and cultures.”

For Randolph and her team, that means creating programs designed for school and after-school programs, faith communities, foster care and adoptive families, and other settings. Randolph, whose own research focuses on addiction and brain function, will start by establishing an advisory board to engage families and local organizations to help co-create solutions for improving child and adolescent brain health that are driven by the communities that need them most.