Dr. Daphne C. Watkins is a Research Investigator in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Program for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. She has devoted her professional career to health promotion and disease prevention among underserved individuals and communities.

Dr. Watkins’ research interest is broadly defined as mental health disparities, and includes research on gender disparities in mental health and illness, health education and behavior, and intervention research. Currently, she is studying how gender differences influence the mental health of Black Americans over the life course. Dr. Watkins has produced a growing number of publications that underline gender role socialization and mental health – particularly with regard to Black American culture. For example, she is developing research on the cultural and gender specifications of working with young Black men in underserved communities. The health of Black men undoubtedly receives less attention than the health of other men. Due to their high susceptibility to crime, poverty, terminal illnesses, substance abuse and violence, Black men have poorer health than men of other racial/ethnic groups. An anthropologist and health educator by training, Dr. Watkins has also used multi-disciplinary research methods to study the impact of stress on the mental health and health behaviors of young Black men who attend predominantly white institutions and historically Black colleges and universities. Her work investigates the influence of stress on health and health behaviors within and between underserved populations of men by examining the causes of chronic stress as well as the mechanisms in place that initiate poor health habits and maintain them. The impact of Dr. Watkins’ scholarship extends from scientists to community practitioners, as demonstrated by her empirical research and her work on developing practical guidelines for community-based work with Black men. In addition to conducting health disparities research, Dr. Watkins is an ad-hoc reviewer for several peer-reviewed journals and is a member of the Board of Medical Advisors for Black Health Magazine. Dr. Watkins serves as Co-Investigator for the University of Michigan Healthy Minds Study and is an Associate Faculty member for the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center. Her professional and public service includes leadership roles in the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) and lifetime membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, a public service sorority.

Dr. Watkins received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of North Carolina-Wilmington and her doctorate in Health Education and Health Behavior from Texas A&M University. Upon receipt of her doctorate, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship on mental health and illness at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan.