| dc.description.abstract | The African American Behavioral Health Center of Excellence at Morehouse School of Medicine (AABH CoE), established in 2020, aims to address behavioral health disparities among African Americans. Recognizing the challenges African Americans face in accessing behavioral health services due to systemic inequities, the AABH CoE introduced a plan to enhance culturally relevant leadership practices to improve behavioral health outcomes. Through a mixed-method research design analyzing 35 data sources comprising a mix of qualitative interviews, Likert-scale surveys and open-ended responses, the project examined the influence of cultural competence and humility on African American behavioral healthcare and its potential enhancement in leadership training. The findings revealed that while providers acknowledged the integral link between cultural humility and competency, external barriers and representation challenges hindered their full integration. The Afrocentric model emerged as crucial for understanding African American backgrounds, but a disconnect in cultural humility assessment and practice was observed among providers which may hinder culturally competent behaviors. The study recommends the AABH CoE embrace the integration of the Afrocentric model in all aspects of its operation to enhance its thought leadership and impact. Further, the leadership program should utilize more interactive experiences and post-training support to drive transformational learning of cultural humility and competence amongst its participants so they are ready to embrace their role as champions of change. | |
