Betselot Biruck Wondimu

Betselot Wondimu is interested in examining sociocultural constructions of mental health in the African-diaspora, with a particular interest in how identity formation is shaped by disciplinary power. Wondimu hopes to explore conceptions of embodiment, resilience, and enculturation which are interrelated with racism and acculturative stress. Through mixed methods research, Wondimu aims to improve communication around mental health and coping strategies in cross-cultural contexts; inform the decisions of policymakers and institutional stakeholders; and redistribute educational and clinical resources to populations that have been historically excluded from access. Wondimu is currently a fellow in the NIMH Predoctoral Training Program in Social Determinants of HIV. Prior to his doctoral studies, Wondimu earned a B.S. in Anthropology and B.S. in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland, College Park. Wondimu went on to serve as a Public Health Analyst at RTI International's Center for Behavioral Health Epidemiology, Implementation, and Evaluation.

Research Interests

Adolescent/Young Adult Developmental Transitions
Adolescents/Youth
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Child Abuse and Neglect
Child Policy
Community Development
Discrimination
Harm Reduction
Health Inequities
HIV Interventions
HIV Prevention
Immigrant Children or Children of Immigrants
Immigrant Health
Immigration Policy
Inequality
Inequality/disparity
Internal Migration
International Migration
Life Course Perspectives on Migration
Long reach of childhood or childhood origins of adult health
Migrant Health
Neurodevelopment
Place-Based Interventions
Policy (policies)
Poverty
Practices
Programs
Racism
Refugees
Second Generation
Social Determinants
Social Policy
Social Stratification
Social Support
Stigma
Toxic Stress
Trauma-Informed Care
Urban Health

Datasets

Administrative Data (State or National)
Medicaid Data
Medicare Data
National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
NLSY (National Longitudinal Survey of Youth) or other NLS datasets
Stanford Education Data Archive (SEDA)