Riana Elyse Anderson facts for kids

Riana Elyse Anderson is an American psychologist. She helps people understand how unfair treatment based on race, called racial discrimination, affects Black families. Dr. Anderson is a professor at the University of Michigan. She teaches about health behavior and education.

She studied psychology at the University of Virginia, Yale University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Her main work is to study how racial discrimination impacts the mental health of Black teenagers and their families. She also creates programs to help them. Dr. Anderson shares her knowledge through writing, talks, and media appearances. She has received many awards for her important work.

Her Journey in Education

Riana Elyse Anderson was born in Detroit, Michigan. She earned her first degree in psychology and political science from the University of Michigan in 2006. She then went to the University of Virginia. There, she received her master's degree in psychology in 2011. She completed her PhD from the same university in 2015.

In 2017, she joined the University of Southern California. A year later, in 2018, she became a professor at the University of Michigan. She works in the School of Public Health.

What She Studies

Dr. Anderson works in different areas of psychology. These include clinical psychology, which helps people with mental health issues. She also works in community psychology, which looks at how communities affect people's well-being. Her work also covers public health, which focuses on the health of large groups of people.

She is well-known for her studies on racial discrimination. She also researches how to help Black children, teenagers, and families heal from difficult experiences. Dr. Anderson created a special program called EMBRace. This program helps parents and teenagers talk about race. It teaches them how to deal with stress and difficult feelings related to race.

The EMBRace program helps families have stronger relationships. It also helps parents and teens feel better about themselves. It teaches them to speak up against unfair treatment. This program has been written about in important scientific journals. It has also been used with young people in schools. News outlets across the country have featured her work. Dr. Anderson has received many grants to support her research. These grants come from groups like the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

How She Helps the Public

Dr. Anderson shares her knowledge in many ways. She has written for blogs and articles. She has also been featured in major news outlets. These include CNN, The New York Times, and Huffington Post. She has also appeared on PBS and WebMD.

She is part of important national groups. These include a committee for children and families at the American Psychological Association. She also helps with an anti-racism task force. Dr. Anderson co-hosts "Our Mental Health Minute." This is a show that helps reduce negative ideas about mental health in the Black community. She also gives talks in local communities. She teaches people about racism and how it affects Black families.

Important Writings

Dr. Anderson has written many important articles. Here are a few examples:

• Anderson, R. E., Jones, S. C. T., & Stevenson, H. wrote about how well families talk about race.
• Anderson, R., Lee, D., Hope, M., Nisbeth, K., Bess, K., & Zimmerman, M. studied how racial identity can help prevent problems related to alcohol.
• Anderson, R. E., Metzger, I., Applewhite, K., Sawyer, B., Jackson, W., Flores, S., McKenny, M., & Carter, R. wrote about how Black families react to programs that teach about race.
• Williams, J. L., Tolan, P. H., Durkee, M. I., Francois, A. G., & Anderson, R. E. discussed how understanding racial identity helps us learn about teenagers.
• Anderson, R. E., & Stevenson, H. C. wrote about how talking about race in families can help people heal from stress and trauma.