Dr. Constance A. C. West

Expert Bio

Dr. Constance West is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with 20+ years of professional experience. Her specialties include: Disaster Mental Health, Health Clinical Psychology (primarily, related to HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases), and Juvenile Forensics. More specifically, Dr. West has considerable experience in the following areas: stress and coping with acute and chronic stressors (i.e., natural disasters, chronic and/or infectious diseases) and the promotion of equity (with respect to race and ethnicity) across medical, mental health, juvenile justice, and educational settings. Overall, her work in the area of Health Clinical Psychology has involved the development, implementation, and evaluation of culturally sensitive/appropriate, public health and educational programs targeting racial and ethnic minorities (primarily, African-American youth and adults).  Dr. West has co-authored journal articles on related topics. In addition, she has conducted numerous presentations for lay and professional audiences across a wide variety of settings, including professional conferences (at the international, national, and local levels), churches, health fairs, and educational institutions.

Dr. West obtained a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology from Stanford University. Subsequently, she obtained master’s and doctoral degrees in Health Clinical Psychology from the University of Miami. Following graduate school, Dr. West completed a psychology internship program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham; and a 2-year, NIMH-funded postdoctoral fellowship in HIV/AIDS Clinical Research through Emory University's School of Medicine. Over the course of Dr. West’s professional career, she has worked in government, medical, mental health, court, research, and educational settings, including: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta Veterans Administration Medical Center, the Fulton County Juvenile Court, the Grady Infectious Disease Program, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Currently, Dr. West operates a private practice (Sankofa Services, LLC; serves as an Adjunct Professor at Xavier University of New Orleans; and serves as a Co-Founder of CRESTS-Achieve.

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