profiles

PhD: Human Sciences – Global Family Health and Well-being, Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies; University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 2021-2024

MS: Child, Youth, and Family Studies – International Family Studies, Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies; University of Nebraska, Lincoln, 2014-2017

BA: Psychology – Child Development and Mental Health, Albertus Magnus College, New Haven, CT, 2009

Dr. Genese Clark is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Public and Allied Health and the Center for Urban Health Equity at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland. A trained family scholar and mixed-methodologist from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, her work is grounded in the social and structural determinants of health framework.

Dr. Clark’s research examines culturally specific strengths within marginalized populations, with a particular focus on African American family networks, inclusive of biological, legal, and social ties. Her scholarship emphasizes psychosocial health and well-being in family and community contexts, to minimize and heal from trauma. She is the creator of the Family Strength Wheel (Clark, 2023), a visual metric that has been shared globally and helps individuals identify and leverage family strengths to overcome challenges, improve family functioning, and foster cohesion.

Before joining academia, Dr. Clark spent more than a decade in the nonprofit sector providing direct service, therapeutic interventions, training, and program development. She has led educational workshops in partnership with community-based organizations in the U.S. and abroad, addressing themes such as family and community strengths, self-awareness, implicit bias, and anti-racism. Her work reflects a belief that creative, research-informed approaches to outreach and education can transform individuals, systems, and communities worldwide.

Dr. Clark is an active member of the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR), where she belongs to the Racial and Ethnic Diversity in Families Section and currently serves as the Student and New Professionals (SNP) Representative on the Inclusion and Diversity Committee.

Select Publications and Presentations:

Clark, G., Wang, Y., Xia, Y., Bigba, K. (in press). Transnational families in North America: Migration trends, policy implications, and well-being. Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, 31.

Wang, Y., Cantu-Hines, M., de Guzman, M., Clark, G. (2025). “Misinformation takes control when there’s lack of information”: Evaluation of a bilingual community immunization and vaccination training for rural Hispanics [manuscript submitted for publication].

Clark, G., Xia, Y., Goodwin, J. (under review). Trauma-responsive SEL in practice: Case study insights from a community organization working with REM youth during COVID-19. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.

Clark, G., Wang, Y., Xia, Y. (2025, November 2-5). Promoting health and well-being in transnational families through equity-focused policy development [Poster presentation]. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting and Expo, Washington, D.C., United States.

Clark, G., & Xia, Y. (2025, November 19-22). “That’s right, you shout it loud…I’m black and I’m proud”: Intergenerational understanding and solidarity [Paper presentation]. National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Baltimore, MD, United States.

Clark, G., Hollist, C. Walker, C. (2024, November 21-24). The Role of Self-Awareness in Emotionally Close Relationships With Kin [Poster presentation]. National Council on Family Relations Annual Conference, Bellevue, WA, United States.

Clark, G. (2023). The family strength wheel: A strength-based visual tool for families. The Journal of Extension, 61(3), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.34068/joe.61.03.01

Clark, G. (2022). The benefit of an integrative trauma-informed approach to social-emotional learning among Black, Indigenous, and other Non-White (BINW) youth. National Council on Family Relations, Family Focus on Promoting Mental Health. https://www.ncfr.org/benefit-integrative-trauma-informed-approach-social-emotional-learning-among-black-indigenous-and?check_logged_in=1