Jaclynn M. Hawkins

Dr. Jaclynn Hawkins received her BA and MSW from the University of California, Berkeley, and her PhD in Sociology and Social Work from the University of Michigan School of Social Work. She is currently an associate professor in the School of Social Work, director of the Vivian A. and James L. Curtis School of Social Work Center for Health Equity Research and Training and affiliated as an assistant professor within the Treatment Innovation and Dissemination Lab at U-M. Her research focuses on identifying the causes of physical health disparities between Black men and non-Hispanic white men, and creating and evaluating diabetes health interventions with an emphasis on addressing the unique needs of Black men. Her PhD training was supported by a National Institutes of Health Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. Much of her work focuses on the intersection of race, age and gender in diabetes diagnosis and self-management in Black men. She has extensive experience conducting research on disparities in health care experiences and outcomes specifically for Black men. Hawkins has authored several peer-reviewed research articles focused on Black men’s T2D self-management health behaviors, chronic disease communication, and psychosocial and physical well-being. Hawkins is the principal investigator of the Michigan Men’s Diabetes Project, a pilot/feasibility randomized control study of a peer-led diabetes self-management and support intervention targeting Black men with T2D (PI: Hawkins; 1-R21-DK11733901-A1). She was also co-investigator on a 33-month, mixed methods cluster randomized controlled trial in 21 African American churches that aims to assess the sustainability of improvements observed following education services vis-à-vis three parallel approaches to self-management support (R01DK104733-02). Hawkins is co-director of the Michigan Center for Diabetes Translational Research Pilot/Feasibility Program.