National Institute for African American Health
NIAAH connects medicine, social science, and community knowledge to strengthen pathways into the health professions, prepare clinicians for informed care, and develop practical support for Black families.
Health is shaped long before a clinic visit and long after it. It is shaped in classrooms, in exam rooms, and at kitchen tables where families care for aging parents. NIAAH works at these connected points across the life course, with an established mentoring program and developing initiatives in clinician preparation, aging, and family caregiving.
Our model
NIAAH's approach comes from life course research: health outcomes in later life are built by experiences in childhood, education, work, and family. Our four points of engagement connect educational opportunity, clinical practice, family care, and aging. Together, these roles and settings connect our work across the life course.
Our established physician mentoring pathway supports pre-med and medical students. Broader health professions and high school pathways are being developed.
We prepare physicians and health professionals to communicate clearly, build trust, and provide informed care to African American patients.
We are developing research and practical tools for families managing care at home, especially adult children caring for aging parents.
We advance aging with dignity, connecting gerontology, medicine, and community practice so older adults are understood and well served.
The pipeline
NIAAH Scholars began as a mentorship program for African American pre-med and medical students, pairing them with African American physicians who guide them through medical school and into practice. That program continues as the Physician Track, and it remains the foundation of NIAAH Scholars.
NIAAH is now expanding Scholars to include students preparing for every part of the health workforce, because African American health depends on nurses, public health professionals, researchers, social workers, and psychologists as well as physicians.
Physician Track participation figures reported as of October 2026. These figures describe program reach and reported matching activity. Engagement and educational outcomes require additional measurement. How to interpret these figures.
Founding program · Enrolling now
For African American pre-med students at U.S. colleges and students enrolled in accredited U.S. medical schools. Scholars are mentored by practicing and retired African American physicians.
Enroll as a ScholarNow forming
For African American undergraduate and graduate students in nursing, public health, social work, psychology, research, and related fields, mentored by professionals in those fields.
Explore this pathwayPlanned pathway
For African American high school students exploring health careers and preparing for college.
Explore this pathway
For clinicians and health systems
CME pathway available · Full certification in development
Health systems are accountable for outcomes across every population they serve. NIAAH connects physicians and health professionals with education on African American health, communication, and trust while developing its certification framework.
Explore the NIAAH curriculum through Pri-Med for current course availability, credit information, and completion requirements. NIAAH is developing the full certification framework, including standards, assessment, and clinical oversight. CME participation and a NIAAH credential are distinct. Read about the current pathway and development stage.
Explore clinician learning and help shape an implementation partnership. Scope, faculty, delivery requirements, evaluation, and any recognition must be confirmed before an engagement begins.
Signature initiative
In development · Seeking development partners
Redistributing the circle of care for Black families
In African American families, caregiving for aging parents often falls on one person, often a daughter, often while she is working and raising her own children. That work is largely invisible to employers, health plans, and health systems, and it carries costs to the caregiver's health, income, and future.
NIAAH Family Care is our developing signature initiative. Its proposed model connects three areas of work:
Measuring what Black family caregivers carry and what helps them, through a NIAAH national study now in development.
A forthcoming toolkit intended to help families discuss care roles, share responsibilities, and develop a written Family Care Agreement. Planned to be free for families.
A proposed six session education program for delivery with health systems, aging services, employers, and churches. Curriculum, facilitator preparation, and pilot evaluation are in development.
Leadership
NIAAH is led by a physician and a sociologist. That pairing shapes everything we do: clinical knowledge tells us what happens in the exam room, and social science tells us what happens everywhere else.
Internal medicine physician and medical director of the University Hospitals Cutler Center for Men in Cleveland. Associate Professor at Northeast Ohio Medical University and Associate Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Former chairman of the Ohio Commission on Minority Health. Author of Precision Medicine for African Americans (Springer) and Better Black Health, and longtime presenter on the Pri-Med continuing medical education network. Dr. Hall founded NIAAH to mentor future physicians, educate clinicians, and advocate for better health outcomes in the Black community.
Medical sociologist specializing in aging and the life course, Chair of the Sociology Department at Norfolk State University, and author of Liberated Mind and Aging and Caregiving in Black America. A Marine Corps veteran and longtime builder of institutions for Black communities.
Publishing
NIAAH Press publishes practical, evidence-based work on African American health for families, clinicians, and community leaders. Our list connects medical knowledge with the social conditions, history, and family life that shape health. We welcome proposals from scholars, clinicians, and community practitioners.
Research, data, and health information
A curated starting point for families, students, and professionals. Search by topic, then follow each resource to its original source.
Search results are limited to CDC, NIH, MedlinePlus, Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and UCSF Health. Results open in a new tab. Check each source and consult a qualified health professional for personal medical advice.
CDC FastStats brings together national measures on health conditions, causes of death, and infant health, with links to the underlying data sources.
Explore CDC dataCDC explains factors connected to maternal health and offers information for patients, families, and health professionals.
Read the resourceCDC provides national infant mortality information, including rates by race and ethnicity and links to public health objectives.
Explore infant health dataNIDDK connects readers to diabetes statistics, including information on prevalence among African Americans, risk factors, and additional data sources.
Explore diabetes resourcesNIMH offers guidance for finding mental health support, including federal resources and ways to locate services.
Find mental health supportNIA gathers articles, worksheets, videos, and referral resources to support families and professionals navigating caregiving.
Explore the caregiving toolkitLearn about support such as home care, transportation, respite, and ways to find local services for older adults and families.
Find aging and care resourcesNIMHD describes how health disparities are defined and measured, helping readers distinguish observed differences from explanations of their causes.
Read NIMHD’s overviewNIAAH’s clinician education program focuses on personalized, inclusive care and communication with African American patients.
Explore NIAAH CertifiedExplore NIAAH’s current health information and patient advocacy materials for African American patients and families.
Browse NIAAH resourcesLearn about a Black women led alliance advancing Black maternal health, rights, and justice through research, advocacy, and cultural change.
Explore the Alliance’s workExplore policy priorities and research focused on advancing the health and well being of Black women and girls.
Explore policy and researchFind issue areas and resources from a public health organization working with communities and people of African descent.
Explore issue areasNo resources match that search. Try another term or choose “All resources.”
About this collection. This initial collection is a starting point, not a complete catalog of African American health research and resources. NIAAH identifies each resource’s source and will expand and review the collection over time. Follow the links for current guidance. For personal medical decisions, speak with a qualified health professional. Is there a resource we should consider? Suggest a resource to NIAAH.
Working together
NIAAH works with universities, community organizations, health funders, and industry partners who share our commitment to African American health.
Build the institution with us
NIAAH welcomes partners who can support both its programs and the leadership, coordination, research, evaluation, and operations needed to sustain them. We are seeking flexible and multiyear support for this next stage of institutional development.
Explore a defined role in workforce pathways, clinician learning, or Family Care development.
Explore partnershipsHelp build dependable delivery through leadership, program coordination, financial administration, technology, and evaluation.
Support the institutionSee what is established, what is developing, and what our current participation figures can tell you.
Evidence and learning
