Center for African American Health Disparities Research and Education, Inc
Let's End Health Inequities
Dr. Kia R. McCray, DSW, LSW
Director of National Health Services, Research, and Stakeholder Engagement
INTRODUCTION
Dr. McCray, a licensed Doctor of Social Work, serves as the Director of National Health Services, Research, and Stakeholder Engagement for CAAHDER, Inc. She joined CAAHDER, Inc. initially as a research volunteer to provide her expertise and introduce the social services aspect of healthcare to continue on the mission and vision of CAAHDER to help address the vulnerable African American communities. As a researcher in social work, she saw that there was a strong growing concern of the African American population in relation to their health and their physical and mental needs. Therefore, the collaborative efforts of a team naturally developed between Dr. Warren and Dr. McCray through many countless brainstorming sessions where we establish that there was a greater need on a national level to ensure that African Americans gained the skills needed to address their healthcare needs and to have the educational resources to be able to navigate and establish social services necessary for their overall wellbeing.
Dr. McCray has served her community wholeheartedly by being a powerful change agent and an advocate for the African American community to gain a holistic experience to ensure their whole selves are nurtured. Therefore, it became vital that the integration of social services such as therapeutic counseling, housing, employment, financial assistance, and mental/behavioral health are vital components to addressing the health disparities and inequities of the African American communities.
BACKGROUND
Dr. McCray’s career and academic goals are based solely on help others strive to develop themselves in a way that empowers them to move forward. Due to these goals, she received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in 2009 at the Rutgers University. With this degree, Dr. McCray strived to not only recognize the individual, but to understand their environment and how their actions and behaviors were influenced by it. She went on to appreciate the greater need of laws/policies and the history of social services, which led her to pursue her Master’s degree in Social Work in 2013 with a concentration in Nonprofit Public Management at Rutgers University. With this knowledge, she truly developed naturally into a powerful change agent by learning to understand state, federal, and local laws & policies that help to shape or hinder the resources and educational outlets available to those in need. Having this understanding, fueled her passion to continue learning and obtain a Doctorate Degree in Social Work with a concentration in clinical research in 2019 at Capella University. Dr. McCray, has published her research dissertation on Stress Management to help create and empower a change through self-advocacy and implementing initiatives through strategic planning and program development.
In 2019, Dr. McCray, founded TruValu Consulting, LLC that allowed her passion to serve others based on establishing supportive services, completing research, data collection & analysis, and implementing quality assurance/improvement initiatives. Dr. McCray is an educated and skilled professional with over 20 years of experience in nonprofit public management within social service organizations by providing holistic clinical services and quality improvement initiatives to ensure the proper social services within the organizations not only remained in compliance with federal and state laws and regulations, but to more importantly help those served have their voices heard and to stay empowered to be their best.