Assistant Professor
Community Health and Prevention, Drexel FIRST Program
kofoworola.williams@drexel.edu
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Degrees

PhD, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Virginia Commonwealth University
MPH, Environmental and Occupational Health, Dornsife School of Public Health, Drexel University
CAS, Global Health, Syracuse University
BS, Biology, Syracuse University

Bio

Dr. Kofoworola D.A. Williams is a social and behavioral scientist and mental health disparities investigator with expertise in public health, health behavior change theory, and digital mental health. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Prevention at the Dornsife School of Public Health, as part of the Drexel FIRST (Faculty Institutional Recruitment for Sustainable Transformation) program. Dr. Williams’ research program is inspired by the Black men in her life and focuses on two key areas, employing a human-centered framework and mixed methods:

1. Understanding how social, behavioral, and structural determinants shape mental health and help-seeking behaviors.
2. Investigating how social media and digital technologies can improve mental health outcomes and access to care for traditionally excluded populations, particularly Black boys and men.

These efforts aim to establish a foundation for future interventions and inform best practices for developing culturally relevant, accessible, innovation, and sustainable digital mental health solutions.

Before joining Drexel FIRST, Dr. Williams was a NRSA T32 postdoctoral research fellow in digital mental health at the Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies (CBITs) at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Her contributions to health disparities research have been recognized with a 2022 Health Disparities Research Loan Repayment Award from NIMH and selection as a 2021 scholar at the NIMHD's Health Disparities Research Institute.

She earned her PhD in Social and Behavioral Sciences from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Medicine, where she was also a Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholar. Dr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Biology and a Certificate of Advanced Study in Global Health from Syracuse University, as well as a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in Environmental and Occupational Health from the Drexel’s Dornsife School of Public Health.

Dr. Williams is potentially taking on a PhD student for Fall 2025. She encourages interested candidates to explore their ‘FIT’ with her lab by reviewing her recent publications and current projects to better understand the lab’s mission and focus. Below are a few key projects currently underway:

1. Scoping Review of Digital Mental Health Interventions for Suicide Prevention – Exploring the landscape of digital mental health tools designed to support Black youth and young adults.
2. Designing and Testing Social Media Messaging for Mental Health Symptom Management and Help-Seeking – Developing and evaluating targeted messaging to promote mental health support among Black men.
3. Development of Culturally Appropriate Digital Interventions – Designing, testing, and evaluating digital mental health interventions for Black men experiencing depression and other mental health needs, combining social, behavioral, and digital strategies to promote mental health equity.

If these research areas align with your goals and interests, Dr. Williams would be happy to hear from you. She welcomes emails with specific thoughts on how your background and aspirations align and connect with the lab’s work and focus areas.

Research Interests

The bio above outlines Dr. Williams's research interests within the scope of her research program.

Publications

See Dr. Williams's full list of publications on PubMed