Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD, an Addiction Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry, and Director of the Social Justice and Health Equity Curriculum, is dedicated to creating spaces and opportunities for more people of color, specifically Black women in academia who are vastly underrepresented. The fundamental message of equity and inclusion has informed her research, clinical work and leadership duties at Yale and beyond. Dr. Jordan is also one of the new Associate Program Directors for the Yale Psychiatry Residency, a large group of 64 physicians providing mental health and addiction services throughout Yale medical systems in the state of CT.
She recently became medical director of Recognizing and Eliminating disparities in Culturally-informed Healthcare or (REACH), a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration grant in conjunction with the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, geared at increasing the number of addiction specialists from racial and ethnic minority populations who obtain training in how to provide culturally-informed addiction treatment. Passionate about helping racial and ethnic minorities achieve wellness and recovery from substance use disorders, Dr. Jordan was fully drawn to community-based research. Her goal is to improve outcomes for patients from underrepresented racial and ethnic populations, by involving them in every step of the process, from research to clinical interaction. Dr. Jordan is working on a project to provide a computer based cognitive behavioral therapy program (CBT4CBT) within the Black Church, an evidenced based therapeutic modality shown to be effective in decreasing substance use. She is also principal investigator of a faith-based recovery program based in 7 Black and Latinx churches throughout the state of CT.
She is elated and inspired to exist in an environment supportive of her vision to work with communities, integrating the cultural and religious aspects of people’s lives, while also addressing structural inequities that impede improved mental health and wellness. She is deeply grateful to be taking care of the most marginalized patients during this time, who are facing extreme challenges in obtaining addiction treatment during COVID19. Dr. Jordan is the proud recipient of various clinical and research awards and was recently inducted into the Top 40 under 40 society, by her undergraduate alma mater. Finally, She is on the Board of Directors of the American Psychiatric Association, a guild organization of 38, 5000 physicians.
