Representative from Council on Cultural, Ethnic and Racial Affairs
Leo Wilton
Term Dates
2023-2025
Professional Bio
Leo Wilton, Ph.D., MPH, is a Professor in the Department of Human Development at the State University of New York at Binghamton. His research interests include health disparities and inequities (HIV prevention and care); Black psychological development and mental health; critical community-based research; and mixed- and multi-methods research. His research on the HIV epidemic focuses on the intersectionality of race, gender, and sexuality as situated in macro- and micro-level inequalities in Black communities. His research explores how socio-structural and –cultural contexts influence people’s development and well-being within African and African diaspora communities, with specific implications for addressing social justice and human rights. In this context, the overall objective of his scholarly research program has been to examine socio-structural and -cultural factors that provide the basis for developing culturally-informed HIV prevention and care interventions in communities of color. He has served as Principal Investigator (PI) or Co-Investigator on several National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded research studies. He teaches courses on the psychology of racism, Black child and adolescent development, Black families, and research methods.
CP and Me
“Oppressed people, whatever their level of formal education, have the ability to understand and interpret the world around them, to see the world for what it is, and move to transform it.” These words, spoken by civil rights activist Ella Baker, are the cornerstone of how I engage the interdisciplinary field of community psychology. The objective of this work in addressing multi-layered structural inequalities among underserved communities remains critical in articulating a vision and praxis for the future. These contributions are salient in cultivating an innovative holistic understanding of strength-based frameworks and a commitment to exploring issues of transformative social justice in our everyday lives. I share Audre Lorde’s challenge in moving beyond the “constant drain of energy which might be better used in redefining ourselves and devising realistic scenarios for altering the present and constructing the future.”