Darlingtina Esiaka, PhD, CPG, CPH

Health Outcomes and Aging Researcher & Consultant| Founder, Black in Gerontology & Geriatrics | Director & PI, Health & Aging from Minority Perspectives Lab | MPI, HBCU Aging Conference

Lexington, Kentucky, United States

About

I am a social psychologist and gerontologist with over a decade of experience researching and implementing evidence-based health equity practices. I use rigorous interdisciplinary methods to help organizations, practitioners, researchers, and communities working towards health equity measure their impact and optimize their performances. Through my work on health projects, interventions, and research initiatives, I strive to help remove barriers to health outcomes and healthy aging. I have led teams within higher education and target communities to influence health practices and create health awareness, and I work with community leaders to help them implement health equity programs. I embrace opportunities to apply my expertise to issues of health disparities and inequities, especially in historically neglected communities. My career thus far has covered several functional areas. Those include:  Coordination of health evaluation programs, which included development and administration of authentic assessments and detailed documentation of data  Research project design and administration, including capture and analysis of data, mixed-method research, and community engaged research  Championing initiatives to deepen cross-functional collaboration to achieve practical and sustainable solutions in support of business aims  Community health project management, leveraging my knowledge of public health and community psychology  Grant writing, development of grant agreement, and report writing  Consultations, training, and evaluation services  Monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of community interventions  Curriculum development, university teaching, coaching, and advising  Leveraging technological innovation to support operational excellence and efficiency; and developing team members at all levels As part of my ongoing curiosity and desire to learn, in 2019 I completed a dual-title Ph.D. in Social Psychology and Gerontology, with minors in Health Psychology and African Studies. Ultimately, I hope to have some impact on ensuring that diverse communities are filled with individuals who are empowered to achieve optimal health outcomes.

Experience

  • University of Kentucky College of Medicine (Full-time · 2 yrs 11 mos)
    • Assistant Professor
      Jul 2024 - Present · 2 yrs

    • Postdoctoral Researcher
      Aug 2023 - Jun 2024 · 11 mos

  • Director & Principal Investigator at Health and Aging from Multicultural Perspectives Lab (HAMPLAB)
    Sep 2019 - Present · 6 yrs 10 mos

  • Outreach Coordinator at Alter Dementia
    May 2022 - Aug 2023 · 1 yr 4 mos

  • Postdoctoral Researcher at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
    Aug 2021 - Aug 2023 · 2 yrs 1 mo

  • Director, Community Engagement at Rutgers University–Newark
    Aug 2021 - Dec 2022 · 1 yr 5 mos

    Aging and Brain Health Alliance (ABHA)