Janelle R. Goodwill

Janelle R. Goodwill is a Neubauer Family Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice.

Her research explores topics at the intersections of mental health, race, and gender - with a particular focus on suicide and depression in Black Americans. Her most recent work examines the interpersonal and environmental factors that contribute to suicidality (e.g., ideation, planning, or attempt). In doing so, Professor Goodwill uses qualitative and quantitative approaches to assess how psychological strengths like coping and social support protect against adverse mental health outcomes and ultimately promote well-being.

In one study, Professor Goodwill measured whether perceived public stigma of receiving mental health treatment was linked to help-seeking, depression, and suicide ideation in Black college men. Other new projects focus on issues related to psychometrics and measurement when capturing gender differences in depressive symptoms among Black women and men. To date, her work has been supported by Active Minds and the Ford Foundation.