CeRon O. Ford, PhD, MPH, MS

I am a mental health and substance use care researcher and Gates Millennium Scholar. I earned my BS in Public Health from Baylor University, MPH from Morehouse School of Medicine, and MS and PhD in Health Services Research, Policy, & Administration from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I have supported health communications at the CDC and held teaching and research appointments at Morehouse and Minnesota. My research uses quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods approaches to examine mental health across the life course, healthcare utilization, health communication, social policy, and structural determinants of health. My work has appeared in The Milbank Quarterly, Qualitative Health Research, and the Journal of Religion and Health. I am a 2025–2026 Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity Award recipient, Dr. Bill Jenkins Achievement Award recipient, and Delta Omega inductee. My long-term goal is to advance evidence-informed policy and improve population health.