A human-centered, multi-stakeholder approach to develop and test a digital intervention for Black male emerging adults with depression

Depression affects over 21 million people in the U.S. each year, significantly diminishing quality of life and contributing to substantial health disparities in mental health outcomes. Among Black emerging adult men, there are well-documented disparities in depression detection, access to care, and engagement with traditional services. These differences are associated with exposure to multilevel stressors that may limit access to services, contributing to delayed care, reduced engagement, and poorer outcomes, underscoring the need for innovative, evidence-based, and community-informed approaches. My long-term goal is to develop scalable, technology-enabled mental health interventions for Black emerging adult men. This K01 project will use community-based participatory research (CBPR) as a guiding framework across all phases-from study design to dissemination. The project will design, develop, and pilot test a web­based digital mental health intervention (DMHI) informed by feedback from Black men with depression. Grounded in CBPR and human-centered design, the intervention will incorporate participant-informed digital features to support engagement. Theoretical foundations include Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), the PEN-3 model, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), integrated to support behavior change and improved mental health outcomes. Focus groups with Black men and key stakeholders will identify engagement preferences and factors influencing participation, and co-design and usability testing will guide iterative development. A pilot study will assess feasibility, acceptability, and estimate preliminary impact on engagement and depressive symptoms. This project advances NIMH Strategic Goal 4 by developing a scalable, community-rooted digital intervention to improve access, engagement, and mental health outcomes in real-world settings. It also supports national priorities to improve mental health outcomes among young adults through evidence-based approaches. With guidance from a multidisciplinary mentoring team, I will gain expertise in stakeholder-engaged implementation science, human-centered design, and DMHI development and evaluation. This work will strengthen the evidence base for improving mental health outcomes and reducing health disparities among Black emerging adult men and position me as an independent investigator in digital mental health services research. Project Number: 1K01MH141248-01A1 | Fiscal Year: 2026 | NIH Institute/Center: National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) | Principal Investigator: Kofoworola Williams | Institution: DREXEL UNIVERSITY, PHILADELPHIA, PA | Award Amount: $157,688 | Activity Code: K01 | Study Section: Special Emphasis Panel[ZRG1 SCIL-X (90)] View on NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11371831