Ayana Jordan, MD, PhD

Dr. Jordan completed an MD, PhD program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University in NYC, where she became passionate about serving minority populations. She completed a general adult psychiatric residency at Yale University, where she served as Program-Wide Chief. During residency, Dr. Jordan became interested in treating patients with substance use disorders, given the intense stigma witnessed from other disciplines. Given her dedication to treating addiction, Dr. Jordan completed specialized addiction training at Yale, with a particular interest in using her research background to address clinical questions in the Black community. Currently, Dr. Jordan is the Barbara Wilson Associate Professor of Psychiatry at NYU Langone Health and also serves as the Pillar Lead for Community Engagement in NYU Langone's Institute for Excellence in Health Equity and as an associate professor in the Department of Population Health. She is committed to increasing access to addiction services within minority communities, both nationally and abroad. Dr. Jordan has done research in Sierra Leone, West Africa examining the link between, mental illness, substance use and stigma, and has served as an expert witness discussing these issues. In NY, Dr. Jordan is addressing health disparities by providing evidence-based treatment in the Black church for adults with alcohol use and other substance use disorders. Her work focuses on providing lifesaving treatment to people that need it most. She is also principal investigator of of the Imani Breakthrough Project and employing an evidence-based recovery program adapted for use in Black and Latinx churches. These projects aim to understand how to create an inclusive culture of wellness for minority communities from a public health perspective.