Megan Hicks
Assistant Professor
Expert in Health disparities among Black Communities, and risk-taking among youth and young adults
5447 Woodward Avenue, #204
Megan Hicks
Biography
Megan Hicks, PhD is an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University. Previously, she served as a post-doctoral research fellow in the School of Social Work under Poco Kernsmith and Joanne Smith-Darden.
Her primary research interests include risk and protective factors influencing health risk behaviors and juvenile justice outcomes among Black youth. In particular, her work investigates adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), community risk factors, and relational protective factors that impact healthy youth development. Additionally, Hicks has expertise in program evaluation, prevention science, and community education. Currently, Hicks is leading an evaluation of the Wayne County juvenile justice system. Additionally, she is leading a project that examines the social determinants of health among Black families in Detroit. Lastly, Hicks specializes in complex quantitative research methods and research design.
Hicks has interest in teaching courses in family violence, intervention and prevention in Black communities, human development and the life course, and adolescent development.
Degrees and Certifications
- PhD, Human Development and Family Science, The University of Georgia, May 2017
- Master of Science, Human Development and Family Science, The University of Georgia, August 2014
- Bachelors of Arts, Sociology, The Ohio State University, June 2011
Awards and Honors
- Society for Prevention Research 2018 Minority Travel Award: Competitive award granted to attend the annual conference, 2018
- Student and New Profession Best Paper Award 2017: Competitive award to recognize most outstanding proposal by the Ethnic Minority Section of the Nation Council on Family Relationships, 2017
- Sloboda and Bukoski SPR Cup Winner 2017: Rapid data analysis competition presented at SPR 2017, 2017
Teaching Interests
- Research Methods
- Health Risk Prevention/Prevention with Black Families
- Adolescent Development
Areas of Expertise
- Health Disparities among Black Communities
- Risk-taking among youth and young adults
- Quantitative Research methods
- Program Evaluation
- Research Design
- Grant Writing
Publications
Hicks, M.R. & Kogan, S.M. (2019). Risk and protective process affecting rural Black men’s sexual risk behavior. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1-13.
Hicks, M.R & Kogan, S.M. (2018). The Influence of Racial Discrimination on Smoking among Young Black Men: A prospective analysis. Journal of Ethnicity in Substance Use, 1-16.
Courses taught by Megan Hicks
Winter Term 2025 (future)
- SW9300 - Applied Regression Analysis and Generalized Linear Models
- SW3810 - Research Methods, Data Analysis, and Practice Evaluation I
Fall Term 2024 (current)
Winter Term 2024
- SW9300 - Applied Regression Analysis and Generalized Linear Models
- SW3810 - Research Methods, Data Analysis, and Practice Evaluation I