Welcome to the Men’s Health Research Lab at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health.

Men tend to underreport health problems, underutilize health services, and report more medical mistrust. Despite having more social power than women, men die sooner. This “gender paradox” suggests that there are limits to male privilege. The relatively sluggish gains in African American male life expectancy make clear that these limits may be more pronounced for certain groups of men. In the Men’s Health Research Lab we examine this paradoxical relationship between gender privilege, social power, race, and health outcomes. We focus particularly on investigating the impact of traditional or hegemonic masculine norms on African American men’s emotions, health values, behavior, and status. We view men’s health through a social ecological lens and employ a life course perspective in our investigation of masculinity and its relationship to men’s health.

The primary purpose of the UNC Men’s Health Research Lab is to create a stimulating environment for engaging in critical dialogue and research on various issues surrounding men’s health. More specifically, this lab provides a collaborative intellectual space for scholars at every level to explore the individual, socioenvironmental, and healthcare system level factors that impact men’s health status, health behavior, and healthcare utilization. Our research lab is currently examining the following topics:


1) The Psychosocial Context of African American Men’s Health Services Access and Utilization

2) Masculinity, Racism Related Stress, & African American Men’s Mental Health Status

3) The Intergenerational Transmission of Health Behavior, Masculine Role Norms, and Health Status Among African American Males

4) The Psychosocial Contribution of Masculinity to Prostate Cancer Screening & Survivorship

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Lab Director, Dr. Wizdom Powell Hammond Speaking at the University of Michigan: