School of Social Work

Attend an eventRequest infoApplyGive
Headshot of McKenzie N. Green

McKenzie N. Green

Assistant professor/iCubed scholar

Email: greenmn3@vcu.edu
Pronouns: She/her

McKenzie Green, Ph.D., is an assistant professor in the School of Social Work and an iCubed scholar at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her research focuses on how racial and family processes can be leveraged to foster healthy development and well-being among Black identified youth in the United States. In this scholarship, she utilizes a variety of research methods and intersectional frameworks to challenge notions of racial homogeneity and consider how the intersection of multiple social identities (e.g., gender, race) impact the experiences of Black youth and families.

Her current line of research centers the experiences of Multiracial-Black youth (e.g., those who have one Black parent and one parent of another race). Through this work, she hopes to expand the field of social work’s understanding of how to best serve Multiracial-Black youth and families in order to disrupt mental health disparities, like suicide and substance use, that are rising within this population.

Areas of expertise

  • Adolescent and Youth Development
  • Adolescent and Youth Mental Health
  • Family
  • Mental Health
  • Race and Ethnicity
  • Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities

Education and credentials

Ph.D., North Carolina State University
B.S., Virginia Commonwealth University

View McKenzie Green's curriculum vitae.

Author: Green, M.N. (Stokes, M.N.)
Topic: Adolescent and Youth Development, Family, Mental Health, Race and Ethnicity

Work

Selected publications

Green, M.N., Winchester, B.L., & Jones, S. (2023). Biracial, Black, and proud: Can racial pride protect biracial–Black young people from identity invalidation and depressive symptoms? American Journal of Orthopsychiatry. Advance online publication.

Winchester, L. B., Green, M. N., & Jones, S. C. T. (2023). Exploring the association between parental ethnic-racial socialization and parental closeness on Black-White biracial adolescents’ choice of racial identification toward blackness. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 29(4), 482–492.

Lozada, F. T., Wheeler, N. J., Green, M. N., Castro, A. J., Gómez, R. F., & Gutierrez, D. (2024). An ecologically-informed transdisciplinary prevention model for Black and Latine family wellbeing. Journal of Counseling & Development. Advance Online publication.

Green, M. N., & Bryant, S. (2023). Racially Humble Parenting: Exploring the Link Between Parental Racial Humility and Parent–Child Closeness in Multiracial Black-White Families. Race and Social Problems, 15, 32–44.

Green, M. N., Keita Christophe, N., & Lozada, F. T. (2022). Concordant and Discordant Patterns of Parental Racial Socialization among Biracial Black-White Adolescents: Correlates and Consequences. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 1-15.

Evans, R., *Stokes, M. N., Hope, E. C., Widman, L., & Cryer-Coupet, Q. R. (2022). Parental influence on sexual intentions of Black adolescent girls: Examining the role of gendered-racial socialization. Journal of Family Psychology, 36(2), 318–323.

*Stokes, M. N., Charity-Parker, B., & Hope, E. C. (2021). What does it mean to be Black and White? A meta-ethnographic review of racial socialization in Multiracial families. Journal of Family Theory and Review , 13(2), 181-201.

*Stokes, M.N., Hope, E., Cryer-Coupet, Q., Elliot, E. (2020). Black Girl Blues: The roles of racial socialization, gendered racial socialization, and racial identity on depressive symptoms among Black girls. Journal of Youth and Adolescence. 49(11), 2175-2189.

*Now McKenzie N. Green

Role: Faculty

Professional highlights

Teaching areas and interests

  • Psychology
  • (Qualitative) Research Methods
  • Social Justice

Recent courses taught

  • SLWK 609: Foundations of Research in Social Work Practice
  • SLWK 603: Power, Privilege, & Oppression

Selected research projects and funding

  • National Institute of Mental Health – Health Disparities Loan Repayment Program Award. Reducing Mental Health Disparities among Multiracial-Black Adolescents through Parental Socialization: An Observational Dyadic Study. PI: McKenzie Green (Mentored Investigator). ($87,000). Grant number: 1L60MH134353-01
  • Virginia Commonwealth University – Clark Hill Institute for Positive Youth Development Faculty Mentor Award. Project DREAM: Daily Racial Experiences Among Multiracial-Black Adolescents. 2022-2024. PI: McKenzie Green. ($12,000).
  • Virginia Commonwealth University – Office of Research at the School of Social Work Pilot Award. Project DREAM:
  • Daily Racial Experiences Among Multiracial-Black Adolescents
  • . 2022-2023. PI: McKenzie Green. ($10,000).

Affiliations and service

Ad-hoc reviewer

  • American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
  • Journal of Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology
  • Family Relations

Media mentions

Find me on