Meet the Team
Biographies
LEADR Co-Directors, Drs. Doyle & McLeod
Dr. Otima Doyle's Biography
Otima Doyle, PhD, MSW, MHSc is an Associate Professor at the Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago. Dr. Doyle engages in father-related research that builds on fathers’ strengths to support both parenting and youth’s mental and behavioral health. This includes the development of father-focused, preventive interventions with Black fathers and youth. Through her work, she has helped add the largely unrepresented perspectives of African American fathers to the growing scholarly discourse on the gendered and cultural contexts that shape African American fathers’ parenting. Dr. Doyle has received research support from the Institute for Research on Race and Public Policy at UIC, Jane Addams College of Social Work, and the National Institute of Mental Health. She has published as the lead author in journals such as Family Process, Social Work Research, Journal of Family Issues, Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, American Journal of Public Health, Research on Social Work Practice, and the Psychology of Men and Masculinity. Dr. Doyle serves as a co-chair for the Society for Social Work and Research’s (SSWR) Social Work Practice Cluster. She is a member of the Scholars Network on Black Masculinity, and a co-chair for SSWR’s Fatherhood-Related Research Special Interest Group.
Email: doyleo@uic.edu
Dr. Branden A. McLeod's Biography
Dr. Branden A. McLeod joined Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) in August 2016, where he currently serves as an Associate Professor. Branden teaches social welfare policy, policy practice, and research. Branden’s research examines how social policies and systems shape Black men’s well-being and their relationships with their families, focusing on how these systems shape their roles as fathers. Given the overrepresentation of Black males within the criminal justice system and its impact on their families, he dedicates his research to understanding their experiences, outcomes and identifying solutions. Before joining UIC, Branden held policy advocacy and research positions at the Child Welfare League of America in Washington, D.C., Maryland Center for Economic Policy, Maryland Association of Nonprofit Organizations, and University of Maryland School of Social Work. Branden holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Work from Morgan State University, a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania.
Email: bmcleod7@uic.edu
Meet the Team
The Lab for Empowerment and Advancement Through Dad-Driven Research (LEADR) Team is co-led by two Principal Investigators, Dr. Otima Doyle and Dr. Branden McLeod, both associate professors at Jane Addams College of Social Work at the University of Illinois Chicago.
LEADR Welcomes Research Assistant Ashley Kim
Ashley Kim’s biography
Ashley Kim, MSW, is a Research Assistant at the Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois Chicago. She possesses a strong academic and clinical interest in child and family trauma and aspires to serve underserved families in a therapeutic setting.
Ashley has contributed to research and programmatic initiatives that examine culturally responsive approaches to community engagement and higher education support for Asian American youth and college students. She has also assisted in evaluation research related to Medicaid/Medicare policy and reimbursement, with an emphasis on access to care for marginalized populations. Her professional experience spans community-based nonprofits and higher education, where she has worked on program administration, adult education, grant reporting, and student success research.
LEADR Welcomes Research Assistant Kevin Hariris
Kevin Harris
Kevin Harris (He/They) holds a BFA in Acting from Millikin University and a Master of Social Work from Loyola University Chicago. Kevin brings extensive experience in medical social work across both inpatient and outpatient settings, as well as in private practice as a therapist. Their clinical and research interests center on the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ communities, the impact of systemic injustice on people of the African diaspora, and health inequities experienced by low-income populations.