Bio: CeRon is a Graduate Research Assistant, PhD Candidate in the Division of Health Policy & Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, and a member of AcademyHealth’s Disparities Interest Group Advisory Committee. His research interests include health policy, health inequities, structural racism, mental health, aging and long-term care, and sexual and gender minority health. Generally, his research examines the potential health impacts of U.S. health policies for historically disadvantaged populations. More specifically, Ford is interested in examining inequities that link structural racism and discrimination to health and U.S. health policies. 

During his matriculation through his Master's program, CeRon advocated for tobacco and smoking policies in Southwest Atlanta and arbitrated information on health-related diseases to varying divisions at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. After earning his Master's degree, he provided academic support to core faculty and served on MPH Research Committees as the Health Administration, Management and Policy Teaching Associate in the Graduate Education in Public Health Department at Morehouse School of Medicine. As a Ph.D. student, he has served as a Graduate Assistant with C2DREAM Community Engagement Core and a Teaching Fellow for PHAP students in the Division of Health Policy & Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. As a Graduate Research Assistant (GRA), CeRon has conducted qualitative and quantitative research that explores inequities in mental health outcomes and services across all ages (youth through elderly adults), barriers to healthcare access, media and messaging in health and social policy, and more. 

CeRon has served as the 2022-2023 AcademyHealth Liaison for the UMN Chapter and a 2023-2024 Mentor for the UMN SPH Buddy Program. He is a recipient of the 2023-2024 AcademyHealth Health Equity (formerly Diversity) Scholars Program, which supports the professional development of underrepresented groups in the field of health services research. CeRon earned his B.S. in Public Health from Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and his M.P.H. from Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia. CeRon is a Gates Millennium Scholar and a 2025 Scholarly Excellence in Equity and Diversity (SEED) Award Recipient with aspirations of becoming a tenured professor and health policy consultant to policymakers. He plans to further develop an understanding of health inequities for vulnerable populations. 

Area of Emphasis: Health Policy

Advisors: Sarah Gollust, PhD and Carrie Henning-Smith, PhD, MPH, MSW

Research Interests: 

Broadly, my research interests include equity, mental health, healthy aging, rural health, health policy, politics, public opinion, and media and communications. 

View CV/Resume

Publications & Presentations: 

Peer-Reviewed Publications

[ 1 ] Ford, C., Rydberg, K., and Henning-Smith, C. Factors Associated with Mental and Behavioral Health Programming in U.S. Rural, Urban and Suburban Congregations. Journal of Religion and Health (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02403-6

[ 2 ] Gollust, S.E., Medero, K., Nelson, Q.M., Ford, C., Franklin, F.E., Niederdeppe, J., Nagler, R.H. (2025). Strategies and Barriers to Communicating about Health Equity in Challenging Times: Qualitative Interviews with Public Health Communicators. Milbank Quarterly. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.70022

[ 3 ] Medero, K., Abdi, H., Ford, C., and Gollust, S. (2025). Detecting and Preventing Imposter Participants: Methods and Recommendations for Qualitative Researchers. Qualitative Health Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/10497323251333243

[ 4 ] Fashaw-Walters, S. A., Rahman, M., Gee, G., Mor, V., Rivera-Hernandez, M., Ford, C., and Thomas, K. S. (2023). Potentially More Out of Reach: Public Reporting Exacerbates Inequities in Home Health Access. The Milbank Quarterly, 101(2), 527–559. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-0009.12616

Peer-Reviewed Posters & Panel Discussions at Conferences (*indicates presenter)

[ 1 ] *Ford, C.O. (2025, September 10). The Unequal Toll: Identifying Mental Health Disparities in U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science Annual Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, United States.

[ 2 ] *Ford, C.O. (2025, June 9). The Unequal Toll: Identifying Mental Health Disparities in U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Invited poster session for Mental Health and Substance Use. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

[ 3 ] Medero, K., Abdi, H., *Ford, C.O., Gollust, S. (2025, June 8). Detecting and Preventing Imposter Participants: Methods and Recommendations for Qualitative Health Equity Researchers. Invited poster session for Methods Research. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Minneapolis, MN, United States.

[ 4 ] *Ford, C.O. (2025, April 9). The Unequal Toll: Identifying Mental Health Disparities in U.S. Adults During the COVID-19 Pandemic. University of Minnesota School of Public Health Annual Research Day. Minneapolis, MN, United States.

[ 5 ] *Ford, C.O. (2023, June 25). Racial and Regional Differences in Delayed Mental Health Care Services, Due to Cost, Among Adults with Depressive Symptoms. Invited speaker for Mental Health and Substance Use. AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting, Seattle, WA, United States.

[ 6 ] *Ford, C.O., Alema-Mensah, E., Archie-Booker, E., Warren, R. (2020, October 24). Perceived Racism and Reported Depression Among US Non-Hispanic Black and Non-Hispanic White Men. Panel discussion for Black Caucus of Health Workers at the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, Virtual.

[ 7 ] *Ford, CO. (2019, November 4). Intergenerational Communication: What Public Health Educators, Students, and Practitioners Need to Know. Invited speaker for the Association of Accredited Public Health Programs. American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Expo, Philadelphia, PA, United States.

[ 8 ] *Medero, K., Karbeah, J., Al, E., Gansen, C., Ford, C.O., Brown, D., Gollust, S.E., Nagler, R. (2024, October 29). Building Narrative Practice to De-stigmatize Mental Illness Among Black Youth in Minneapolis. Presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Public Health Association (APHA), Minneapolis, MN.

Non-refereed Journal Articles, Essays, or Reports

[ 1 ] Hing, A., Chantarat, T., Motachwa, R., Ford, C., Fashaw-Walters, S., & Hardeman, R. (2022). Report on the State of Research Measurements of Structural Racism. Prepared for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Evidence for Action Program.

Service and Professional Activities: 

Aug 2025 – Present Member, AcademyHealth Mental Health and Substance Use Research Interest Group Advisory Committee 

May 2023 – Present Collaborator, Collaborative on Media & Messaging for Health and Social Policy 

(COMM HSP). A joint research team at Cornell University, Wesleyan University, and the 

University of Minnesota.

Apr 2025 – Present Student Member, Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS)

Apr 2025 Reviewer, 2025 IAPHS Annual Meeting

May 2022 – Present Member, AcademyHealth 

Feb 2023 – Present Student Member, Minnesota Population Center (MPC) 

Aug 2022 – Jun 2024 Member, AcademyHealth Health Equity Interest Group Advisory Committee

Mar 2024 Reviewer, AcademyHealth Health Equity Scholars Program Selection Committee 

Contact Information:

Email: ford0588@umn.edu   |   LinkedIn  |  Linktree