Misha Ailsworth

Source: https://americanstudies.cornell.edu/misha-ailsworth Parent: https://americanstudies.cornell.edu/faculty

Assistant Professor

Overview

Misha N. Ailsworth (formerly Inniss-Thompson) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Cornell University. Dr. Ailsworth received her doctorate in Community Research and Action at Vanderbilt University. She is an alumnus of Cornell's Department of Human Development. During her undergraduate career, she was a Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Scholar.

Dr. Ailsworth’s research examines the impact of families, communities, and schools in shaping Black girls’ mental health and wellness using a cultural-assets perspective.

Research Focus

I am passionate about centering youth voices in the research process through methodological approaches such as photovoice and youth participatory action research.

My program of research investigates three primary questions:

1. What protective processes buffer the impact of racial discrimination on Black girls’ mental health and wellness?
2. How do social contexts shape Black adolescent girls’ mental health and wellness during the transition from middle childhood through adolescence?
3. What can be gained by creating epistemological and physical spaces and places that support Black girls’ development?

Publications

• Inniss-Thompson, M. N., Leath, S., & Harris, J. N. (2024). Seeing Black girls in their glory: Cultivating spaces that facilitate Black girls’ psychological safety. Journal of Black Psychology, 50(3), 259-292. https://doi.org/10.1177/00957984241231038
• Anderson, R. E., Ahn, L. H., Brooks, J. R., Charity-Parker, B.,Inniss-Thompson, M., Gumudavelly, D., Mitchell, S., & Anyiwo, N. (2023). “The talk” tells the story: A qualitative investigation of parents’ racial socialization competency with Black adolescents.Journal of Adolescent Research, 38(3), 562-588. https://doi.org/10.1177/07435584221076067
• Inniss-Thompson, M.N., Butler-Barnes, S.T., Taaffe, C., & Elliott, T. (2022). “What serves you”: Charting Black girl spaces for wellness through spirituality, resistance, and homeplace. Journal of African American Women and Girls in Education2(2), 37–64.https://doi.org/10.21423/jaawge-v2i2a113
• Butler-Barnes, S.T., Leath, S., Inniss-Thompson, M. N., Boyd, D. T., & Allen, P. (2022). Racial and gender discrimination by teachers: Risks for Black girls’ depressive symptomatology and suicidal ideation. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology,  28(4), 469–482. https://doi.org/10.1037/cdp0000538
• Cooper, S. M., Burnett, M., Golden, A. R., Butler-Barnes, S., & Inniss-Thompson, M.N. (2022). School discrimination, discipline inequities, and the adjustment of Black adolescent girls and boys. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 32 (1), 170-190,https://doi.org/ /10.1111/jora.12716
• Butler-Barnes, S.T. & Inniss-Thompson, M.N. (2020) “My teacher doesn’t like me”: Perceptions of teacher discrimination and school discipline among African-American and Caribbean Black adolescent girls. Education Sciences, 10, 44. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci10020044