Aashir Nasim

Biography

Aashir Nasim received his PhD in Developmental Psychology from Howard University in 2001. Dr. Nasim joined Virginia Commonwealth University as an Associate Professor of Psychology and African American Studies. He is a Health Disparities Scholar for the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD). Dr. Nasim formerly served as Chair of the Department of African American Studies and is also Director of the emerging Institute for African American Mental Health (IAM) in VCU’s College of Humanities and Sciences.

Research Interest

Dr. Nasim's research centers on the social epidemiology of substance use and abuse among African Americans. A central research aim has been to determine how certain theoretical and methodological conceptualizations of resilience contribute to our understanding of the onset and progression of substance use behaviors from childhood to adulthood in African Americans. Following from this aim have been two primary research objectives which are to distinguish between the promotive and protective effects of sociocultural factors on adolescent substance use; and, to better understand the functionality of protective factors in buffering risks for substance use and abuse. At present, Dr. Nasim has funding from several federal and state agencies to include the National Cancer Institute and the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth.