Dr Govia works on projects that are multi-disciplinary and that use mixed methods (integrating qualitative and quantitative methods). Her work emphasizes the importance of knowledge exchange and transparency. She is committed to development- driven initiatives, often working with international partners on cross-country projects.

Ongoing Projects

STRiDE

Strengthening Responses to Dementia in Developing Countries (STRiDE) is a multinational and multidisciplinary project which aims to support the development, implementation and evaluation of national strategies on dementia care in developing countries. It is facilitated by the Research Council UK’s Global Challenges Research Fund and the London School of Economics and Political Science. Read more at: https://www.stride-dementia.org/
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The Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey Cohort Study
This project focuses on extending a Caribbean- based cohort to promote US- Caribbean comparisons to facilitate research addressing black health disparities. Read more about the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey here.

Caribbean Foodscapes

Caribbean Foodscapes explores historical and epidemiological transitions in urban Caribbean diet trends. Based in Kingston, Jamaica,  this project will explore the ways in which cities impact the food practices and future health outcomes of their populations. It is funded by the Medical Research Council - Arts and Humanities Research Council - Global Public Health Partnership Award Scheme . Read more at: https://www.ecehh.org/research/caribbean-foodscapes/

GDAR
The Global Diet and Activity Research Group and Network (GDAR) is committed to preventing non-communicable diseases in low and middle income countries. The goal is to generate evidence on factors that lead to poor diet and physical inactivity, in addition to designing and evaluating interventions to change these factors. Read more at: https://www.gdarnet.org/

CONTACT

Congregations Taking Action Against NCD's (CONTACT) seeks to explore the potential benefits of positioning congregation members to help tackle Non-communicable diseases, which cause more than 60% of deaths in the Caribbean. The project involves selection and training of 'Health Advocates' who are integrated into the healthcare pathway between the community and local health centres. It is funded by the Medical Research Council (UK).

Yoga & Youth
In collaboration with Bikram Yoga Jamaica, with a focus on the Jamaica Ministry of Education’s Career Advancement Programme (CAP), 40 young persons will take part in a yoga, health and wellness programme. It is a feasibility study for a potentially larger programme that includes yoga practice and other diet and physical activity components to foster youth resilience and strengths.

Projects Seeking Funding

The INDIGO Network  focuses on developing knowledge about mental illness related stigma and discrimination. Mental health is a neglected yet increasingly important area of research. Through Dr. Govia, Jamaica is proud to be one of the countries globally committed to the Network’s latest suite of Work Packages (WP). There are three phases of the project, all currently open to funding:
WP PRIMARY- Improving knowledge, attitudes and behavior of primary care providers towards people with mental illness via sensitivity training.
WP LOCAL- Improving referral rates to mental health services via media campaigns, training of community health workers and empowerment of service users.
WP DISCUS- Validation study for the Discrimination and Stigma -Short Scale - a mental health data collection tool.

Publications 

Datasets
1. Govia, I. O. (PI). Caribbean Migrations: Jamaica Return(ed) Migrants Study (CM-JRMS). Dataset focused on social determinants of health and health inequities in Jamaican (voluntary) return migrants (VRM) and Jamaicans with no international migration history (NIMH). https:doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR36178.v1 

Chapters in Books (Peer-reviewed)
  1. Govia, I. O., Etowa, J. B., & Ordúñez García, P. (2017). Monitoring progress to achieve health equity. In T. LaViest (Ed.). Chapter 20 in Legacy of the Crossing: Life, death, and triumph among descendants of the world’s greatest forced migration. NY, NY: Diasporic Africa Press.
  2. Brown, D., Govia, I. O., Ferguson, T., & Boothe, M. (2017). Chronic non-communicable diseases in the Anglophone Caribbean. Chapter 6 in In T. LaViest (Ed.). Legacy of the crossing: Life, death, and triumph among descendants of the world’s greatest forced migration. NY, NY: Diasporic Africa Press.
  3. Govia, I. O., Paisley-Clare, V. P., & Palmer, T. (2016).  Caribbean research on human development in adolescence and adulthood, 2000-2013: Progress and recommended directions. In J. L. Roopnarine & D. Chadee. (Eds.). Developmental, social, health, and clinical psychology: Contributions from Caribbean psychology. (119-146). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
  4. Govia, I. O., Jackson, J.S., & Sellers, S. (2011). Social inequalities. In K. Fingerman, C. Berg, T. Antonucci, & J. Smith (Eds.), Handbook of lifespan development. (pp. 729-746). New York, NY: Springer Publishing Company.
  5. Jackson, J. S., Govia, I. O., & Sellers, S. (2011). Racial and ethnic influences over the life-course. In R. H. Binstock & L. K. George (Eds.), Handbook of aging and the social sciences, Seventh Edition. (pp. 91-104). San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
  6. Sellers, S., Govia, I. O., & Jackson, J. S.  (2009). Health and the elderly. In Braithwaite, R., Taylor, S., & Treadwell, H. (Eds.) Health Issues in the Black Community. 3rd Edition. (pp. 95-116). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  7. Jackson, J.S., & Govia, I.O. (2009). Quality of life for ethnic and racial minority elders in the 21st century: Setting a research agenda. In E. P. Stanford &, T. C. Nelson (Eds.). Diversity & aging in the 21st century: Let the dialogue begin. (pp. 148-169). Washington, D.C.: AARP. 

Journal Articles (Peer-reviewed)
  1. Craig, L., Paisley-Clare, V, Palmer, T., & Govia, I.O. (2018). Assessing risk and resilience in Jamaica: Validation of the Child Youth and Resilience Measure among Jamaican young adults. Caribbean Journal of Psychology Special issue on Psychological Measurement and Methodology in the Caribbean, 10 (2), 15-41.
  2. Cunningham-Myrie, C., Mabile, E., Govia, I.O., Younger-Coleman, N. O., Tulloch-Reid, M. K., McFarlane, S., Francis, D., Gordon-Strachan, G., Wilks, R., Greene, L., Lyew-Ayee, P., Theall, K. (2018). Neighborhood characteristics and cumulative biological risk: Evidence from the Jamaica Health and Lifestyle Survey 2008: A cross-sectional study. BMJ Open, 8: e021952. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-021952
  3. Forsythe-Brown, I., Taylor, R. J., Chatters, L. M., Govia, I. O., & Jackson, J. S. (2017). Kinship support in Jamaican families in the United States and Jamaica. Journal of African American Studies, 21 (2), 187-202. DOI: 10.1007/s12111-017-9355-7
  4. Needham, B. L., Hicken, M.T., Govia, I.O., Abdou, C.M., & Mitchell, C. (2017). Maternal social disadvantage and newborn telomere length in archived dried blood spots from the Michigan Neonatal Biobank. Biodemography and Social Biology, 63 (3), 221-235. DOI: 10.1080/19485565.2017.1300520
  5. Lacey, K. K., Mouzon, D. M., Govia, I. O., Matusko, N., Forsythe-Brown, I., Abelson, J.M. & Jackson, J. S. (2016). Substance use among Blacks across the diaspora. Substance Use and Misuse, DOI: 10.3109/10826084.2016.1160124
  6. Lacey, K. K., Sears, K. P., Govia, I. O., Forsythe-Brown, I., Matusko, N., & Jackson, J. S. (2015). The substance use and mental disorders and physical health of Caribbeans at-home compared to those residing in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12 (1), 710-734. doi:10.3390/ijerph120100710
  7. Govia, I. O. (2014). Caribbean Migrations – The Jamaica Return Migrants Study: Design and rationale. Wadabagei, Special Issue in honor of Bryce La Porte, 15 (1-2), 107-114.
  8. Govia, I. O. (2013). Shades of the past: Experiences of racial discrimination among a sample of university students in Jamaica. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 47, (2), 347-358.
  9. Govia, I. O.  & Bernal, G. (2013). Psychology in and for the Caribbean: Assessing where we are and moving forward. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 47 (2), 151-166.
  10. Bernal, G. & Govia, I. O. (Eds.) (2013). Advancing psychology in the Caribbean: Histories, capacity building, and research. [Special issue]. Interamerican Journal of Psychology, 47 (2).
  11. Thompson, A., Bernal, G., Dudley-Grant, R., Govia, I. O., Nicholas, G., Bullock, M., & Gauthier, J., & (2013). Regional conferences – A capacity building mandate: report on the CRCP2011 – Building bridges and building a regional structure: International Journal of Psychology, 48, 1-12.
  12. Govia, I. O. & Paisley, V. (2013). Studying personality and personality disorders among people in the Caribbean: Advocating for an emic-etic approach. West Indian Medical Journal, 62, 423-426.
  13. Govia, I. O. (2012). Angle of view: Migration and the health of Caribbean peoples in the US. Social and Economic Studies, 61, 37-68.
  14. Jackson, J.S., Forsythe-Brown, I., & Govia, I.O. (2007). Age cohort, ancestry and immigrant generation influences in family relations and psychological well-being among Caribbean Blacks in the United States. Journal of Social Issues, 63, 729-743.
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