The National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) is proud to recognize Doneila L. McIntosh, M.Div., M.A., LMFT, as the 2024 recipient of the John L. and Harriette P. McAdoo Dissertation Award, which provides support for the recipient to complete an approved doctoral dissertation with a focus on issues impacting ethnic minority families, especially our understanding of African Americans' familial experiences. Her paper is titled “African American Bereavement: How Do Youth and Families Navigate Loss?” 

Doneila L. McIntosh is a 4^th year doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota in family social science with an emphasis in couple and family therapy (CFT). Doneila’s research examines the intersections of grief and loss among African American/Black families, particularly in the aftermath of violent death. A systemic interventionist, Doneila primarily works with couples and families, specializing in compassionate grief therapy. Currently, she is completing a doctoral internship at the African American Child Wellness Institute (AACWI) in Minneapolis.

Doneila's study will examine psychological distress and identify factors influencing both vulnerability and resilience among African American youth and families, with the overall objective of identifying the experiences of grief among bereaved African American youth and their families and to identify interpersonal processes associated with their bereavement. Her project will involve two distinct quantitative studies, leveraging the expertise of the Trauma and Grief (TAG Center) and using two of their datasets to examine the nuanced effects of grief and loss among African Americans. Doneila's research will further our understanding of African American grief and loss and inform critically needed, culturally attuned support and intervention strategies.

John L. and Harriette P. McAdoo, the namesakes of this award, made significant contributions to the scholarship on ethnic minority families, especially our understanding of African Americans' familial experiences.

Doneila L. McIntosh will give an address as part of this award at the 2025 NCFR Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland.

The National Council on Family Relations is the premier professional association for the multidisciplinary understanding of families. NCFR has a membership of nearly 3,000 family researchers, practitioners and educators. For more information on the National Council on Family Relations or its scholarly publications, visit the NCFR website at ncfr.org.