Samantha Francois

Associate Professor, Psychology

Samantha Francois is a developmental scientist with expertise in adolescent development, structural violence, and anti-racist research. As an interdisciplinary, community-engaged scholar, Francois uses systems perspectives and critical race theory to understand the intersections of individual, community, and structural factors that impact development in Black and African American adolescents and emerging adults. She also conducts intervention research on youth-led organizing and activism as violence prevention strategies. Francois uses community-based, participatory, and action research frameworks to conduct mixed-methods research studies with marginalized and oppressed communities with the goals of health equity, social transformation, and community liberation. Dr. Francois was recently co-executive director of Tulane University’s Violence Prevention Institute and co-director of the Center for Youth Equity, a CDC Center of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention. Francois has a doctorate in psychological sciences from Tulane University. 

Degrees

  • Ph.D. in Psychological Sciences, Tulane University, 2009
  • M.S. in Psychological Sciences, Tulane University, 2007
  • M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction, Xavier University, 2001
  • B.S. in Psychology, Smith College, 1998

Affiliated Department

Psychology

Scholarly and creative works

  • Presentations

    How to Empower Youth Voices in Violence and Injury Prevention Research

    Society for the Advancement of Violence and Injury Research
    Chapel Hill, NC
    April
    2024
    Samantha Francois, Micaiah Lugo, Rae Stevenson, Alex Jaouiche
  • Presentations

    Community Violence-Causes and Impacts

    Conference to End Violence
    Lancaster County, PA
    March
    2024
    Sponsored by CHI St. Joseph Children’s Hospital
    Samantha Francois
  • Presentations

    Advancing Anti-Racist Research and Scholarship

    February
    2024
    Sponsored by Tulane University, A.B. Freeman School of Business
    Samantha Francois
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Social capital and changes of psychologic distress during early stage of COVID-19 in New orleans

    Published in Scientific reports
    2024
    Vol. 14
    Issue #1
    Kimberly Wu, Erica Doe, Gabriella D Roude, Jasmine Wallace, Samantha Francois, Lisa Richardson, Katherine P Theall
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    A Qualitative Exploration of the Built Environment as a Key Mechanism of Safety and Social Cohesion for Youth in High-Violence Communities

    Published in Journal of Urban Health
    2024
    Lolita Moss, Kimberly Wu, Amber Tucker, Reanna Durbin-Matrone, Gabriella D Roude, Samantha Francois, Lisa Richardson, Katherine P Theall
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Spencer’s phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST): Charting its origin and impact

    Published in The American psychologist
    2023
    Vol. 78
    Issue #4
    Michael Cunningham, Dena P Swanson, Joseph Youngblood, Eleanor K Seaton, Samantha Francois, Christopher Ashford
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Perceived parenting practices associated with African American adolescents’ future expectations

    Published in Advances in child development and behavior
    2023
    Vol. 64
    Michael Cunningham, Samantha Francois, Kristin Scott
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    The influence of racial violence in neighborhoods and schools on the psycho-behavioral outcomes in adolescence

    Published in Research in human development
    2023
    Vol. 20
    Issue #1-2
    Samantha Francois, Kimberly Wu, Erica Doe, Amber Tucker, Katherine Theall
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    In it Together: Sense of Community and Psychologic Distress During COVID-19

    Published in Research square
    2023
    Kimberly Wu, Erica Doe, Gabriela Roude, Jasmine Wallace, Samantha Francois, Lisa Richardson, Katherine Theall
  • Presentations

    Structural and Social Determinants of Firearm Violence

    National Research Conference for the Prevention of Firearm-Related Harms
    Chicago, IL
    November
    2023
    Samantha Francois
  • Presentations

    Nothing About Us Without Us: Current State and View into the Future of Violence Prevention

    Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Pediatric Global Health Conference
    Philadelphia, PA
    October
    2023
    Samantha Francois
  • Presentations

    Universities Redefining Service Learning and Community Engagement in a “Race Neutral” Milieu

    International Association of Service Learning and Community Engagement Conference
    New Orleans, LA
    October
    2023
    Samantha Francois
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Navigating COVID-19 and racial trauma as a Black student at predominantly White institutions

    Published in American journal of community psychology
    2023
    Samantha Francois, Joan Blakey, Rae Stevenson, Timothy Walker, Curtis Davis
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    The Role of Firearm and Police Violence Exposure in Youth Firearm Beliefs and Access

    Published in Youth & Society
    Lolita Moss, Lexie Contreras, Tian Shu, Katherine Theall, Samantha Francois
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Establishing the Validity of a Cultural Assessment of Suicide-Related Risks in Black Adolescents

    Published in Mental Health Science
    Samantha Francois, Leslie Adams, Chavez Phelps
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Cultural Responsiveness and Teacher-Student Relationships

    Published in School Psychology Quarterly
    Samantha Francois, Chavez Phelps, Kennenth Rice
  • Article in Refereed Journal

    Perceived support as a buffer for Black mothers’ past and current exposure to community violence

    Published in Journal of Family Violence
    Samantha Francois, Chavez Phelps, Sophia Eisenberg, Yixin Pin, Julia Fleckman, Catherine Taylor

Awards and grants

  • The Center for Youth Equity: A Community-Centered Approach to Youth Violence Prevention

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

    clock icon Sep. 30, 2023 – Sep. 30, 2026
  • “We are worthy of being heard and included”: Engagement of youth voice in the evaluation of trauma-informed schools

    Spencer Foundation

    clock icon Jan. 1, 2023 – Dec. 31, 2024