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Biography
Professional Summary
 Carla Stokes, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an activist, health educator, web designer, and consultant with a strong research, teaching, and employment background in the sociocultural and health dimensions of women, gender, media, and sexuality studies. She is passionate about advocating for black women and girls and has volunteered her time as the founding Executive Director of Helping Our Teen Girls In Real Life Situations, Inc. (HOTGIRLS) since November 2001. Dr. Carla is recognized for her unique expertise in developing culturally relevant and youth-friendly educational strategies and media literacy efforts for young black women and girls.
Dr. Carla came of age in the hip hop generation and is a pioneer in the use of hip hop and the Internet to uplift black girls. She became interested in HIV/AIDS, sexuality education, and public health while volunteering as a peer educator during her freshman year in college in the 1990’s. At that time, she began using rap music lyrics and videos to educate youth about HIV/AIDS, sexuality, dating violence, and other health and social justice issues.
Research Interests and Projects
Dr. Carla's scholarly research builds on her valuable experience working with youth and explores intersections of gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, and age with mass media, youth culture, and the Internet. Click here for more information.
Education
A graduate of Spelman College, Dr. Carla earned Doctor of Philosophy and Master of Public Health degrees from the University of Michigan in Health Behavior and Health Education (with a cognate in Social Work) under the co-advising of Drs. Larry M. Gant and Marcia C. Inhorn. Dr. Carla's doctoral training focused on racial/ethnic health disparities, social inequalities in health, HIV/AIDS prevention, adolescent health, and qualitative and quantitative research methods.
In November 2006, Dr. Carla completed a two-year post-doctoral research fellowship appointment at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, where she conducted research on HIV prevention in communities of color.
She has also completed extensive training in web design and web development at Emory University, where she earned an Advanced Web Design Certificate.
Courses Taught
Dr. Carla developed and taught two original undergraduate courses in the Department of Women's Studies at the University of Michigan:
Selected Publications
Stokes, C.E. (2007, March-April). Representin’ in cyberspace: Sexual scripts, self-definition, and hip hop culture in black American adolescent girls' home pages. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 9(2): 169-184.
Stokes CE. & Gant LM. (2002). Turning the tables on the HIV/AIDS epidemic: Hip hop as a tool for reaching African-American adolescent girls. African American Research Perspectives, 8(2), 70-81.
Professional Affiliations
Community Service and Public Engagement
In addition to her work with HOTGIRLS, Dr. Carla has served her community by volunteering with children and teens at numerous schools and community organizations in Atlanta, Georgia, Washington, DC, and Ann Arbor, Michigan.
In recognition of her community leadership, Dr. Carla's biography was included in Who's Who in Black Atlanta: 10th Anniversary Edition.
Additional Information
Dr. Carla was born in Washington, DC and resides in Atlanta, Georgia. A member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, she is working on books and products devoted to uplifting black girls.
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