Biography
Adeyinka M. Akinsulure-Smith, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Sierra Leonean born, licensed psychologist. She is Board Certified in Group Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP). A tenured Professor in the Department of Psychology at the City College of New York, the City University of New York (CUNY) and at the Graduate Center, CUNY, she cared for forced migrants, as well as survivors of torture, armed conflict, and human rights abuses from around the world at the Bellevue Program for Survivors of Torture from 1999 to 2024.
Guided by the urgent need to acknowledge and provide culturally informed services for survivors who have fled their home countries and are struggling with mental health challenges and/or with psychosocial disabilities, Dr. Akinsulure-Smith’s research utilizes qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches to better understand and address such challenges, while working with local partners to improve validity and cultural significance. Over the years, her advocacy, clinical work, research and teaching have focused on three specific areas: i) Experiences of forced migrants, survivors of human rights abuses and armed conflict; ii) Mental health interventions in low resource settings; and iii) Mental health consequences of service provision.
Dr. Akinsulure-Smith served on the American Psychological Association’s Task Force on the Psychological effect of war on children and families who are refugees from armed conflicts residing in the United States (PEWCF). She has participated in human rights investigations in Sierra Leone with Physicians for Human Rights and the United Nations Mission in Sierra Leone, Human Rights Division. She provides human rights consultations and conducts forensic evaluations for cases in Immigration and Federal Courts involving maltreatment, trauma, torture, and capital punishment. She has worked with international, private, and public entities, including the International Criminal Court in The Hague, The Bronx Defenders, and the Federal Defenders of New York.
In addition to her teaching and clinical work, Dr. Akinsulure-Smith is the recipient of several grants. Her work has included the development and examination of mental health interventions in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. She has published extensively in high impact, peer reviewed journals including, Journal of Traumatic Stress, Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, Journal of Immigrant and Refugee Studies, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, Journal of Child and Family Studies, Human Development, PLOS, Journal of Immigrant & Minority Health, American Journal of Community Psychology, and Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma.
In 2021 Dr. Akinsulure-Smith was honored with the inaugural Jean Lau Chin Award for Outstanding Psychologist in International Leadership Contributions by Division 52 of the American Psychological Association. In 2022, she was presented with the American Board of Professional Psychology Citizen Psychologist for Social Justice Award. Most recently, in January 2024, Dr. Akinsulure-Smith was appointed as the inaugural Mabel Shelby Fellow at the Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership, the City College of New York for research on topics related to women’s and gender studies.
