Dr. LaRicka Wingate is a Professor of Psychology and an affiliate faculty member in Africana Studies at Oklahoma State University. She focuses on Black-centered mental health research, particularly exploring protective factors for African Americans and marginalized groups. Her research examines key aspects such as acculturation, racial microaggressions, historical trauma, racial discrimination, and intersectionality, with a focus on Black suicide and mental health. Dr. Wingate has published over 80 scholarly works. She has received several honors, including the 2020 Inspiring Excellence Award and the inaugural Dr. Patricia A. Bell Inclusive Excellence Faculty Award. She also served as the Director of the OSU Africana Studies program from 2014 to 2017 and directed the Laboratory for the Study of Suicide Risk and Resilience from 2006 to 2020. Raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Dr. Wingate earned her Ph.D. from Florida State University and joined OSU's faculty in 2006.