Howard Doctoral Candidate Elle K. Butler Awarded CDC-Funded Ferguson RISE Fellowship to Study Health Equity in Baltimore - Cloned

By Anna De Cheke Qualls

For Baltimore native Elle K. Butler, the path to public health began not in a laboratory, but in the vibrant, Black-centered murals of Thurgood Marshall and the flickering screen of a short-lived medical drama.

Today, that journey has reached a new milestone. Butler, a Doctoral Candidate in Developmental Psychology at Howard University, has been awarded the prestigious Dr. James A. Ferguson Emerging Infectious Diseases Research Initiatives for Student Enhancement (RISE) Fellowship. Funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the program supports public health research with a sharp focus on increasing interest in the field among students from underrepresented populations.

A Mission for "Black Joy"

Butler, a specialist in psychoneuroimmunology, is shifting the traditional narrative of minority-centered research. After her advisor, Dr. Debra Roberts, "instantaneously suggested" she apply for the fellowship, Butler was matched with Dr. Andrea Young at Johns Hopkins University.

The partnership proved to be a perfect fit. "Fortunately, Dr. Young understood my research interests without requiring the dilution of the equitable foundation and minority-centered lens of my work," Butler explained. "She understood my desire to increase the life satisfaction and longevity of the Black population through pursuing innovative research that places the pursuit of purpose and Black Joy exposure at its center."

Under this 12-month fellowship, Butler will serve as lead investigator on qualitative and quantitative research projects examining community-health predictors on the psychological outcomes of Baltimore City residents.

Breaking the School-to-Prison Pipeline

Beyond clinical outcomes, Butler’s work carries significant weight for public policy. Her research primarily investigates the psychophysiological effects of poverty on Black youth development, seeking to bridge the gap between psychology and public health.

By providing a platform for her advanced coding skills in R and SPSS, the Ferguson RISE fellowship allows Butler to address her long-term goal of education policy reform. She aims to implement restorative justice approaches to grade school infractions as an alternative to punitive responses. "Literature suggests the latter increases the opportunity for youth criminal activity," Butler noted, emphasizing her mission to decrease the overrepresentation of Black youth in the criminal justice system.

The Heart of a Lion: A Baltimore Origin Story

Butler describes herself as a "byproduct of two free-spirited hustlers" and a dreamer born in "the land of creatives, artists, and prodigies in poverty." Her connection to her hometown is deeply personal. "The heart of a lion beats boldly in souls reared in Baltimore, Maryland," she said. "How bittersweet to love a city that has caused my family generations of sorrow?"

Her interest in psychology was sparked at age 13 by the television series The Red Band Society. Watching the show's portrayal of eating disorders and familial history inspired her to evaluate "the weight of nature versus nurture outcomes" within her own community.

Serendipitously, her mother—a pharmaceutical technician at Johns Hopkins Hospital for nearly two decades—spotted a flyer for the Johns Hopkins Summer Jobs Program. This launched a series of elite academic experiences, from coding CIDR-themed games in C++ to conducting neuropsychological assessments for Huntington’s disease research.

Future in Academia

Butler’s academic journey has been marked by consistent excellence. Before beginning her doctoral program at Howard University (HU), she earned an Honors Bachelor of Science from Towson University, where she balanced her time as a solo radio host on XSTR and a member of the VoiceTU Slam Poetry Club. At Howard, she has served as a Laboratory Coordinator and was recently inducted into the Dr. Edward Bouchet Howard x Yale Graduate Honors Society.

Looking ahead, Butler plans to remain in the world of high-level research. "I love academia and research equally. Postgrad, I intend to ferociously pursue a tenure-track professorship career, alongside building my own research lab at a prestigious research institution," she said.

Reflecting on her time at her current institution, she credited the university for her expansive mindset. "If there is one thing that Howard University has taught me, it is that there are no pigeon-holed limitations on what we can achieve. HU molds budding academics into bison-like knowledge contributors. I hope to be a scholar of Truth in Service upon degree completion."