Mia Smith-Bynum, PhD is Professor and Chair of Family Science in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland, College Park. A clinical psychologist by training, Dr. Smith-Bynum directs the Black Families Research Group and is an expert in African American mental health, family interaction and communication in ethnic minority families, parenting and racial identity. She also has expertise in adolescent mental health, adolescent sexual behavior and parent-adolescent communication about difficult topics.