Chuka Emezue, PhD, MPH, MPA, the John L. and Helen Kellogg Endowed Faculty Scholar and assistant professor, Department of Women, Children and Family Nursing, is the first to admit he does not fully understand the daily realities Black boys in Chicago face, but he is deeply committed to listening, learning and building alongside them.
He moved to Chicago nearly five years ago, bringing with him a perspective shaped by his upbringing in Nigeria, his interdisciplinary training across biomedical and social sciences and his years spent in Missouri.
Emezue speaks seriously about the ways masculinity, harsh discipline in boarding schools and community shaped his early life. While the violence he witnessed growing up differs from what young people in Chicago experience, he recognizes familiar patterns in the boys he works with.
The National Institutes of Health defines interpersonal violence as “the intentional use of physical force or power against other persons by an individual or small group of individuals.” Emezue notes it’s a broad term by design, capturing all for the various forms of harm he sees these young men witness, endure and sometimes perpetrate.
“Interpersonal violence is such a difficult and challenging behavior to change in adulthood,” Emezue says. “How do we intervene upstream and early before these boys show up in our court rooms, emergency rooms or worse? That is a short way of explaining my true north, what drives my work.”
Preventing a Sense of Hopelessness
Currently, Emezue is focused on supporting boys who have experienced trauma and adversity through interventions and programs designed to strengthen them psychologically, socially and economically.
“The old playbook used to be focus on education. Go to school, get good grades and get a good job. However, for many boys today, this trajectory feels out of reach. The game plan for these boys is first to survive and hopefully thrive,” he says.
He points to neighborhood violence, economic deprivation, limited visible path to opportunities and systemic discrimination as structural forces shaping the daily life of many boys and their families on Chicago’s South and West Sides.
“All these things come together to form a near-perfect recipe for fatalistic thinking and impair long-term planning,” he says.
Emezue says some boys in specific neighborhoods do not see themselves living beyond their mid 20s and “live their lives accordingly.” It’s important to note that these findings are not absolute and depend on the population and context.
As for living their lives accordingly, Emezue says there’s a sense of futility and hopelessness.
“Why go to school? And why put in the effort if I do not see people that look like me in some of the positions I aspire to?” asks Emezue. “There is tremendous resilience, brilliance and creativity among these boys and many in their communities. Our job is to support that.”
BrotherlyACT: Giving Boys the Tools They Need to Rise
Emezue developed the app BrotherlyACT during the COVID-19 pandemic to reach out to boys at low-to-moderate risk for violence who are not already involved in the criminal justice system. The app offers life skills modules, safety planning, and low-burden tools to set and achieve personal goals.
Earlier this year, the app’s video-based life skills “big brother” modules were pilot tested with 70 Black boys in Chicago ages 15 to 24 years old. Over four weeks, it reduced reactive aggression – which is an impulsive and emotionally-driven form of aggression – and we saw significant changes in attitudes toward pro-gun violence.
“I think it’s powerful when a young man sees a 75% risk score for potential involvement in firearm homicide,” Emezue says. “The hope is that the number resonates, that it helps him grasp how precarious things are.”
BrotherlyACT has expanded to clinical sites and is in the process of getting into Chicago Public Schools. With funding from the Rush to Progress Pilot Grant and other funders, the full app is undergoing another pilot test with 60 participants in 2026.
Emezue says BrotherlyACT is not the be-all and end-all of interventions, but it’s a way to begin the conversation with these boys about their mental health, violence and to initiate the process of seeking support and advocating for better.
TAMI: Bridging Young People to Resources
The Technology and Adolescent Mental Health Internship (TAMI) program is another way that Emezue connects young people to opportunities.
Each fall, students from high schools across Chicago’s South and West Sides hone community‑based participatory research skills, identify youth mental health challenges in Chicago and design capstone projects that tackle these issues.
To date, 90 students have completed the program. Notably, seven high school students have co-authored two academic papers with Emezue and his team.
“When someone completes the TAMI program, I tell them about the Rush Education and Career Hub (REACH) program immediately. Whether or not you’re interested in STEM, REACH has resources like college readiness programming. So, in a way, the two programs can complement each other,” he says.
Trajectory Toward a Bright Future
All of Emezue’s work circles back to youth mental health.
Emezue says young boys are more likely to fall into risky behaviors if the people around them don’t lift them up and point them in the right direction. Several services available through Rush and in the community can help boys see a bright future, one worth planning for and protecting.
Emezue’s work is not just about preventing harm. It is about building infrastructures of hope, a sense of belonging, and positive future opportunities, so these young people can see themselves not only surviving but thriving enough to shape the future.
“When adolescents feel that they have a future worth protecting, they’re more likely to engage in some of these things we’re preaching at them to engage in, including education (whatever form that may take), avoiding violence and other risky behaviors,” Emezue says.
