MARKITA MAYS, LCSW

Ms. Mays is Clinical Social Worker and Clinical Supervisor on staff at the UCSF/SFGH Child Trauma Research Program. She provides clinical services to children and families, supervision to clinicians in training, and is a national trainer for the dissemination of Child-Parent Psychotherapy. Markita earned her BA in Human Biology at Brown University, with an emphasis on African Studies and her Master’s degree in Social Work, focusing on Children, Youth, and Families from California State University, East Bay.  In 2018, Ms. Mays co-developed EMBRACE an integrated behavior perinatal care model for Black Families at UCSF in partnership with reproductive medical providers from the National Center of Excellence in Women’s Health.  Ms. Mays is committed to understanding the intersection and intergenerational patterns of race and trauma for African American families and communities and has a special interest in healing interventions rooted in spiritual/indigenous practices and traditions.

In addition to direct service and clinical training, Markita has pursued advocacy on behalf of children of incarcerated parents. She is the co-Founder of the Alameda County Children of Incarcerated Parents Partnership (ACCIPP), which is a regional coalition focused on those who work with or are concerned about children of incarcerated parents. In her work with ACCIPP, she served as a consultant with Sesame Street on the development and implementation of their toolkit, Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration. 

Ms. Mays was recognized by UCSF for her leadership in social justice by being awarded the 2015 UCSF Chancellor Award for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership and served as a Dean Diversity Leader (2016-2018) for the UCSF School of Medicine Differences Matter Initiative. Most recently she also was the inaugural awardee for the 2020 National Zero To Three Emerging Leader in Practice.