reporter

Darcel Rockett

Darcel Rockett is a writer and curious soul — the latter informing the former. Her curious nature has led her to write for news organizations in London, the Virgin Islands, Los Angeles and Phoenix. Currently, she writes lifestyle pieces for the Chicago Tribune, where she’s served as a digital editor and features reporter for a decade.

Toys can be used to calm children and get them to express themselves in a therapy room at the Erikson Institute in Chicago, May 13, 2024. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Mental health begins in infancy, child development experts tell parents

May 29, 2024 at 11:38 a.m.

Yes, babies can get depressed, said an official with the Erikson Institute. Therapy for children and their caregivers can help.

Jaclyn Ross, left, and Tory Eisenlohr-Moul in Ross’ office in Chicago on March 15, 2024. The two worked on a study for the University of Illinois at Chicago that found menstrual cycles affect day-to-day suicide risk. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Menstrual cycles can affect day-to-day suicide risk, study finds

April 8, 2024 at 10:48 a.m.

For women with suicidal ideation, menstrual cycles can cause a spike in day-to-day suicide risk. Therapists and doctors can help.

Valletta Howard, a breast cancer survivor who was diagnosed and treated early in the pandemic, is seen on March 11, 2024. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Breast cancer test may make bad chemotherapy recommendations for Black patients, UIC study shows

March 25, 2024 at 12:33 p.m.

Black women’s tumors are less likely to respond to estrogen-blocking pills, and a new consortium is focused on improving inclusion in cancer studies.

Dwight White works on a drawing at his studio in Chicago on May 31, 2023. White went from starring as a college athlete to becoming a creative mental health advocate and activist. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

How Chicago football players’ mental health journeys led them to focus on wellness for Black communities

June 12, 2023 at 12:52 p.m.

Since Dwight White left Northwestern in 2016, he’s been saying a lot through art centered on the Black experience, melding oil paints and acrylics, sociology and experiential design into socially-driven...

Tiffani Jackson, 25, founder of Onyx Connect, appears on the campus of Illinois State University. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune/TNS)

A student created a media platform by and about people of color to fill a void in campus journalism

April 7, 2023 at 10:49 a.m.

“If something breaks and other media outlets are not telling the story right, we’re gonna be here to tell it the right way,” Onyx Connect creator Tiffani Jackson said.

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