The Research Team

Dr. Amelia M. Stanton (she/her)

Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor

Dr. Stanton received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from The University of Texas at Austin in 2019. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship in the Behavioral Medicine Program at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Harvard Medical School (HMS), and she was awarded a three-year T32 fellowship in global psychiatry, which she also completed at MGH/HMS. She joined the BU faculty in 2022. Dr. Stanton’s research focuses on (1) mitigating psychological barriers to optimal sexual and reproductive health; (2) the intersection of sexual health, mental health, and substance use disparities in marginalized and minoritized populations, both internationally and domestically; and (3) the development and evaluation of psychosocial interventions for populations at risk for poor sexual health. Thus far, the majority of her work has been carried out with women, pregnant people, and gender diverse individuals. Through projects that are based in sub-Saharan Africa, she is actively engaged in efforts to democratize and decolonize global mental health.

Anvita Bhardwaj (she/her)

Post Doctoral Research Fellow

Dr. Bhardwaj received her PhD in Mental Health from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH) and was funded by a National Institute of Health (NIH) global mental health training grant. She received her MSPH focused on women’s health from BSPH from the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health and her bachelor’s of science in Psychology from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Bhardwaj joins the lab as a postdoctoral research fellow through the Boston University Medical Campus- Massachusetts General Hospital Global Psychiatry Clinical Research Training Program T32. She is passionate about how to increase access to mental health care for women, partner engagement in health interventions, mixed-methods research, and using digital technology in mental health interventions in low resource settings. She has been involved in projects in Baltimore, Bangladesh, Nepal, and South Africa.

Katherine Kabel (she/her)

Second Year Doctoral Student

Katherine is a second-year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at BU. Her research interests include developing and adapting evidence-based treatments for anxiety, mood disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder through an intersectional framework to serve minoritized populations. She is passionate about mitigating reproductive and mental health disparities within underserved communities, particularly among individuals with diverse sexual/gender identities. Previously, Katherine was a clinical research coordinator at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, studying evidence-based treatments for anxiety and PTSD.

Madison Fertig (she/her)

First Year Doctoral Student

Madison is a first-year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at BU. She was previously the research coordinator in the SRM Program and coordinated several projects focusing on understanding the mental health barriers to PrEP adherence and HIV-related care in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to joining the SRM team, she earned her Master’s degree in Psychology from Hunter College and worked in the Hunter Psycho-Oncology Lab, where she focused on health, fertility, and psychosocial variables in adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. Madison is passionate about developing interventions to improve both mental health symptoms and reproductive health outcomes in women living with chronic health conditions in sub-Saharan Africa.

Hyo Jin (Jenny) (she/her)

First Year Doctoral Student

Jenny is a first-year PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at BU. Her research interests include addressing mental health inequities (focusing on depression, anxiety, trauma, and substance use) among individuals who identify as sexual and gender minorities. Previously, Jenny obtained her master’s degree in public health and worked as a clinical research coordinator at the Behavioral Medicine Program at Massachusetts General Hospital, focusing on mitigating internalized stigma and shame among individuals living with HIV who identify as sexual and gender minorities.

Majo Bustamante (she/ella)

Guest Fifth Year Doctoral Student

Majo is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Boston University in the Addictive Behaviors lab. Majo was born and raised in Lima, Peru, where she completed her bachelor’s in psychology and Masters in Epidemiology from Cayetano Heredia University. Prior to beginning her Ph.D., Majo worked for several years supporting clinical and field-based HIV research projects among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women. She is passionate about working with sexual and gender minorities, specifically understanding the intersection of substance use, sexual behaviors, and HIV. Majo is also interested in developing technology-based interventions to improve the psychological well-being of people living with and impacted by these issues. She is a 2022 recipient of the Clara Mayo Award, which currently supports her pre-dissertation project aimed at exploring psychological, social, cultural, and structural barriers to sexual health care (e.g., HIV/STI testing, PrEP/nPEP) among Hispanic and Latino immigrant MSM through an online survey. These data will form the basis of a tailored Telehealth intervention to enhance sexual health care among this population.

Devisi Ashar (she/her)

Research Technician

Devisi recently graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Gender and Sexuality Studies. Devisi is the Research Technician in the SRM Health Disparities Program in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences where she coordinates and assists on various domestic and international projects. Devisi was a Research Assistant in the BRAINS Lab and the Emotion & Anxiety Research Laboratory at Vanderbilt. Both labs study anxiety-related disorders in children and adults respectively. She worked at Bonafide Health, a women’s health dietary supplement company, for a year as a clinical research intern. She worked on studies related to menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, and sexual satisfaction. She is passionate about the intersection between women’s health and mental health and hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the coming years.

Riya Mittal (she/her)

Research Assistant

Riya is a first-year medical student at the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. Riya recently graduated from Boston University with her undergraduate degree in Medical Sciences and Psychology, and her current projects focus on interventions part of the cervical cancer treatment cascade.

Angela Bywaters (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Angela is a junior at Boston University, currently earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a minor in Applied Human Development, on the Positive Youth Justice track. She has previously completed research on the issue of material incarceration and the reproductive rights of women in the Framingham Prison. She is motivated to learn more about the disparities surrounding sexual and mental health. After graduating, she hopes to work in the research field before eventually attending graduate school for Clinical Psychology.

Arijana Lukasevicius (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Arijana is a sophomore undergraduate student currently earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Boston University. Arijana’s research interests include examining the mental health of adolescent cancer patients and survivors and examining self-sexualization in adolescent girls from racial minorities. After completing her Bachelor’s, she hopes to pursue a doctorate in Clinical Psychology, focusing on adolescence.

Daria Kosack (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Daria is a senior undergraduate student at Boston University, earning her Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Psychology with a minor in Public Health. She is the president of Boston University’s chapter of Psi Chi, the international honors society in psychology. She has previously conducted research surrounding variations in COVID-19 risk perception, presenting at the annual conference of the New England Psychological Association in October 2024. Daria is passionate about transnational issues, policy development, and interdisciplinary methodological approaches. After completing her Bachelor’s, Daria aspires to obtain a master’s degree in social research methods.

Griffin Willner (he/they)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Griffin is a senior undergraduate student at Emerson College receiving a BFA in Creative Writing with a focus in nonfiction writing and a minor in Psychology. They are currently the Editor-in-Chief of YourMagazine, a monthly lifestyle publication where they were previously the Romance Editor. They also currently work part-time as a research assistant at the Selves and Media (SAM) Laboratory at Emerson, and they have previously interned with the Manager of Advocacy at Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey (PPMNJ). Griffin is interested in the psychology surrounding sexuality, romance, and gender, and hopes to help patients of underprivileged and queer identities. After earning their Bachelor’s, they hope to work in the research field before pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and becoming a sex therapist in the future.

Kaylie Tan (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kaylie is a sophomore undergraduate student, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. Her research interests include how multiple aspects of identity (gender, socioeconomic status and culture) intersect and affect adolescent development. After pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree, Kaylie intends on attending graduate school for clinical psychology.

Allison Paige (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Allison is a senior at Boston University earning a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, and a Master’s in Public Health through a dual degree 4+1 program. Allison is passionate about child and maternal health, and the intersection of public health and mental health. After she earns her degrees, she hopes to work in community health, or public health administration.

Alumni

Lauren Gulbicki (she/her)

Alumnus

Lauren worked in the program from 2022 to 2024 as a Clinical Research Coordinator while based at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the University of Washington in the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) program.

Jane Lee (she/her)

Alumnus

Jane worked in the program as a graduate research student in the lab from fall 2023 to spring 2024. After leaving the program, she is now a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Mood Trajectories and Outcomes Lab at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Stefania Moldovanu (she/her)

Alumnus

Stefania worked in the program as an undergraduate research assistant during her senior year from September 2023 to June 2024 and completed her honors thesis exploring relationship dynamics and the impact of mental health symptoms on intimate relationships among pregnant persons in Cape Town, South Africa. After graduating, she took on a dual role in the Pain Treatment Service at Boston Children’s Hospital, working as a research/administrative coordinator for (1) the Comfort Ability program and (2) Dr. Deirdre Logan, studying applications of virtual reality and digital technologies in the treatment of chronic pediatric pain.