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)

Third Year Doctoral Student

Katherine is a third-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)

Second Year Doctoral Student

Madison is a second-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) Shin (she/her)

Second Year Doctoral Student

Jenny is a second-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 Sixth Year Doctoral Student

Majo is a sixth-year Ph.D. student in Clinical Psychology at Boston University in the Addictive Behaviors lab and an intern at the Behavioral Medicine team at MGH. 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 2024 recipient of the Clara Mayo Award, which currently supports her dissertation focused on improving sexual health services for Latino and Brazilian immigrant men who have sex with men living in New England and New York.

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.

Arijana Lukosevicius (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Arijana is a senior 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.

Kaylie Tan (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kaylie is a junior 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.

Adediwura Adesanya (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Diwura is a senior undergraduate student earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Boston University with a minor in Korean. She currently works part-time as a tutor at the Intergenerational Literacy Program. Diwura is interested in the ways social context influences a group’s likelihood of encouraging or discouraging discrimination and dehumanization. She is also interested in how stereotypes affect the sense of self in minority groups and how that translates to interactions with social systems such as healthcare, the workplace, and academic institutions. After pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree, Diwura intends to attend graduate school for social psychology.

Raj Kundu (he/him)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Raj is a senior undergraduate student earning his BA in Psychology at Boston University, and a Master’s in Public Health through the MPH 4+1 program offered by Boston University School of Public Health. He has previously completed research on the relationship between psychosis, social isolation, and stigma among historically marginalized populations. Raj is interested in the impact and management of social services on community mental health and trauma in underserved communities. He hopes to get involved in public health policy assessment and program management.

Naisha Deorah (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Naisha is a junior undergraduate student earning her Bachelor of Arts in Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Genetics at Boston University. She has previously completed research on mood disorders associated with glucocorticoid therapy which was published in an international journal.

She is interested in how trauma, stigma, and mood disorders affect engagement with reproductive healthcare amongst gender diverse populations and the development of psychosocial interventions to address these health inequities. After she graduates, she intends to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology or a PsyD.

Deja Ford (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Deja is a junior undergraduate student majoring in Psychology with a minor in Public Health at Boston University. She has completed independent research in reproductive health, looking at how the marital and reproductive experiences of childbearing individuals impact mental health. She is interested in how the lived experiences of marginalized communities shape access to care, impacting disparities in mental and physical health. After she graduates, she intends to pursue a graduate degree in Clinical Psychology.

Patience Onuobia (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Patience is an undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in Medical Anthropology. She’s especially interested in how culture shapes reproductive and maternal health, and hopes to continue this work through graduate study and a PhD in Population and Reproductive Health. Her long-term goal is to build a career in global health research and policy, focusing on improving care for women and families.

Seheni Kariyawasan (she/her)

Graduate Research Assistant

Seheni (she/her) is a graduate student in the Human Physiology Master’s program at Boston University’s Sargent College, having previously earned her BA in Psychology at Boston University. As an undergraduate, she conducted research in psycholinguistics and neurodegenerative disease, with a focus on Parkinson’s disease. Her research interests center on how psychosocial factors such as chronic stress and stigma intersect with health, and how intersectionality influences health disparities. She aspires to become a clinical neuropsychologist and hopes to contribute to research that advances health equity.

Nethra Sundaram (she/her)

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Nethra is a third-year undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in neuroscience with minors in public health and biology. She is interested in memory, neurodevelopment/plasticity, psychopathology, and how traumatic early experiences manifest both biologically and behaviorally in adulthood. She is curious about how these experiences may vary across minority groups and its implications in seeking treatment. After undergrad, Nethra intends to pursue graduate school for neuroscience.

Abby Smiley (she/her)

Graduate Research Assistant

Abby (she/her) is a Master’s student in Psychology at Boston University, where she wants to focus on the intersection of clinical practice and research. Her capstone for her Bachelor’s degree included examining outcomes of Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), with a particular emphasis on online treatment modalities and the participants’ psychological functioning. Abby’s broader research interests include neuropsychology, trauma-related disorders, as well as the translation of empirical research into effective clinical applications and psychological interventions. She is passionate about advancing evidence-based interventions that bridge scientific understanding with compassionate clinical care. Following her master’s degree, she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with the goal of integrating research, teaching, and clinical practice to improve outcomes for trauma-affected and marginalized populations.

Alumni