{"id":26,"date":"2022-09-22T10:16:30","date_gmt":"2022-09-22T14:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/?page_id=26"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:37:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T20:37:49","slug":"meet-the-research-team","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/about\/meet-the-research-team\/","title":{"rendered":"The Research Team"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Dr. Amelia M. Stanton (she\/her)<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n
Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n
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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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Anvita Bhardwaj (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Post Doctoral Research Fellow<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n
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Dr. Bhardwaj received her PhD in Mental Health from The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (BSPH) and\u00a0was\u00a0funded by a National Institute of Health (NIH) global mental health training grant. She received her MSPH focused on women\u2019s health from BSPH from the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health and her bachelor\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Katherine Kabel (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Fourth Year Doctoral Student<\/em><\/h6>\n

\"\"Katherine is a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at BU. Her research<\/span> interests include developing and adapting evidence-based treatments for anxiety, mood disorders, and posttraumatic stress disorder throug<\/span>h an intersectional framework to serve minoritized populations. She is passionate about mitigating reproductive and mental h<\/span>ealth 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Madison Fertig (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Third Year Doctoral Student<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n
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Madison is a 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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Hyo Jin (Jenny) Shin (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Third Year Doctoral Student<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"Jenny is a 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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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William Bauer (he\/him)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Lab Manager<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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William graduated from the University of New Hampshire (UNH) with a BA in Psychology in 2022. He has joined BU as a Lab\u00a0Manager for the SRM Health Disparities Program in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences where he coordinates and assists on several domestic and international projects. Before joining the lab, William completed internships at mental health and peer recovery centers, conducted research in the Affect, Cognition, and Computation Lab at UNH and with The Fenway Institute (TFI) at Fenway Health, and participated in direct client care at Community Partners in New Hampshire. Recent research with TFI has focused on various topics, including health disparities, sexual health, substance use, digital technologies, and mental health. William is also pursuing a Master of Public Health at BU and hopes to work toward a doctorate in Clinical Psychology.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Adediwura Adesanya (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"Diwura is a senior undergraduate student earning her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Boston University <\/span>wi<\/span>th 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\u2019s likelihood of encouraging or discouraging discrimination and dehumanization. She is also interested in how <\/span>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\u2019s Degree, Diwura intends to attend graduate school for social psychology.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Naisha Deorah (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Deja Ford (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"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.<\/p>\n

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Patience Onuobia (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Undergraduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"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.<\/p>\n

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Seheni Kariyawasan (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"Seheni (she\/her) is a graduate student in the Human Physiology Master’s program at Boston University\u2019s 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\u2019s disease. Her research<\/span> 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Abby Smiley (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Graduate Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"Abby (she\/her) is a Master\u2019s student in Psychology at Boston University, where she wants to focus on the inters<\/span>ection 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\u2019s 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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Kynza Khimani (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

Kynza is a Senior Program Coordinator for the HIV Case Management Training program at\"\" Boston Public Health Commission.\u00a0She holds a Master of Science in Global Health and Epidemiology from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, where she conducted research on the impact of depression on clinical outcomes among people living with HIV and undergoing\u00a0antiretroviral therapy in Tanzania. With a strong background in evaluation and outcomes research at both local and global levels, she is committed to enhancing access to mental health care for vulnerable populations. She hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and advance mental health outcomes for individuals affected by infectious diseases.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Gabriella Karp (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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Gabriella is a sophomore at Boston University, majoring in Psychology and Sociology. After graduation, she plans to pursue a PsyD with the goal of becoming a clinical or forensic psychologist. Her academic interests center on mental health, sexuality, and stigma, and specifically, how these factors shape well-being and psychological outcomes. She is especially interested in adolescent mental health and the effects of adverse childhood experiences on psychopathology, as well as the ways stigma surrounding sexuality and mental illness can impact individuals and communities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sarah Elsetouhi<\/span> (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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Sarah is an undergraduate student at Boston University studying media science and psychology. She is particularly interested in understanding how psychological and environmental stressors impact mental and sexual healthcare decision-making. She hopes to use this knowledge to encourage cultural sensitivity and understanding in mental healthcare. After graduation, Sarah intends to pursue graduate study in clinical psychology.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Sakshi Kanoria<\/span> (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Research Assistant<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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Sakshi Kanoria (she\/her) is an undergraduate student at Boston University majoring in Psychology and minoring in Applied Human Development. She is interested in clinical psychology, mental health disparities, and the development of psychosocial interventions for underserved communities. She is especially interested in how trauma, stigma, and social context shape mental health outcomes and access to care. After graduating, Sakshi hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology and work with children, adolescents, and families through both research and clinical practice.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Alumni<\/span><\/h3>\n

Devisi Ashar (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Research Technician<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

\"\"Devisi 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\u2019s 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\u2019s health and mental health and hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the coming years.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Majo Bustamante (she\/ella)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus\"\"<\/em><\/h6>\n

Majo Bustamante (she\/ella) is a 6th year PhD candidate in Clinical Psychology at Boston University and a Psychology Intern in Behavioral Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. 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 mental health in the context of HIV prevention. Majo is also interested in developing technology-based interventions to improve the psychological well-being of people living with and impacted by these issues.<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Raj Kundu (he\/him)\"\"<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus<\/em><\/h6>\n

Raj Kundu (he\/him) is currently working towards his BA in Psychology and Master\u2019s in Public Health at Boston University. He is focusing on community assessment and program implementation. and is interested in working with people experiencing homelessness, improving LGBTQ+ mental health and wellbeing, and understanding the impact of intersecting marginalized identities. He aspires to work in case management and related client-facing work.<\/p>\n

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Lauren Gulbicki (she\/her)\"\"<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

Lauren worked in the program from 2022 to 2024 as a Clinical Research Coordinator while based at Massachu<\/span>setts General Hospital. She is now pursuing a master’s degree in public health at the University of Washin<\/span>gton in the Commun<\/span>ity-Oriented Public Health Practice (COPHP) program.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Jane Lee (she\/her)\"\"<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Stefania Moldovanu (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus\"\"<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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\u2019s 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.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Riya Mittal (she\/her)\"\"<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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

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Griffin Willner (he\/they)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus\"\"<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

Griffin worked as an undergraduate research assistant from 2024 to 2025. <\/span>They aspire to work in the research field before pursuing a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and becoming a sex therapist in the future.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Allison Paige (she\/her)\"\"<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

Allison worked as an undergraduate research assistant from September 2024 to August 2025. She is currently pursuing her Master of Public Health at Boston University, focusing on health communication and promotion.
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Daria Kosack (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
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Alumnus<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

Daria worked in the program as an undergraduate research assistant from 2024 to 2025. She is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Cybersecurity at Northeastern University, focusing on technologies in clinical settings.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Angela Bywaters (she\/her)<\/span><\/h4>\n
Alumnus\"\"<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

Angela worked as an undergraduate research assistant and completed her senior honors thesis within the lab between spring 2024 and summer 2025. After leaving the program, she is working as a Substance Use Counselor for Women\u2019s Hope.<\/p>\n

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Arijana Lukosevicius (she\/her)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Alumnus<\/em><\/span><\/h6>\n

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Arijana worked as an undergraduate research assistant from March 2024 to March 2026 at the SRM Lab. She graduated from Boston University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is currently pursuing her Master of Arts in Counseling at Northwestern University. Her interests include working with adolescents and young adults impacted by cancer and supporting their mental health and emotional well-being.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21343,"featured_media":0,"parent":15,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-templates\/no-sidebars.php","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21343"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26"}],"version-history":[{"count":54,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1222,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/26\/revisions\/1222"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/15"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.bu.edu\/srmhdisparities\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}