About Me

I am an Indigenous licensed psychologist (enrolled member of the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe; Snipe Clan), originally from upstate New York and an Assistant Professor at Duke School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences.

I completed my postdoctoral fellowship in the Carolina Postdoctoral Program for Faculty Diversity at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience in 2024. I received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison in 2022, where my dissertation explored the impacts of historical loss on Native American college students' mental health. Prior to that, I earned an Ed.M. in Human Development and Psychology from the Harvard Graduate School of Education in 2013, and a B.A. in Psychology and Native American Studies from Dartmouth College in 2012.

My research program aims to promote mental health equity. To do so, I draw from critical, liberation, and Indigenous psychology, using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies. I seek to examine (1) the impact of culturally relevant stressors (e.g., discrimination, historical trauma) and the role of culturally relevant coping on marginalized communities' mental health across the lifespan. I aim to (2) reduce the burden of key health outcomes, including suicide, on AI/AN communities through theory-driven, strength-based, culturally relevant methodology. Finally, I engage in (3) community-driven and accountable collaboration as an essential means to promote health equity. My work focuses primarily on Black and AI/AN youth and emerging adults in tribal, community, and education settings.

My research has been supported by various grants and awards, including UNC Rural and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. I also currently serve as a Senior Advisor on the IHS Zero Suicide Initiative Coordinating Center with RTI International and the Northwest Portland Indian Health Board.

I am committed to advancing equity in not only my science, but my teaching, community engagement, and mentorship, and have been recognized for my contributions with several honors, including the Sage Award for Indigenous Early Career Professional and the R. Wray Strowig Award for Exemplary Teaching and Service. 

I am also a licensed psychologist in North Carolina and specialize in providing provides culturally responsive and liberation-based psychotherapy to emerging adults who experience marginalization.