Sarah (she/her) is a PhD candidate in Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology and a minor in Quantitative Psychology. She has a B.A. in Psychology from Grove City College and an M.A. in School Psychology from the University of South Carolina (USC). Before graduate school, Sarah worked at Texas A&M University as a research lab manager for Dr. Isaac Sabat’s PRIDE Lab. Sarah’s current research focuses on improving healthcare access and mental health outcomes for young people living with stigmatized health conditions, including substance use disorder (SUD) and HIV. Sarah’s work has focused on the impact of social determinants of health on HIV care engagement and HIV prevention efforts. Sarah’s dissertation, which is funded by the Russell J. and Dorothy S. Bilinski Fellowship, focuses on addressing gaps in the opioid use disorder care continuum for adolescents and young adults. Sarah is an alumni of numerous fellowships at USC including the Presidential Fellowship, the Integrated Center for Recovery (I-CaRe) Fellowship, the South Carolina SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality Junior Scholar Program, and the Rhude M. Patterson Fellowship.

Jingyi is a Ph.D. candidate in Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology. She graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor in 2016 with a B.A. in psychology. Throughout her undergraduate career at UMich, she joined Culture and Self-Insight Psychology Lab as a research assistant, studying how cultural identity shapes decision-making. After graduating, Jingyi spent one year working in the U.S Service Center for Overseas Students and had a two-year experience working as a certified preschool teacher in Newton, Massachusetts. Her current research interests focus on resilience-based prevention and intervention, culturally responsive assessments and practices, and school-based mental health; currently with a focus on school-based health promotion and culturally adaptive assessments.

Katherine (she/her) is a Ph.D. student in Psychology with a concentration in School Psychology. She received her B.S. in Cognitive and Behavioral Science from Washington and Lee University in 2021. Prior to her involvement in the Healthy Futures Lab, Katherine served as a Clinical Research Coordinator in the Center for Biobehavioral Health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH). While at NCH, she assisted in a study exploring the impacts of a peer mentoring program on self-management in youth with Inflammatory Bowel Disease. Her current research interests aim to explore the shift from parent to adolescent self-management of chronic conditions, particularly in the contexts of adherence to medication (e.g., antiretroviral therapy) and the transition from pediatric-to-adult care. Katherine aspires to collaborate with and empower vulnerable adolescents to adopt adherence and self-management strategies that will promote lasting positive health outcomes.

Mariajosé recently graduated from the Healthy Futures Lab after earning a Ph.D. in Psychology with a concentration in Clinical-Community Psychology and a graduate certificate in Women's and Gender Studies from USC. Her dissertation study used Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) to increase the use of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention among Black and Latiné LGBTQ+ youth. She recently completed her APPIC-accredited psychology residency at the Medical College of Georgia in their HIV & LGBTQ+ Health Disparities track. Mariajosé is now an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow in the Institute of Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University.

Valerie received her Ph.D. from the Department of Health Services Policy and Management. She holds a German physical therapy diploma and received her B.Sc. in Public Health and Administration as well as her M.Sc. in Health Sciences from University of Applied Sciences Neubrandenburg in Germany. Valerie’s research interests include decision-relevant characteristics and decision-making processes related to multiple tiers of the HIV care continuum as well as vaccination-related decisions. She is particularly interested in shared decision-making and how to successfully involve patients in their medical decisions. Dr. Yelverton is currently an NIH-funded postdoctoral fellow at Duke University.

Dr. Chigozie Nkwonta is a socio-behavioral scientist with an academic background in Nursing and Midwifery. She earned her Ph.D. and MSN in Nursing with a specialization in Maternal and Child Health. Her research focuses on improving maternal health, HPV vaccination, Cervical Cancer Screening, HIV stigma, HIV prevention & treatment, gender, mHealth interventions, and implementation science.

WGST Spotlight

Atticus Wolfe (he/him) is an assistant professor of public health at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, USA. His mixed-methods research investigates the intersection of socio-cultural identity, institutional environments, and social status to inform health equity interventions and policy. Atticus graduated from Rhodes College in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and in Urban & Community Health and obtained his Master's in Public Health Administration & Policy from the University of Minnesota in 2020. He earned a graduate certificate in gender studies in 2022 and a Doctorate in Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Sociology from the University of South Carolina in 2024. You can follow his research and pedagogy advancements on his website, https://atticuswolfe.com. 

Danny is a Pharm.D. candidate in USC's College of Pharmacy hailing from Toms River, New Jersey. Danny completed his undergraduate courses at the University of South Carolina where he first became interested in supporting the investigation of better public health practices. His research interests include improving health outcomes for at-risk populations, with a particular focus on ensuring equitable health resources for the LGBTQ+ community. Within the Healthy Futures lab, Danny collaborated on a study intended to understand the knowledge and awareness of HIV pre-exposure prophylactic drugs among future health professionals.

Wendy Chu is a PhD Candidate in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of South Carolina and is currently completing her predoctoral clinical internship at the University of Illinois Chicago Department of Psychiatry (Child Track). Wendy’s program of research aims to improve the cultural responsiveness of mental health services for marginalized youth and families through community partnerships. Wendy’s work has been supported by the William T. Grant Foundation, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the American Psychological Association (APA) Minority Fellowship Program, the APA Division 56, and the APAGS. Beyond her scholarship, Wendy is committed to advancing equity in the academy. As a first-generation college student and daughter of low-income Chinese immigrants, Wendy is enthusiastic about promoting access to higher education through mentorship and dismantling racist practices that perpetuate inequities.

Sarah Grace Frary is a Ph.D. student in the clinical-community psychology doctoral program at the University of South Carolina. Sarah Grace graduated with their Bachelors in Science from The College of William and Mary in 2020. While at William and Mary, Sarah Grace researched the impact of community-developed and -based programs on youth and young adult well-being in the West Bank, where she developed interest in community-based participatory research partnerships and program evaluation. Sarah Grace's current research interests involve identifying resources for resilience for LGBTQ+ young people situated in pre-existing community institutions, and the development of partnerships with local organizations to foster positive health promotion. Sarah Grace hopes to continue this work through program evaluation and consultation during their time in graduate training and after graduation.

Paris received her B.A in Psychology with a minor in Education from USC. While at USC, she was a member of the All-Girl Cheerleading team and is a part of Psi Chi, the Psychology Honor Society. She worked for several years on the MindBodyU project in the Healthy Futures Lab and is now pursuing a PhD in School Psychology from the University of Tennessee.

Clare is a Ph.D. student in School Psychology. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2019 with a B.S. in Neuroscience and a minor in Psychology. During her time as an undergraduate, she joined the Laboratory for Cognitive and Affective Neuropsychology, where she worked as a research assistant testing undergraduate students for dyslexia research studies. Before attending the University of South Carolina, she joined the Reading and Literacy Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as a research coordinator. Here she studied the impact of literacy programs, such as Reach out and Read and Imagination Library, in community health clinics. Within the Healthy Futures Lab, Clare collaborated on a study to help better understand the barriers individuals face in seeking HIV care.

Kristen was an International Business and Management major with minors in Spanish and Chemistry. Originally from Marlboro, New Jersey, Kristen contributed to the CDC “INVEST“ study with content creation. She successfully defended her Honors Thesis titled, A Systematic Review of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Perception, Awareness, and Knowledge and Associated Characteristics of Individuals in South Carolina and is pursuing medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina.

During her time in the Healthy Futures Lab, Mina was in the Honors College pursuing a B.S. major in Psychology with anticipated minors in both Neuroscience and Business. She was involved in the ACLU and PPGA clubs on campus and was dedicated to work that supports marginalized communities. Her research interests included finding ways to enhance inclusivity in both healthcare and the design industry.

Jordan Ezell

Ariel Domlyn

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Peyton Pretsch

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