Roles:
- Assistant Professor of Psychology, Syracuse University
- Former Postdoctoral Fellow, CIRA
Contact:
Biography:
My primary areas of research include (1) examining trauma exposure, such as physical and sexual abuse, as a key driver of sexual and gender minority disparities in alcohol misuse and mental health comorbidities (e.g., PTSD, depression, anxiety) and (2) identifying maladaptive cognitive, affective, and behavioral pathways through which trauma exposure and minority stress affect sexual and gender minorities’ sustained psychosocial health issues. My research establishes that trauma exposure represents one primary social determinant of sexual orientation and gender identity disparities in alcohol use and misuse, suicidality, and sexual-risk behavior among youth and adults. Using qualitative and quantitative methods, my work also demonstrates the need for programmatic shifts related to resource allocation and culturally sensitive service availability for trauma-exposed sexual and gender minority populations who hold multiple marginalized identities. My current interdisciplinary research program seeks to inform epidemiologic, etiologic, and clinical treatment models of sexual and gender minorities' alcohol use and related morbidities by specifying psychosocial stressors (i.e., violence exposure, identity-related stressors such as heterosexism, racism, and sexism) that uniquely affect this vulnerable population.
Undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in learning more about this work or joining my research team are encouraged to contact me.
