Manderely Recinos, MS, PhD Candidate – Research Associate
Manderley Recinos is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the School of Public Health with a focus on Health Promotion. She received her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science in Psychology from Augusta University. During her masters, she interned at the Institute of Public and Preventive Health where she worked with PREVeNT Lab Alumna, Dr. Ashwini Tiwari, on a project examining the integration of a mobile health app into evidence-based interventions aimed at preventing child maltreatment and treating child maltreatment symptomatology. Currently, Manderley is the Research Associate for the NCI R01. Manderley’s research interests include prevention programs for child maltreatment, physiological effects of emotional abuse, intergenerational trauma, and treatments for child maltreatment such as TF-CBT.
Elizabeth W. Perry, PhD, MPH – Postdoctoral Research Associate
Liz is a Postdoctoral Research Associate working on the National Cancer Institute R01, the NCTSN grant, disseminating lab research findings. Liz worked as a Sexual Assault Victim Advocate for Day League’s Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program and as a GRA for Dr. Self-Brown during her time in the MPH and PhD programs. Liz also works with ChildFund International’s Education sector to evaluate the Education for Protection Model, a school-based program for caregivers, teachers, and children to prevent violence, strengthen families, and improve educational outcomes for children in low- and middle-income countries. Liz’s research interests center around understanding and preventing adverse childhood experiences, understanding resilience and positive childhood experiences for youth in low- and middle-income countries, and using implementation science to research ways to effectively increase the reach of evidence-based programs to support the resilience and well-being of children and youth in low-resourced areas in low- and middle-income countries.
Katherine Reuben, MPH – Graduate Research Assistant
Katherine Reuben is a third-year PhD student with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavior. She will be assisting the Evaluation Team at the National Center for Child Trafficking. Katherine received a B.S. in Psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2018. Her undergraduate senior thesis was on trauma and dissociation in autism spectrum disorders, and she continued to publish and present using this data throughout her master’s program. Katherine graduated with an MPH with a concentration in Epidemiology in 2021. During her time in the MPH program, Katherine worked as a graduate research assistant for Dr. Self-Brown and was the student lead on the program evaluation for SafeCare Georgia and on Project Intersect and Envision. Katherine is interested in researching the unique risks and outcomes of victimization for autistic individuals, dissociation as an outcome of trauma, and commercial sexual exploitation of children.
Jamani Garner, MS – Graduate Research Assistant
Jamani Garner is a third-year PhD student concentrating in Health Promotion and Behavior. She received her Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Psychology from Augusta University. As a graduate research assistant and intern for the Institute of Public and Preventive Health, she primarily worked with alumna of the PREVent lab, Dr. Ashwini Tiwari, on several projects related to the accessibility of trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) training, impact of TF-CBT on stress functioning systems, and risk factors for child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jamani is currently assisting with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) R01 project related to implementation of a braided program, Smoke Free Homes SafeCare. Jamani’s research interests include, broadly, disseminating, evaluating, and implementing child maltreatment prevention interventions, smoking prevention, and increasing access to mental health services among marginalized populations.
Michaela Cotner, MA – Graduate Research Assistant
Michaela Cotner is a GRA on the National Cancer Institute R01 which is examining the implementation of a braided parenting intervention called Smoke Free SafeCare. Prior to this role, she worked as a Research Associate and Research Coordinator for Dr. Self-Brown and Dr. Ashli-Owen Smith, respectively. Before coming to GSU, she worked as a research and evaluation coordinator at a public health center in New York City. Michaela received both her BA and MA in Psychology at the University of Georgia and New York University, respectively. She is currently a graduate student in the Coordinated Program in Nutrition at GSU and is working toward becoming a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. As an RDN, her goal is to deliver nutrition education in community-based settings for minoritized populations. Her research and public health interests include food access, food insecurity, and food as medicine.
Dayanara Hernandez – Graduate Research Assistant
Dayanara Hernandez is GRA for the National SafeCare Training and Research Center (NSTRC), where she collaborates with Dr. Shannon Self-Brown and Dr. JoAnne Bielecki, the Director of Implementation at NSTRC. In this role, she works on PREVenT Lab projects (NCI, Project Intersect, Envision) as well as NSTRC implementation tasks. She is currently in her first year of the Master of Public Health program at GSU with a concentration in Health Promotion and Behavior. Her academic journey began with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development and Family Sciences from the University of Georgia where she went on to work in Madrid, Spain for a year as a Language Assistant. Her research interests include, broadly, child health disparities, adolescent sexual health education, and maternal and child health.
Kathleen Sprow – Graduate Research Assistant
Kathleen is a second-year MPH student concentrating in Health Management and Policy. She received my Bachelor’s degree in Health Promotion with a Minor in Spanish and Health Policy and Management from the University of Georgia. Before attending GSU Kathleen worked as a Social Services Intern for a non-profit in Washington D.C. that provided resources to individuals experiencing homelessness. Kathleen’s GRA role currently supports the NCI and projects with the Georgia Center for Child Advocacy by supporting family assessments for NCI and program evaluation tasks for Project Intersect and the Envision Project.
Alumni
PhD and DrPH
Elizabeth W. Perry Mohling, PhD, MPH – 2023
Ashley Watson, PhD MPH – 2023
NaeHyung Lee, PhD MSPPM – 2021
Jyll Walsh, DrPH, MPH – 2021
Natasha De Veauuse Brown, PhD – 2019
Clinton Boyd, PhD – 2019
Jessica Rogers, PhD – 2019
Rachel Culbreth, PhD, MPH – 2019
Melissa Cowart-Osborne, PhD, MPH – 2018
Rebecca Wilson, PhD – 2018
Matthew Jackson, PhD – 2017
Erika Lewis, PhD – 2017
Ashwini Tiwari, PhD, MPH, MS – 2016
Tia McGill, PhD – 2016
Tamara Denis, PhD – 2014
Kate Shaw, PhD – 2014
Masters Students (Thesis Chair only)
Kaitlyn Koontz, MPH – 2023
Erick Phung, MPH – 2023
Katie O’Hara, MPH – 2022
Katherine Reuben, MPH – 2021
Daniel Shelby, MPH – 2020
Elizabeth W. Perry, MPH – 2020
Janee Perry, MPH – 2018
Alexandria Patterson, MPH – 2017
Camille Kramer, MPH – 2017
Ashley Watson, MPH – 2016
Tomi Falegan, MPH – 2016
Fitumai Madrid, MPH – 2014
Rola Doughan, MPH – 2014
Sarah Roby, MPH – 2014
Danielle Oves, MPH – 2013
Meghan Nix, MPH – 2013
Sanjana Mammem, MPH – 2012
Jessica Valente, MPH – 2010
Kim Frederick, MPH – 2009