Nina received her Bachelors in Psychology and Health Policy at Brandeis University. She helped in a lab at Brandeis, under the leadership of Raymond Knight, that focused on sexual aggression, psychopathy, and bullying. After she graduated from Brandeis, she worked briefly at the PRIME Clinic and then began a new position on the Clinical Neuroscience Research Unit (CNRU). There she worked as a research assistant under Dr. Robert Malison, who tested novel approaches to the treatment of cocaine use disorder.
During her time on the CNRU, Nina became increasingly interested in population health and transitioned to the STEP Clinic where she was part of the first iteration of the Mindmap Campaign in 2015.
At that point, Nina decided to pursue a dual degree in social work and public health at Boston University. She studied macro social work, focusing on community organizing and program development, and public health approaches to mental health treatment.
Upon completion of her MSW and MPH, Nina worked for a health department for a town outside of Boston. She served as the Associate Project Coordinator for the Drug-Free Communities Grant and helped lead the town’s efforts in promoting harm reduction strategies and prevention of youth substance use. Given the timing of the position, Nina also helped the health department in creating informational flyers for public use about COVID-19.
Following this position, Nina returned to Connecticut and the STEP Clinic. She continues to be passionate about first episode psychosis (FEP) and destigmatizing mental health diagnoses.