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Our Team

GROW Initiative Leadership

  • Amber Wimsatt Childs, PhD

    Executive Director and Co-Founder GROW Initiative

    Assistant Professor of Psychiatry; Director of Training, YSM Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology, Psychiatry

    Dr. Amber W. Childs is a licensed clinical psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry in the Yale School of Medicine. She is the Director of Training for the Yale Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology in the School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Division of Quality and Innovation within Yale New Haven Psychiatric Hospital (YNHPH) where she is a member of the medical staff. Additionally, Childs is the Co-Chair of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the internship program. She is also co-chair of the Education Subcommittee of the Yale Department of Psychiatry Antiracism Task Force.Childs’ work aims to improve equity, access, and outcomes in psychiatric services and education through data-driven quality improvement and a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). She is dedicated to clinical and educational program innovations that support the implementation of evidence-based practices and diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts to improve clinical and educational practices. Across her roles, Dr. Childs professional activities include: 1) promotion and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP), such as Measurement-Based Care (MBC), that prioritize person-centered, individualized treatment and improved psychosocial outcomes; 2) improvement of psychiatric treatment among those who experience chronic and acute psychiatric illness, particularly for young people who are marginalized and minoritized; and 3) cultivating a generation of psychology leaders who have a deep and sophisticated understanding of DEI as it relates to clinical service delivery, research, and education. Childs earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and completed a doctoral internship and post-doctoral residency at the Institute of Living/Hartford Hospital, where she specialized in child and adolescent services.
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  • Cindy Crusto, PhD

    Co-Founder, GROW Initiative

    Professor of Psychiatry; Associate Dean for Gender Equity, Yale School of Medicine; Director, Office for Women in Medicine and Science, Yale School of Medicine; Deputy Chair for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Psychiatry; Director, Program Evaluation and Child Trauma Research at The Consultation Center

    Cindy A. Crusto, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology Section), Yale University School of Medicine, is Associate Dean for Gender Equity and Director of the Office for Women in Medicine and Science and the Director of Program Evaluation and Child Trauma Research at The Consultation Center.Dr. Crusto has more than 20 years of experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating preventive interventions in schools and community agencies. She also has extensive experience providing training and technical assistance to schools and to community-based organizations on the evaluation of prevention programs. She is interested in culturally relevant interventions for children from racial/ethnic minority and low-income backgrounds and in school-based behavioral health services. Dr. Crusto's research examines the impact of family violence on children and the ecological influences on child and family well-being, and includes rigorous evaluations of community-based initiatives involving substance use and violence prevention, and the promotion of school readiness. Dr. Crusto earned a B.A. in psychology from Vassar College, an M.A. in clinical-community psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, and a Ph.D. in clinical-community psychology from the University of South Carolina. She completed pre-doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships in clinical-community psychology at Yale University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry.
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GROW Workshop Facilitators and Expert Consultants

Organizations on this page

  • GROW Core Program Pilot Team

    • Carlton E. Green

      Workshop Facilitator, Foundations and Skills Integration in Culture and Diversity

      For more than 25 years, Dr. Carlton Green has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public and private institutions. Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and received masters-level training in Mental Health Counseling and Pastoral Ministry, from Boston College. Currently, Dr. Green is the Director of Diversity Training & Education in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Prior to taking on this role, he served as a Staff Psychologist at the University of Maryland (UMD) Counseling Center. Dr. Green has developed and presented workshops on diversity and inclusion, including how to address racial trauma at many universities and colleges in the DMV (Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and nationally. He has also served as a national advisor to The Steve Fund, which is the nation’s only mental health organization focused on the wellbeing of students of Color. In the DMV area, Dr. Green is a member of the historical Alfred Street Baptist Church. There, he serves as the president of the AGAPE Mental Health and Coaching ministry. Dr. Green is also an active member in the American Psychological Association. His contributions to the field earned him a Rising Star Award at the 2019 National Multicultural Conference & Summit. In 2019, the Maryland Psychological Association recognized Dr. Green with the Grady Dale Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity in Psychology. Dr. Green was awarded the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association in August 2020.
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    • Maryam Jernigan-Noesi, PhD

      Workshop Facilitator & Consultant, Foundations and Skills Integration in Culture and Diversity

      Dr. Jernigan-Noesi is a licensed psychologist, educator, and organizational consultant with over two decades of professional experience in the field of mental health. She consults with a variety of organizations to offer initial assessment and implement strategic goals designed to increase diversity, engage in equitable policies and practices, which promote and sustain inclusive work environments. Her portfolio includes a vast array of public and private corporations, educational institutions, professional associations, and state and federal agencies. Clinically, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi has worked alongside a multidisciplinary team of health providers in community-based, medical, academic, and private practice settings to gain experience in the identification and treatment of mental health concerns across the lifespan. As such, she also frequently consults with organizations to offer culturally inclusive professional development and training in an effort to prioritize the emotional wellbeing of employees and their immediate supports. Dr. Jernigan-Noesi completed advanced clinical training at The Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine. She also completed fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Yale University School of Medicine. As a Clinical Fellow at Harvard, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi provided a range of outpatient mental health services. During her tenure at Harvard, she assisted in the development and implementation of multidisciplinary medical interventions to promote physical and mental wellbeing. Dr. Jernigan- Noesi also served as a Teaching Fellow, providing instruction to medical residents and health care staff regarding the intersection between mental and physical health outcomes and culturally responsive assessment and treatment. In 2010, she transitioned to the Yale University School of Medicine where she completed a fellowship, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, in translational research and intervention science. She also held an appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry’s Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research at Yale University School of Medicine. In her role Dr. Jernigan-Noesi collaborated with health providers and community partners to develop and implement comprehensive health and wellness initiatives in real-world settings. Based on her experience in health care settings, she serves as a consultant to healthcare organizations to improve DEI efforts for employees, design strategies to hire and retain workforces that reflect patient populations served, better serve patients and their families, and mitigate risk to patient care. As clinical-researcher, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi’s contributions to the field of behavioral health have earned recognition from numerous organizations including the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and the American Psychological Association. She is Director of the Intersections Research Lab in Atlanta, GA where she focuses on the investigation of the social determinants of racial health disparities among marginalized populations, culturally-responsive assessment and treatment models, child and adolescent social-emotional development, and Black maternal health. As an educator, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi has over 15 years of instructional experience in higher education, as well as graduate and professional schools. She has held tenure-track positions in psychology at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA and the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Her instruction includes courses in Research Methods, Counseling Theory & Practice, Psychology of Women: Race, Class & Gender, Multicultural Perspectives, Health Psychology, Psychological Testing & Assessment, and Lifespan Development. Additionally, she has served as a graduate school instructor for Masters and doctoral-level mental health clinicians, teaching courses in Play Therapy, the Psychology of Race & Ethnicity, and Practicum and Supervision. Dr. Jernigan-Noesi has also facilitated mental health seminars for medical students, residents, and providers focusing cultural considerations in assessment and treatment of patients.
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    • Robert Rock, MD

      Workshop Facilitator, Art x History x Identity

      Postdoctoral Fellow

      Robert Rock, MD, completed his family medicine training in the Residency Program for Social Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center prior to coming to Yale. Dr. Rock received his undergraduate degree in Art History from New York University and her Doctor of Medicine at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Rock's career has included work in the design of interdisciplinary health equity curricula at the undergraduate and graduate medical education level. Career Interests: Dr. Rock envisions a career that combines community oriented primary care with policy-driven community based participatory research to advance health equity. Research Interests:  Research interests include exploring social accountability on the part of healthcare institutions in relation to community benefits spending and tax exemption; exploring the impacts of promotion policies within academic medicine in relation to the minority tax; and community input and benefit in service learning health equity curriculum design.
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  • GROW 2.0 Core Program Team

    • Jayinee Basu

      Workshop Facilitator, Structural Competence

      Jayinee Basu, D.O. is a PGY-2 in Psychiatry in the Medical Educator track at Zucker SOM at Staten Island University Hospital at Northwell. Born in Kolkata, she attended medical school at Touro University California, collaborated with the SCWG as a trainer, re-designed the structuralcompetency.org website, and helped organize a three-part webinar on structural innovations during COVID lockdown. She is also a writer and has published a book of poems, a novella, and is currently working on her first novel. She is interested in consultation-liaison psychiatry.
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    • Liana DeMarco

      Workshop Facilitator, History of Racism in Medicine and Psychiatry

      Postdoctoral Associate

      Liana DeMarco is a Postdoctoral Research Associate for the Yale School of Medicine and Slavery Project. She studies histories of medicine, race, labor, and business in the United States and the Caribbean. In May, 2022, she received her doctorate from the Department of History and the Program in the History of Science and Medicine at Yale. Before attending graduate school, Liana worked for the Office of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and the Department of History at Harvard University.In addition to her work for the YSM and Slavery Project, Liana is writing a book on the management of enslaved people’s health and the medicalization of their productivity on plantations in Louisiana and Cuba. She is also conducting preliminary research for a second book that will focus on employer-based health care, business education, and medical research in the twentieth century United States. Her writing can be found in the Journal of Southern History and the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences.Email: liana.demarco@yale.edu
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    • Nadya Fouad

      Workshop Facilitator, Intersectionality

      Nadya A. Fouad is the Mary and Ted Kellner Endowed Chair in Educational Psychology and a University Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She is the Training Director of the Counseling Psychology doctoral program and studies how people make work and career-related decisions, particularly in understanding the work choices for women and underrepresented minorities. She is the former Editor in Chief of the Journal of Vocational Behavior (2015-2022) and The Counseling Psychologist (2006-2013). She is past president of the Society of Counseling Psychology, past Chair of the APA Board of Educational Affairs, past chair of the APA Ethics Committee, past chair of the APA Competency Benchmarks Workgroup, and past co-chair of the 0222 Multicultural Guidelines Writing Group. She serves as Special Assistant to the Provost for Conflict Resolution and chair of the Ombuds Council for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
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    • Carlton E. Green

      Workshop Facilitator, Foundations and Skills Integration in Culture and Diversity

      For more than 25 years, Dr. Carlton Green has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public and private institutions. Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and received masters-level training in Mental Health Counseling and Pastoral Ministry, from Boston College. Currently, Dr. Green is the Director of Diversity Training & Education in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Prior to taking on this role, he served as a Staff Psychologist at the University of Maryland (UMD) Counseling Center. Dr. Green has developed and presented workshops on diversity and inclusion, including how to address racial trauma at many universities and colleges in the DMV (Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and nationally. He has also served as a national advisor to The Steve Fund, which is the nation’s only mental health organization focused on the wellbeing of students of Color. In the DMV area, Dr. Green is a member of the historical Alfred Street Baptist Church. There, he serves as the president of the AGAPE Mental Health and Coaching ministry. Dr. Green is also an active member in the American Psychological Association. His contributions to the field earned him a Rising Star Award at the 2019 National Multicultural Conference & Summit. In 2019, the Maryland Psychological Association recognized Dr. Green with the Grady Dale Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity in Psychology. Dr. Green was awarded the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association in August 2020.
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    • Maryam Jernigan-Noesi, PhD

      Workshop Facilitator, Foundations and Skills Integration in Culture and Diversity

      Dr. Jernigan-Noesi is a licensed psychologist, educator, and organizational consultant with over two decades of professional experience in the field of mental health. She consults with a variety of organizations to offer initial assessment and implement strategic goals designed to increase diversity, engage in equitable policies and practices, which promote and sustain inclusive work environments. Her portfolio includes a vast array of public and private corporations, educational institutions, professional associations, and state and federal agencies. Clinically, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi has worked alongside a multidisciplinary team of health providers in community-based, medical, academic, and private practice settings to gain experience in the identification and treatment of mental health concerns across the lifespan. As such, she also frequently consults with organizations to offer culturally inclusive professional development and training in an effort to prioritize the emotional wellbeing of employees and their immediate supports. Dr. Jernigan-Noesi completed advanced clinical training at The Center for Multicultural Training in Psychology at Boston Medical Center and Boston University School of Medicine. She also completed fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Yale University School of Medicine. As a Clinical Fellow at Harvard, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi provided a range of outpatient mental health services. During her tenure at Harvard, she assisted in the development and implementation of multidisciplinary medical interventions to promote physical and mental wellbeing. Dr. Jernigan- Noesi also served as a Teaching Fellow, providing instruction to medical residents and health care staff regarding the intersection between mental and physical health outcomes and culturally responsive assessment and treatment. In 2010, she transitioned to the Yale University School of Medicine where she completed a fellowship, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, in translational research and intervention science. She also held an appointment as an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry’s Program for Obesity, Weight, and Eating Research at Yale University School of Medicine. In her role Dr. Jernigan-Noesi collaborated with health providers and community partners to develop and implement comprehensive health and wellness initiatives in real-world settings. Based on her experience in health care settings, she serves as a consultant to healthcare organizations to improve DEI efforts for employees, design strategies to hire and retain workforces that reflect patient populations served, better serve patients and their families, and mitigate risk to patient care. As clinical-researcher, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi’s contributions to the field of behavioral health have earned recognition from numerous organizations including the Ford Foundation, Mellon Foundation, and the American Psychological Association. She is Director of the Intersections Research Lab in Atlanta, GA where she focuses on the investigation of the social determinants of racial health disparities among marginalized populations, culturally-responsive assessment and treatment models, child and adolescent social-emotional development, and Black maternal health. As an educator, Dr. Jernigan-Noesi has over 15 years of instructional experience in higher education, as well as graduate and professional schools. She has held tenure-track positions in psychology at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, GA and the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford, CT. Her instruction includes courses in Research Methods, Counseling Theory & Practice, Psychology of Women: Race, Class & Gender, Multicultural Perspectives, Health Psychology, Psychological Testing & Assessment, and Lifespan Development. Additionally, she has served as a graduate school instructor for Masters and doctoral-level mental health clinicians, teaching courses in Play Therapy, the Psychology of Race & Ethnicity, and Practicum and Supervision. Dr. Jernigan-Noesi has also facilitated mental health seminars for medical students, residents, and providers focusing cultural considerations in assessment and treatment of patients.
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    • Nadine J. Kaslow

      Workshop Facilitator, Foundations in Clinical Supervision

      Nadine J. Kaslow, Ph.D., ABPP is a Professor and Vice Chair for Faculty Development, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Emory University School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; Chief Psychologist, Grady Health System; and Director of Postdoctoral Residency Training, Emory University School of Medicine. She is also the Founder and Director of the Nia Project, a culturally responsive intervention program for abused and suicidal African American women, for which she was honored with the Atlanta Magazine’s Women Making an Impact Award (2022). She is board certified in clinical psychology, clinical child and adolescent psychology, and couple and family psychology through the American Board of Professional Psychology. Dr. Kaslow is Past President of the American Psychological Association (APA) (2014) as well as four of its divisions (12, 18, 29,43), the American Board of Clinical Psychology, and the American Board of Professional Psychology. She is the Former Chair and Board Member Emeritus of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). She has received numerous awards for her contributions as an educator, trainer, and supervisor including APA’s Distinguished Contributions for Education and Training Award, APA Presidential Citation, APPIC’s Award for Excellence in Postdoctoral Training, Grady Health Foundation’s Inspiring Mentor Award, and Distinguished Member of Psi Chi. The recipient of multiple federal and foundation grants, she has published over 350 articles and co-edited seven books including Supporting Students with Competence Problems: A Practical Guide for Psychology Trainers, Oxford Handbook of Education and Training in Professional Psychology, and Essential psychotherapies 4th edition. She is one of the authors of APA’s Guidelines for Clinical Supervision in Health Service Psychology (2015). She has given countless local, regional, national, and international workshops on psychology education, training, and supervision; leadership development; suicide and depression; and family violence. A member of Rosalynn Carter’s Mental Health Advisory Board, Dr. Kaslow is the psychologist for the Atlanta Ballet and a frequent media guest.
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    • Kelly R. Knight

      Workshop Facilitator, Structural Competence

      Kelly Ray Knight, Ph.D. is a medical anthropologist and Professor in the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at University of California – San Francisco (UCSF) and has conducted qualitative research and harm reduction service provision for people who use drugs and experience homelessness since 1996. Her work centers the experiences of poverty and addiction in clinical and community settings; homelessness and health disparities; and, health conditions produced or exacerbated by structural violence. Dr. Knight is currently Principal Investigator (PI) of two NIDA-funded ethnographic studies: A Longitudinal Qualitative Study of Fentanyl-Stimulant Polysubstance Use Among People Experiencing Homelessness (R01 DA 057672) and Examining the Consequences of Reductions in Opioid Prescribing on Patients, Clinical Care, and Community Health (RO1 DA 043631), and has served as PI, or Co-I, on multiple federally-funded qualitative/ethnographic studies examining social and policy implications of mental health, substance use and homelessness. Dr. Knight has published 65 peer-reviewed journal articles and an awarding-winning, book-length ethnographic study of pregnant people who use drugs and live in single-room occupancy hotels, addicted.pregnant.poor (Duke University Press, 2015). She is a member of the Structural Competency Working Group in the Bay Area and a national leader on the development structural competency curricula and training. She serves as a Director of Qualitative Research for the UCSF Benioff Housing and Homelessness Initiative, Co-Director for UCSF Population Health and Health Equity, as a Core Curricular Liaison for the UCSF Anti-Oppressive Curricular Initiative, and as steering committee member for the REPAIR Project, a three-year initiative addressing anti-Black racism in science and medicine housed in the UCSF Department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
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    • Naomi Rogers, PhD

      Workshop Facilitator, History of Racism in Medicine and Psychiatry

      Professor in the History of Medicine and of History

      Naomi Rogers, Ph.D. (She/Her) is Professor of the History of Medicine in the Section of the History of Medicine and the Program in the History of Science and Medicine at Yale University where she regularly teaches undergraduate, graduate, and medical students.  At the School of Medicine, she regularly lectures on the history of AIDS, reproduction, health economics, eugenics, nutrition, disability and health activism. Her undergraduate courses include American Medicine and the Cold War, and Public Health in America. At the graduate level, she teaches seminars on disability and on health and body politics. She is the Director of Graduate Studies for the 2022-23 academic year. Her historical interests are in 20th and 21st century history of medicine, health inequities and social justice. Her research focuses include gender and health; disease and public health; disability; feminism; alternative medicine; health policy; and health activism.  Professor Rogers has published in numerous medical, public health and history journals including American Journal of Public Health, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, Journal of Medical Humanities, Radical History Review, Social History of Medicine and Women and Health. She is the author of three books: Polio Wars: Sister Kenny and the Golden Age of American Medicine (Oxford, 2014) (which received the AAHN’s Lavinia L. Dock Award for Exemplary Historical Research); An Alternative Path: The Making and Remaking of Hahnemann Medical College and Hospital of Philadelphia (Rutgers, 1998); and Dirt and Disease: Polio Before FDR (Rutgers, 1992). In 2017, she presented the AAHM’s Garrison Lecture: “Radical Visions of American Medicine: Politics and Activism in the History of Medicine.” Since then her recent works have included: (with Zoe Adams) “Services not Mausoleums: Race, Politics, and the Concept of Community in American Medicine,” Journal of Medical Humanities, 41 (2020): 515-529; “Resistance to Polio Vaccines in Mid-Twentieth-Century America: The Role of the March of Dimes, Community Skepticism, Racial Inequalities, and Medical Politics,” Nursing History Review 31 (2022, forthcoming); and “Radical Visions of American Medicine: Politics and Activism in the History of Medicine,” Bulletin of History of Medicine (Winter 2023, forthcoming). Her current book project, Health Radicalism and the Humanization of American Medicine (under contract with Oxford), examines critics of medical orthodoxy since 1945 including civil rights, consumer and feminist activists.  Other ongoing projects include a study of antisemitism in American medicine in the decades before and after the Second World War.  She has been a consultant for a number of documentaries, including “The Polio Crusade” (PBS), “On the Basis of Sex” (Focus Features) and “War on Science” (in process).  Her perspectives on COVID-related topics have appeared in various news media including BBC Radio, CNN, Huffington Post, National Public Radio, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Washington Post. Professor Rogers has taught at Yale since the mid-1990s. Since joining Yale’s Program in the History of Science and Medicine in 2001 she has served as Chair of the Women’s Faculty Forum; Liaison to the Committee on Status of Women in Medicine; and Director of Medical Students for the Section in the History of Medicine. She has served on the Editorial Board of the Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences since 2018 and is a manuscript reviewer for numerous journals.  In addition to her service as Director of Graduate Studies, Rogers is currently a member of the Medical School’s OBGYN “Dobbs” Sessions Planning Committee, which has organized a series of webinars for the Yale community, and was a co-organizer of a special history-themed session “Rooted in History: Abortion, Law and American Health Care.”   Professor Rogers holds courtesy appointments in the History Department and the Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program.
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    • Chanda Williams

      Workshop Facilitator, Structural Competence

      The primary focus of Chanda’s research interest lies in the field of integrative health and health disparities research, specifically the evaluation of the clinical effectiveness and psychophysiological mechanisms underlying the practice of yoga and meditation for marginalized, underserved, and underresourced populations. These behavioral techniques include breathing exercises, physical postures, and mindfulness meditation. These practices produce a coordinated psychophysiological response called the relaxation response, which is associated with a reduction in psychophysiological arousal and a sense of well-being. These techniques are effective for many disorders with a psychosomatic component exacerbated by stress. Chanda is a TRIM predoctoral fellow and doctoral candidate in somatic depth psychology. She is conducting a qualitative, post-hoc study that seeks to increase the understanding and explore the long-term impact of trauma-informed, mindfulness-based yoga therapy for incarcerated populations. Additionally, Chanda is collaborating with UCSF faculty to examine the current uptake and acceptability of integrative oncology practices and complementary therapies (e.g., diet, exercise, yoga, and supplements) among Black individuals with cancer.
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  • GROW Small Group Facilitation Team

    • Carlton E. Green
      For more than 25 years, Dr. Carlton Green has held various roles in higher education settings. More specifically, he has worked in student activities, multicultural services, residence life, academic affairs, athletics, and counseling services in both public and private institutions. Dr. Green earned his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology and received masters-level training in Mental Health Counseling and Pastoral Ministry, from Boston College. Currently, Dr. Green is the Director of Diversity Training & Education in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at the University of Maryland, College Park (UMD). Prior to taking on this role, he served as a Staff Psychologist at the University of Maryland (UMD) Counseling Center. Dr. Green has developed and presented workshops on diversity and inclusion, including how to address racial trauma at many universities and colleges in the DMV (Washington, DC/Maryland/Virginia) area and nationally. He has also served as a national advisor to The Steve Fund, which is the nation’s only mental health organization focused on the wellbeing of students of Color. In the DMV area, Dr. Green is a member of the historical Alfred Street Baptist Church. There, he serves as the president of the AGAPE Mental Health and Coaching ministry. Dr. Green is also an active member in the American Psychological Association. His contributions to the field earned him a Rising Star Award at the 2019 National Multicultural Conference & Summit. In 2019, the Maryland Psychological Association recognized Dr. Green with the Grady Dale Jr. Award for Outstanding Contributions to Diversity in Psychology. Dr. Green was awarded the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity Outstanding Achievement Award from the American Psychological Association in August 2020.
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    • Michelle Joaquin
      Dr. Michelle Joaquin is a Latina, cisgender, woman from the Dominican Republic. She trained for a year as a postdoc at University of Southern California’s Children's Hospital of Los Angeles’ Project Heal/Trauma specialization where she also completed her internship. She was trained in and cofacilitated Crawford Bias Reduction Theory and Training (CBRT) groups. She served on panels such as the Multidisciplinary Expert Panel on Culturally Responsive Integrated Primary Care at the Developing and Researching Advanced Models of Integrated Primary Care (DREAM) conference. And she recently organized and presented in a symposium at the American Psychological Association (APA) that was titled “Addressing Microagressions and Racist Comments in Psychotherapy.” She is trained in psychological assessment of asylum seekers, forensic interviewing and psychoeducational assessments. She is an APA Division 29 Advocacy and Mentoring Program for Diversity (AMPD) scholar. Some of her research interests include trauma, immigration and cultural sensitivity. In her spare time, she likes to dance salsa and seek out new beaches.
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    • Minsun Lee
      Minsun Lee, PhD, is Assistant Professor and Co-Director of Training in the Counseling Psychology PhD program at Seton Hall University. She conducts research on the intersectionality of race, culture, and gender in the experiences of Asian Americans, and racial and cultural factors in psychotherapy. She teaches courses on theories and techniques in counseling psychology, practicum, group counseling, qualitative research, and race and racial identity in multicultural counseling. She is also Assistant Professor at Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, where she teaches medical students. She is a licensed psychologist in the states of New York and New Jersey, with experiences providing psychological services to diverse populations.  Dr. Lee obtained her PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Albany, State University of New York. She completed an APA-accredited pre-doctoral internship at the Albany Psychology Consortium and a post-doctoral fellowship at Albany Medical Center/Albany Medical college. She is a 2021-2023 Asian American Psychological Association Leadership Fellow and serves on the Editorial Board of The Counseling Psychologist.
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    • Stephanie Thrower
      Dr. Stephanie Thrower is a licensed counseling psychologist who provides psychotherapy to individuals during pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, as well as the span of motherhood.  She is a graduate of Boston College's doctoral program in Counseling Psychology.  In addition, she received her masters in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College and Applied Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.  Her clinical training includes providing inpatient and outpatient therapy in a Veteran hospital, a community healthcare center, a college mental health center, and schools. Working in perinatal mental health combines many of her interests including women’s health, social justice and racial identity, the mind-body connection, performance psychology, attachment, and career identity development. Her private practice focuses on supporting clients to seek purpose and fulfillment at the intersection of motherhood and vocation. She is experienced in researching and training providers to be more racially and culturally responsive, particularly White therapists and supervisors. The phenomenal mentorship from Dr. Janet Helms was crucial for Dr. Thrower to develop expertise in applying the Racial Identity Social Interaction Model to the institutional and relational context of training therapists. Stephanie aims to offer a supportive, validating, and empowering relationship for her clients.  She primarily draws from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in her clinical work, but also has extensive training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Psychodynamic Therapy. She values connecting client's with resources, supporting increased knowledge about themselves, and bolstering skill development to improve self-advocacy and stress management.
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  • Digital Education and Media Support Team

    • Sara Epperson

      Senior Director, Digital Education

      Sara Epperson is the Director of the Digital Education office within the Poorvu Center. Since joining in September 2013, Sara has worked with faculty to bring their online education initiatives to life on various dissemination platforms. From Yale SOM's Global Network for Advanced Management programs, to a summer math course called ONEXYS, to newly formed non-degree programs from professional schools, to an executive online degree program from the School of Public Health, Sara has worked on a variety of large scale projects that are available for both Yale students on campus and beyond. Further, Sara and her team help create and support Coursera MOOC courses available to the public. The team works on every stage of the project, including ideation, outlines, learning objectives, production, editing, promotions, launch and operations. Sara has contributed as both a project manager and consultant on these projects, and is eager to step in for assistance in a variety of ways. She is excited to see more partnerships within the Poorvu Center develop as more material is placed online and accessible to more audiences than ever before, and is thrilled to be a part of these newly formed relationships across the University.
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    • Douglas Forbush

      Manager 3; Associate Director, Yale Broadcast Studio, Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

      Doug is the Associate Director of the Yale Broadcast Studio. For over 20 years he has been using his varied experience in video production to help form and disseminate Yale’s inspiring message of research, scholarship, education, preservation and practice to an expanding global audience. Doug’s career at Yale began by co-founding a professional video production unit within the Yale School of Medicine, establishing standards of quality within the Medical School and Yale-New Haven Hospital. It was here Doug worked on the award winning film ‘Microscopy: Tools of the Biosciences’ produced by Martin Gordon, MD. in 2007 Doug served as Post Production Manager for ‘OpenYaleCourses’, the pioneering and award winning endeavor into online learning. This groundbreaking effort quickly propelled Yale into a leadership position in the burgeoning field of online learning. In his current role, Doug has directed some of the most popular and favorably reviewed public Yale courses including ‘Moralities of Everyday Life’, ‘Introduction to Classical Music’ and ‘Understanding Medical Research: Your Facebook Friend is Wrong’, among others. in 2020, Doug received the Linda Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service for his work on Yale’s ‘Virtual Commencement Ceremony’. Doug is a graduate of Central Connecticut State University with a B.A. in Communications, a veteran of the United States Coast Guard Reserve and a constantly bewildered and misunderstood father of 3 teenaged daughters.
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    • Belinda Platt

      Associate Director, Digital Education

      Belinda Platt is a project manager for digital education initiatives within the Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning. Belinda’s primary role is to help instructors conceive, create, disseminate, and maintain materials for online courses across various platforms. Her accolades include winning two Coursera Learners First Award for Everyday Parenting taught by Dr. Alan Kazdin, The Science of Well-Being taught by Dr. Laurie Santos, and placing top three in the American Society of Nephrology Innovations in Kidney Education Contest in 2018 for a web-based module created in collaboration with Dr. Namrata Krishnan. She loves sharing Yale’s expertise with the world so reach out to her with your ideas! Belinda graduated from Cornell University in 2013 with a degree in Industrial and Labor Relations and a minor in Communications.
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    • Abigail Titus

      Assistant Director, Digital Education

      Abigail Titus is the Project Manager for Digital Education at the Yale Poorvu Center. Prior to this role, Abigail worked as a product specialist at Coursera, where she helped the platform launch MasterTrack programs and responsed to learner requests and issues. She recently completed a Master of Education (EdM) degree from Boston University, focused on higher education administration. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Bates College in Politics and French. Abigail is from Massachusetts and lived in the San Francisco area for several years before returning to New England.
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  • Administrative Support and Project Management

    • Patrick Riley

      Psychology Section Administrator

      Patrick Riley is the Psychology Section Administrator in the Yale School of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry Psychology Section. Patrick received his Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Public Health from Marymount Manhattan College. Patrick served as a Lead Research Assistant in the Developmental Psychology Lab at Marymount Manhattan College, where he managed research projects on topics related to disabilities, mental health, and pro-social development, in addition to presenting at research conferences and co-authoring publications. Patrick completed clinical internships at the Child Mind Institute and the Quad Preparatory School, supporting children and adolescents with behavioral and learning differences. Patrick worked for the Clinton Foundation as a Program Associate for Too Small to Fail, the Foundation’s Early Childhood Initiative. At the Clinton Foundation, Patrick supported the initiative in advancing public awareness and action campaigns to support early brain and language development, coordinated research evaluations, managed communications, and developed Foundation partnerships. Most recently, Patrick was an Admission Counselor at Marymount Manhattan College, supporting students through the college application and enrollment process. As a Psychology Section Administrator, Patrick collaborates with the Department of Psychiatry Faculty and works with the Psychology Section team to manage the Doctoral Internship in Clinical and Community Psychology.
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