Mental Health

Abraham, Amanda

Michael and Caroline Fierman Professor, Public and International Affairs
Distinguished Scholar, 2014 GDPP Graduate, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | aabraham@uga.edu
Research Interests include health policy, substance use disorder treatment, accessibility/quality of SUD treatment, organizational change, and maternal healthn

Abraham, Anna

E. Paul Torrance Professor, Educational Psychology
2014-2015 Grant Development Program Participant
website | anna.abraham@uga.edu

Research Interests include creativity, imagination, neuroscience, neuropsychology, and cognition

A man with short black hair wearing a dark collared shirt, facing forward against a plain white background.

Ahn, Daehwan

Assistant Professor, Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics
website | daehwan@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Computational Methods, Education and Learning, Experimental Methods, Higher Education, Infant and Child Development, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Organizations, STEM, Work and Occupations

A woman with straight, blonde hair and a red checkered top poses in front of a dark blue, studio-style background.

Antonoudi, Efthymia (Effie)

Assistant Professor, Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics
website | eanton@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Diversity, Education and Learning, Immigration, Marriage, Family, and Close Relationships, Mental Health, Substance Use and Addiction

Arroyo, Analisa

Professor, Communication Studies
2015-17 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | arroyo@uga.edu

Research Interests include intergenerational transmission of body image issues and its relation to mental and physical health outcomes (e.g. depression, eating disorders, overweight/obesity, exercise, dieting, etc.) among grandmother-mother-daughter triads

A man in a suit and striped tie smiles at the camera against a plain light background.

Azevedo, Renato Ferreira Leitao

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Institute of Gerontology
website | renato.azevedo@uga.edu

Research Interests: Aging and Gerontology, Assessment and Evaluation, Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Chronic Disease, Cognition, Communication, Computational Methods, Education and Learning, Emotion, Exercise, Experimental Methods, Media, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Physical Health and Well-being, Risk Behaviors, Social Psychology, STEM, Survey Methods

A man in a grey suit, light blue striped tie, and white shirt smiles at the camera with a blurred brick wall background.

Banks, Leon

Assistant Professor, Social Work
website | banks03@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Culture, Diversity, Mental Health, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A man in a dark blazer and light blue shirt smiles at the camera against a plain gray background.

Bauer, Brian

Assistant Professor, Psychology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2022-2024 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | brian.bauer@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Suicide; Behavioral economics; Decision

Beach, Steven R.H.

Regents’ Professor, Psychology
Associate Director, Center for Family Research
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2023 OIBR Service Legacy Award Recipient
website | srhbeach@uga.edu

Research Interests include preventive intervention, epigenetic processes, family health, and marriage

Bian, Jiahe (Jane)

Assistant Professor, College of Environment + Design
website | jbian@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Aging and Gerontology, Assessment and Evaluation, Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Chronic Disease, Environment and Ecosystems, Geographic Information Systems, Media, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Obesity, Physical Health and Well-being, Policy, Regulation, and Compliance, Social Psychology

Bork-Young, Sarah

Assistant Professor, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering
website | sjbork@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Culture, Diversity, Emotion, Experimental Methods, Higher Education, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Physical Health and Well-being, Social Psychology, STEM, Survey Methods

Carlson, Catherine

Associate Professor, Social Work
website | cadycarl@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Environment and Ecosystems, Gender, Maltreatment and Trauma, Mental Health, Substance Use and Addiction, Violence and Injury, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Caughy, Margaret

Georgia Athletic Association Professor, Family Health Disparities
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2024 OIBR Service Legacy Award Recipient
website | margaret.caughy@uga.edu

Research Interests include academic achievement, self-regulation, and minoritized populations

A woman with straight, shoulder-length brown hair smiles at the camera, wearing a dark blazer over a striped top, with a blurred light background.

Chapman-Hilliard, Collette

Professor, Counseling and Human Development Services
website | collette.hilliard@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Culture, Diversity, Higher Education, Identity, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Survey Methods, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A man wearing glasses and a suit with a striped shirt stands in front of a blue background, looking at the camera and smiling slightly.

Chen, Zhuo (Adam)

Professor, Health Policy & Management
website | zchen1@uga.edu

Research Interests include social determinants of health, health economics, health disparities, mental health, genomics, and gender

Clementz, Brett

Distinguished Research Professor, Psychology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | clementz@uga.edu

Research Interests include visual & auditory processing; saccadic eye movements; higher level cognitive operations between normal & psychiatric groups (schiz); brain plasticity; brain changes that occur during aging; and prospective memory

A middle-aged man with a receding hairline, wearing a light blue checkered shirt, smiling at the camera against a gray background.

Correia, Stephen

Associate Professor, Health Promotion & Behavior
website | scorreia@uga.edu

Research Interests: Aging and Gerontology, Cognition, Mental Health, Neuroscience

A woman with straight, light brown hair, wearing a blue and white patterned blouse, smiles outdoors with green foliage in the background.

Ehrlich, Katie

Professor, Psychology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | kehrlich@uga.edu

Research Interests include social determinants of health, inflammation, stress, and resilience

Elkins, Jennifer

Associate Professor, Social Work
website | jelkins@uga.edu

Research Interests include sexual abuse and child maltreatment, interpersonal and multigenerational trauma, violence and loss, PTSD and trauma related disorders, ecological/transactional and risk/resilience processes across the lifespan, and culturally congruent research and practice

Emerson, Kerstin Gerst

Clinical Professor, Health Policy & Management
website | emerson@uga.edu

Research Interests include aging, social isolation, loneliness among older adults, social engagement for seniors, and minority aging

A woman with straight, shoulder-length brown hair is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a white blazer over a black top and is posed against a plain gray background.

Fan, Lu

Associate Professor, Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics
website | lufan@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Aging and Gerontology, Assessment and Evaluation, Cognition, Education and Learning, Emotion, Gender, Mental Health, Personality, Social Psychology, Survey Methods, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Fernandez, Jessica

Associate Professor, College of Environment + Design
website | jessica.fernandez@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Emotion, Environment and Ecosystems, Experimental Methods, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Identity, Mental Health, Physical Health and Well-being

A young woman with shoulder-length wavy blonde hair smiles at the camera against a plain gray background.

Figard, Rache

Assistant Professor, Engineering Education Transformations Institute (EETI)
website | rachel.figard@uga.edu

Research Interests: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Diversity, Education and Learning, Gender, Higher Education, Identity, Media, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, STEM

A woman with long, straight dark hair smiles at the camera against a gray background. She is wearing a black top with white polka dots and stud earrings.

Fisher, Sycarah

Associate Professor, Educational Psychology
2020-22 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | sycarah.fisher@uga.edu

Research Interests include substance use, minorities, African Americans, school mental health, and implementation science

Flannery, Jessica

Assistant Professor, Psychology
website | jessica.flannery@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Cognition, Computational Methods, Emotion, Experimental Methods, Media, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Neuroscience, Physical Health and Well-being, Psychophysiology, Risk Behaviors, Substance Use and Addiction, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A woman with curly dark hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a pink top and a light-colored sweater. The background is plain and softly lit.

Fusco, Rachel

Associate Dean for Faculty & Academic Affairs
UGA Athletic Association Professor, Social Work
website | rachel.fusco@uga.edu

Research Interests include substance use, child maltreatment, and domestic violence

Woman with long dark hair, smiling, wearing a yellow and white striped top, posed in front of a plain gray background.

Galvan, Thania

Assistant Professor, Psychology
website | thania.galvan@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Mental health disparities; Latinx youth & families; Latinx immigrants; Traumatic stress; Risk & Resilience pathways

A man with short hair and a gray beard smiles at the camera, wearing a dark collared shirt, with a bright window and a whiteboard in the background.

Geier, Charles

Associate Dean for Research & William P. Flatt Professor, Human Development and Family Science
website | Charles.Geier@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Cognition, Computational Methods, Diversity, Emotion, Experimental Methods, Food & Nutrition, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Networks, Neuroscience, Obesity, Physical Health and Well-being, Psychophysiology, Risk Behaviors, Substance Use and Addiction, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Gibbs, Jeremy

Associate Professor, Social Work
website | jeremy.gibbs@uga.edu

Research Interests include sexual minority youth, behavioral health, and technology informed methodology

A woman with shoulder-length blonde hair wearing a pink plaid shirt stands outdoors in a field with trees and mountains in the background.

Goodwin, Emma

Assistant Professor, Microbiology
website | emma.goodwin@uga.edu

Research Interests: Assessment and Evaluation, Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Diversity, Education and Learning, Higher Education, Identity, Mental Health, Social Psychology, STEM

A man with short dark hair and glasses, wearing a red and white checkered shirt, poses against a plain light-colored background.

Haider, M. Rifat

Associate Professor, Health Policy & Management
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2024 OIBR Rising Star Award Recipient
2022-2024 GDP Participant, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
website | haider@uga.edu

Research Interests include: HIV/AIDS; Substance abuse; Maternal & child health

Haight, Sarah

Assistant Professor, Epidemiology & Biostatistics
website | sarah.haight@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Infant and Maternal Health, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders

Han, Jeong-Yeob

Professor, Advertising & Public Relations
website | jeonghan@uga.edu

Research Interests include eHealth communication, social media, online communities, cancer communication, and media effects

Hansen, Nathan

Professor, Health Promotion & Behavior
website | nhansen@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Mental Health; Sexual Health; Substance use; HIV prevention and care; Traumatic stress

A woman with straight, light brown hair smiles at the camera. She is wearing a white top with a floral pattern and a necklace. The background is dark and out of focus.

Harrison, Ashley

Professor, Educational Psychology
website | ashley.harrison@uga.edu

Research Interests include atypical emotional and social attention in childhood psychopathology, information-processing framework to examine the differential developmental trajectory of social attention among individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and identifying ways to more effectively treat attention impairments

A woman with long dark hair and glasses smiles at the camera, wearing a blue shirt. The background is white.

He, Yimin

Associate Professor, Psychology
website | yiminhe@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Culture, Mental Health, Networks, Organizations, Physical Health and Well-being, Survey Methods, Work and Occupations

Herzberg, Max

Assistant Professor, Psychology
website | mherzberg@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Infant and Child Development, Maltreatment and Trauma, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Networks, Neuroscience, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

A woman with blonde hair, wearing glasses and a dark plaid blazer, smiles at the camera with a blurred outdoor background.

Jones, Lindsay

Associate Professor, Insurance, Legal Studies, and Real Estate (Terry)
website | lsainjones@uga.edu

Research Interests: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Mental Health, Physical Health and Well-being, Policy, Regulation, and Compliance

King, Elizabeth

Associate Professor, Ecosystem Ecology & Management
Director, Center for Integrative Conservation Research
website | egking@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Environment and Ecosystems, Gender, Maltreatment and Trauma, Mental Health, Substance Use and Addiction, Violence and Injury, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Kogan, Steve

Athletic Association Professor, Human Development and Family Science
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2021 OIBR Mentoring Legacy Award Recipient
website | smkogan@uga.edu

Research Interests include Black youth, adolescent development, mental health, and racial discrimination

Koss, Kalsea

Associate Professor, Human Development & Family Science
website | kalsea.koss@uga.edu

Research Interests include stress, adversity, puberty, developmental psychopathology, epigenetics, and resilience

Lavner, Justin

Professor, Psychology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute for Behavioral Research
2022 OIBR Rising Star Award Recipient
2015-17 GDP Participant
website | lavner@uga.edu

Research Interests include couples, families, prevention, health disparities and LGBTQ

Lee, Hee

Associate Dean for Research & Thomas P. Holland Distinguished Professor, Social Work
website | heeyunlee@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Aging and Gerontology, Chronic Disease, Cognition, Mental Health, Substance Use and Addiction

Lieberman-Betz, Rebecca

Professor, Communication Sciences & Special Education
website | rglb@uga.edu

Research Interests include special needs, parent responsibility, communication development, autism spectrum disorder, developmental disabilities, early childhood, and special education

Liu, Rongjie

Associate Professor, Statistics
website | rjliu@uga.edu

Research Interests: Cognition, Mental Health, Mental Illness and Disorders, Neuroscience

McDowell, Jennifer

Associate Director, OIBR
Professor, Psychology
Distinguished Scholar, Owens Institute of Behavioral Research
website | jemcd@uga.edu

Research Interests include cognition, psychotic disorders, neuroimaging, and eye movement

A woman with long, curly, graying hair stands outside in front of a green house with white trim, looking directly at the camera.

Melcher, Katherine

Professor, College of Environment and Design
website | kmelcher@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Aging and Gerontology, Cognition, Culture, Environment and Ecosystems, Ethnography, Gender, Geographic Information Systems, Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, Identity, Mental Health, Obesity, Organizations, Physical Health and Well-being, Policy, Regulation, and Compliance, Prevention and Implementation Science, Youth, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

Mowbray, Orion

Associate Professor & Interim Associate Dean for Research, Social Work
website | omowbray@uga.edu

Research Interests include mental health, substance use, and criminal justice

A woman with shoulder-length dark hair, wearing a blue cardigan over a patterned top, smiles at the camera; a blurred outdoor background is visible.

Mu, Lan

Professor, Geography
website | mulan@uga.edu

Research Interests include: Bias, Discrimination, and Inequality, Computational Methods, Environment and Ecosystems, Food & Nutrition, Geographic Information Systems, Mental Health, Physical Health and Well-being, STEM

Woman with short blonde hair wearing a plaid blazer, light blue blouse, and silver earrings, smiling at the camera against a gray background.

Murphy, Patricia

Instructor, School of Law
website | trish.murphy@uga.edu

Research Interests: Conflict, Emotion, Maltreatment and Trauma, Marriage, Family, and Close Relationships, Mental Health, Social Psychology