As a sociologist of Health & Illness, I am interested in Mental health, Health Technology, AND pain.
I am currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Center to Improve Veteran Involvement in Care (CIVIC) at the VA Portland Health Care System, where I work on research projects focused on Veteran mental health and suicide prevention. I am fortunate to be mentored by Dr. Alan Teo, Dr. Lauren Denneson, and Dr. Travis Lovejoy.
I am also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Portland where I teach Sociology 101.
As a researcher, I strive to design and conduct research to improve health and health services. In my work, I prioritize scientific rigor, respect for colleagues and participants, and a critical approach which illuminates structures of power and inequity.
My work spans three areas of investigation:
Mental Health & Suicide
Drawing from my training in public health and sociology, my work addresses critical issues in suicide prevention and mental health services. My dissertation deployed a relational perspective to suicide-related help-seeking, examining how young adults seek support for suicidal ideation in the context of their social lives. Other projects have explored layered stigma and barriers to mental health care access for low-income individuals. By combining qualitative and mixed methods approaches, I aim to uncover the structural and interpersonal dynamics that shape mental health help-seeking and intervention effectiveness.
Health TECHnology
As technology continues to play an increasingly central role in our lives and society, it is imperative that we understand how individuals and organizations use, regard, and deploy technological tools in health, healthcare, and illness. My research in this area has focused on the intersection of technology and health, emphasizing innovative methodologies and applications to improve mental health outcomes. I have explored the integration of social determinants of health into electronic health records, used asynchronous online focus groups to gather nuanced insights from providers who prescribe opioids, and explored the use of crisis text services to understand help-seeking behaviors.
Substance use & Pain
My research in substance use and pain management investigates innovative care models and policy impacts, particularly within Medicaid populations. I have examined clinician perspectives on implementing non-pharmacologic approaches to pain management. This work directly informed Medicaid policies in Oregon, leading to expanded access to integrative and complementary treatments for back pain while reducing opioid reliance. Additionally, my research on fentanyl’s rising presence in drug supplies has shaped public health strategies aimed at harm reduction.
In my spare time, I can be found rock climbing, reading fiction, trying to keep my ferns alive, working on knees or some other deceptively hard-to-draw body part in an art class, or most wonderfully, hangin’ with my fam.
