My lab is dedicated to determining how suicide and eating disorders can be effectively predicted, treated, and prevented. We do this work because suicide and eating disorders are devastating. They affect millions of people worldwide. We don’t know enough about why or how these problems develop and how to best treat or prevent them.

My lab works to answer questions like: Which groups, subgroups, and individual people will attempt suicide or develop an eating disorder? What causes a specific person’s risk to increase at a specific moment in time, and why? Suicide and eating disorders are incredibly complex problems. Two people might develop the same outcome, but through two very different paths. Because of this complexity, much of my work uses advanced quantitative methods. The ultimate goal of my lab’s work is to contribute to efforts that lead to suicide and eating disorder interventions that are more effective for more people.

Much of the lab’s current research is dedicated to studying suicide and eating disorders within the LGBTQIA+ community. LGBTQIA+ people have high rates of suicide and eating disorders, yet are rarely included in research studies. Not including LGBTQIA+ people in research studies means that there are major (and sometimes very basic) questions that need answered to better prevent and treat suicide and eating disorders in LGBTQIA+ people. The lab’s research works to answer these questions. We believe that more effective prevention and treatment of suicide and eating disorders in LGBTQIA+ people would contribute to more effective prevention and treatment of these problems for all people, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

I will NOT be reviewing clinical psychology PhD applications for Fall 2026 admission. However, the 2026 Applicants section contains info on applying to clinical psych PhD programs in general, which may be applicable beyond my lab.