Get Involved With My Work

Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students at UNC play an important role on my research team as volunteer research assistants (RAs).  Typically, undergraduate RAs on my team are majoring in psychology, sociology, public health, political science, or public policy.  Students who are interested in research and are considering graduate studies in the future often find this experience beneficial.   RAs on my team get involved in different aspects of the research, which can include conducting literature searches, reading and summarizing the literature on a topic, collecting data, analyzing data, interpreting results, and preparing reports of findings.  Our team typically meets weekly or biweekly, depending on how much is going on with our projects.  Unfortunately, I do not have funds to pay RAs, but most students find the experience worthwhile.  I ask that RAs devote at least 5 hours per week to our research and commit to be involved for at least 2 semesters.  If you are interested in joining my team as a volunteer RA, please email me your resume and a cover letter outlining why you are interested in this work, any research experience or skills, other relevant experience, and relevant coursework.

Prospective Doctoral Students
I advise students enrolled in the Social Work PhD program at UNC.  Applicants to this program who want to work with me should specify this somewhere in their statement of purpose as part of their application.  Ideally, applicants’ interests should align to some degree with one or more of my areas of interest.  A committee decides who is admitted to the PhD program.  Following admission, efforts are made to match students with advisors with similar interests.  Please email me if you are considering applying to the PhD program and would like to work with me.

Doctoral Students
I mentor UNC doctoral students in social work and related fields (e.g., public health, education, and psychology).  If you are interested in working with me on a research project, please contact me.  Paid RA positions are typically reserved for social work doctoral students.  Nonetheless, students from other departments may wish to voluntarily work with me as part of their research training.  I also serve on doctoral students’ dissertation committees whose topics relate to my scholarship in some way.  I typically do not serve on more than 3 student dissertation committees at any one time.

Current Research Projects

The QUEST Study (Queer Experiences of Stress, Strength, and Transformation)

Implicit Internalized Stigma: Measuring and Examining a Determinant of Mental Health Disparities for Sexual Minorities