Kaitlyn Brodar- Kaitlyn is currently completing her internship in pediatric psychology at Children's National Hospital in Washington, DC. Beginning in September 2022, she will be completing her post-doctoral fellowship with Children's National's Whole Bear Care program, which promotes greater access to mental health services for children and adolescents by locating psychologists within the pediatric primary care setting. Kaitlyn also continues DEI-related efforts through work with the Child Health Advocacy Institute at Children's National.
Amelia Dev- I joined the DEC because I am passionate about enhancing diversity and equity both within our programs and within our science. I believe scientific incentives (publish or perish) and power structures interact with, and contribute to, discrimination and oppression within our field. The DEC presents an opportunity to work towards greater equity and inclusion in our graduate program, and to advocate for individuals who are not always able to advocate for themselves. It also is a wonderful community of caring, dedicated people, whom I have learned a lot from and will hopefully continue to learn from!
Katie Dillon- I joined the DEC to better connect with the students, staff, and faculty in our department and to work to continuously improve culture and conditions for all members of our department (and psychology in general). I’m so appreciative of the ongoing efforts to create a more equitable space and look forward to continuing this work!
Lindsey Faucher- As a passionate student at the University of Miami, Lindsey currently serves as the undergraduate representative for the Diversity and Equity Committee. She majors in psychology and international studies with a minor in French. Lindsey is proud of her involvement in Psi Chi as the philanthropy chair.
Daisy Lopez- Daisy is currently at UCLA's Semel Institute in the adolescent serious mental illness track for her internship year. She continues her DEI work in various ways. For example, she serves as the co-chair for ABCT's Oppression and Resilience: Minoritized Mental Health Special Interest Group.
Manuela Jaramillo- I joined the DEC because I feel unequivocally that promoting open dialogues about issues of diversity, equity, and inclusivity will foster societies that not only accept but embrace differences. Growing up in south Florida, my least favorite question was, “where are you from?”; the dialogue about diversity and equity was lacking. Returning to south Florida for graduate school has been, for me, a privilege. It has been an opportunity to meaningfully engage with the glorious diversity in south Florida through my research and clinical experiences. Being in DEC allows me to go beyond my research and clinical work to promote diversity, equity, and inclusivity within the UM community.
Noelle Mendez- Growing up in Miami, I have always been surrounded by diversity as well as disparities. Once I started college, I soon realized that I can have an impact within the communities I care about, including my own, and that these disparities will continue to exist until people organize to overcome them. I am lucky to have turned my passion for equity into a job, where I do research that directly impacts the well-being of sexual and gender minorities, racial and ethnic minorities, and other communities affected by HIV.
Zabin Patel, MPH, MS- Zabin is a predoctoral psychology intern at the UCLA Semel Institute, in the general track and will begin a postdoctoral fellowship at the Northwestern University Center for Dissemination and Implementation Science after graduation. She hopes to continue centering equity in her research and clinical practice as a provider focused on increasing access to mental health care for youth.
Malena Price- Born and raised in New York, Malena moved to Durham, North Carolina to pursue her BA in International Affairs and MSc in Global Health at Duke University. After finishing her graduate studies, Malena moved to Jordan for a Fulbright Research Grant to study behavioral health outcomes among refugees seeking asylum in Amman and establish her fluency in the Arabic language. Currently, Malena is in the Adult track of the Clinical Psychology PhD program, and her research interests focus on the adaptation and implementation of mindfulness training programs to improve the psychological health of minoritized and marginalized populations. Malena is excited about using mindfulness as a tool to expand access to comprehensive mental health services in community-based settings. Malena is also a registered yoga teacher (RYT 300) and loves to practice and teach yoga in her spare time.
Rachelle Reid
- I am a graduate student in the Health Track of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Miami and a member of the Strengthening Health with INnovation and Engagement (SHINE) Research lab under the mentorship of Dr. Sannisha Dale. My strong interest in raising awareness about the experiences of diverse groups is influenced not only by my status as an immigrant from Jamaica, but also from my longstanding desire to understand the experiences of diverse and marginalized communities. I have had the opportunity to work with members of the LGBTQ community, children with special needs, homeless individuals, psychiatric patients and black women living with HIV. This experience has only increased my desire to share what I have learned and help create safe spaces for discussions that counter stigma, discrimination and lead to more inclusion. I am excited about being a part of the DEC as its mandate is one that I believe in wholeheartedly
Nikki Puccetti- I joined the DEC in 2018 with hopes to advocate for and support underrepresented groups in science. I wanted to help address issues within our department as well as encourage a dialogue about issues affecting the field as a whole. I continue to learn and grow as a member on the committee and look forward to upcoming projects.
Estefany Saes-Flores Clarke, Ph.D.- I graduated from the University of Miami’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program in August 2021 with a specialization in Pediatric Health and a concentration in Quantitative Psychology. I completed her pre-doctoral internship in Pediatric Psychology and Neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute/Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. My primary research focus is to target disparities in health, health-related quality of life, and neurocognitive functioning by improving access to evidence-based assessments & interventions for underserved, culturally- and linguistically- diverse populations. Currently, I am currently an NCI T32 postdoc in Cancer Control Training in Disparities and Equity (C-TIDE) at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Through the CTIDE T32 position, I am working with Dr. Michael Antoni on his transdisciplinary research testing cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM), a transdiagnostic intervention to improve psychosocial adaptation, quality of life, and health outcomes in cancer patients.
Satya Satyanarayana- I joined the Diversity and Equity Committee (DEC) in 2017 because I was interested in working on issues of diversity and equity within our department and the field of psychology more generally. Since that time, I have not been disappointed. I’ve been impressed with the group’s efforts in launching a number of initiatives that have fostered a greater sense of community and have created spaces where individuals from diverse backgrounds can have more of a voice within the department and university. I’ve also found a community with whom I can work on creating solutions that can improve and enrich the experiences of graduate students in the program. Being a member of the DEC renews my sense of purpose in how we can make spaces, structures, and communities more equitable and inclusive, and it has given me a platform by which to put that purpose into action.
Thomas Tsai
I joined the DEC because of my interest in raising awareness and promoting inclusion for diverse persons in the department as well as the greater Miami community. The DEC has given me opportunities to grow and learn from others and serve alongside those who are dedicated to promoting change for underrepresented groups. I am proud of the work that this committee has done and look forward to continuing to play a role in new initiatives to come.
Rachel Verhagen
I was drawn to the DEC because it stood out among graduate programs as an opportunity to be an advocate for underrepresented individuals. I feel that as a student from a diverse background, it is my responsibility to advocate for equity among all people and further promote inclusion in the field of psychology. I have found a home in the DEC and enjoy that we celebrate and promote people's individual experiences in a way that is inclusive to everybody.
Elliott Weinstein- I was drawn to the Diversity and Equity Committee (DEC) because of my desire to celebrate the cultural differences and similarities that make members of the UM community so special. Throughout my time on the DEC, I have appreciated the opportunity to develop additional skills to best honor the populations I hope to support in my research and practice. Learning from my fellow DEC members has made me a better person and has continually renewed my interest in advocating for social justice reform, lifting up the voices of individuals who have consistently been overlooked, silenced, and ignored, and supporting programming that emphasizes advancing DEI practices more broadly.
