Meet the Team
Carmen contreras
Carmen Contreras is a psychologist and the mental health program director at , based in Lima, Peru and holds an appointment as Courtesy Assistant Professor at the 哔咔漫画, School of Social Work. Ms. Contreras has extensive experience in the development and implementation of low-intensity mental health interventions in Peru and was a Harvard Lead Fellow. Ms. Contreras is Co-Investigator with Dr. Galea on the CIPHER project, and is an academic editor for the journal .
Dr. Kristin Kosyluk
Dr. Kristin Kosyluk is Assistant Professor of Mental Health Law and Policy at the University of South Florida (USF) and the Director of the STigma Action Research (STAR) Lab. Dr. Kosyluk received her Ph.D. in Psychology for Rehabilitation Counselor Education from the Illinois Institute of Technology in 2014. Her research focuses on promoting recovery among people with mental illness, with a specific emphasis on understanding and addressing stigma as a barrier to recovery. Dr. Kosyluk is currently Principal Investigator of a three-year grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research that supports a randomized controlled trial examining the effectiveness of an internalized stigma reduction program (Up To Me) on community living and participation among 哔咔漫画 students living with mental illnesses.
Melissa Thompson
Melissa Thompson, MSW, LCSW is a Clinical Instructor at the 哔咔漫画 School of Social Work. She serves as ACCESS Lab Director of Clinical Programs & Faculty Director of Social Work at the BRIDGE Healthcare Clinic. Ms. Thompson received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science as well as her Master of Social Work degree from the 哔咔漫画.鈥� Prior to entering the field of Social Work, she spent four years working in state government and nonprofit agencies. Ms. Thompson鈥檚 primary clinical interest is in treating children and adults who have experienced trauma. Ms. Thompson has worked as a therapist over the last 15 years in community mental health settings and private practice. She is trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and certified in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Florida as well as a member of the National Association of Social Workers and the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.
Dr. Chris Simmons
Dr. Chris Simmons is Associate Director and Clinical Senior Instructor of the School of Social Work at the 哔咔漫画. He also serves as Social Work Faculty Director of the USF BRIDGE Clinic, a student-run interdisciplinary healthcare clinic. Having practiced as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Qualified Clinical Supervisor for over 18 years, he has extensive experience in behavioral assessment, intervention, and evaluation. Much of his research has been focused in the area of cognitive development of students in training. More recently as his dedication to working with vulnerable populations has grown, he has begun focus to on mental health and well-being among at-risk populations. As a PI or Co-investigator on university, foundation, and federal grants, he has gained expertise in recruiting and tracking participants. He has successfully administered a number of projects, collaborated with other researchers, and disseminated research through presentations and publications.
Dr. Brandon Brown
Dr. Brandon Brown is a Professor in the Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health at the University of California, Riverside. After attaining his MPH and PhD, Dr. Brown received additional training as a HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) Scholar, a Resource Center for Minority Aging Research Scholar, trainee at the Fordham HIV Research Ethics Training Institute (RETI), and visiting scholar at the Hastings Center for Bioethics. Dr. Brown is the Chair of the Board of Directors of TruEvolution, a non-profit organization advocating for health equity and racial justice for LGBTQ+ people; faculty member at RETI; and member of the HPTN ethics working group. His recent grants focus on developing a virtual village to halt isolation of people aging with HIV, and investigating payment practices in clinical research. He is an Emerging Leader in Health and Medicine at the National Academy of Medicine. Please visit the .
Mal Lea
Mal Lea graduated with an Associate's Degree from Santa Fe College in Spring 2022
and is currently an undergraduate student at USF鈥檚 School of Public Health. In the
summer of 2022, Mal completed the Maternal Child Health Care/ Research Initiatives
for Student Enhancement- Undergraduate Program (MCHC/RISE-UP) at the Kennedy Krieger
Institute, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. In the fall,
they also completed an advocacy internship with Planned Parenthood. Both internships
focused on health advocacy for underrepresented communities.
Mal's research interests include health equity and community health. They have completed
projects pertaining to HIV/AIDS accessibility, social media ethics in health care,
and local events advocating for sex destigmatization. While completing their undergraduate
degree, Mal has been focusing on breaking barriers to transgender health- particularly
in Florida. They're currently working on a research project about non-binary youth
experiences when accessing mental, physical, and gender-affirming care. They hope
to pursue their MPH/Ph.D after graduation to continue their work empowering LGBTQ+
and other minoritized communities with accurate, safe, and accessible health information.
They currently live in Gainesville, FL, where they are an active member of the social
justice community.
george danquah
George A. Danquah earned an Associate Degree in Business Administration in 2011 from Northern Virginia Community College and a Bachelor of Arts, concentration in Organizational Administration from George Mason University in 2015. George is currently majoring in Social Work at the master鈥檚 level at the 哔咔漫画 and holds CompTIA Security + CE and Alcohol and Drug Counselor ADC certifications. He has about 8 years of experience in the Substance Abuse and Mental Health fields, currently working as a certified Substance Abuse Counselor at Washburn House, the Promises, Inc. in Worcester, MA, and Mental Health Counselor II at the Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital (WRCH-UMASS). He鈥檚 highly skilled in conducting evaluations of clients鈥� bio-psychosocial assessment, diagnostic formulation, and initial treatment plans. George also facilitates psychoeducation, clinical education, and process groups and meets with clients to assist in attaining treatment goals. George helped coordinate a research project, 鈥淔rom ambivalence to action 鈥� using a conversational agent or 鈥榗hatbot鈥� to support smoking cessation: a proof-of-concept study鈥�. He鈥檚 a CEO and founder of a nonprofit organization, CCACEM, that partners with other organizations and agencies to serve impoverished communities by building infrastructures and providing pipe-borne waters in third-world countries globally. He鈥檚 passionate about addressing social justice issues and improving the quality of life among underserved populations and has an interest in behavioral research. George is hoping to pursue a Ph.D. in social work after completing his masters in the Fall of 2024.
sal
Maria Salome completed both her undergraduate and graduate studies at East Tennessee University, Johnson City, TN- in Social Work. Salome holds a Licensed Clinical Social Work license in North Carolina and a Licensed Master Level Social License in Tennessee. Salome has diverse work experience which includes Department of Children鈥檚 Services-Investigator of child abuse and neglect often partnering with local agencies in crisis situations, a crisis stabilization agency providing intensive in-home care with at risk youth to prevent hospitalization and custodial care. Salome also worked as lead clinician in an Office of Refugee and Resettlement agency with unaccompanied minors from predominantly Central American countries, providing clinical supervision to clinical staff and completing assessments including screening for human trafficking of the minors. Salome provided individual therapy for collegiate athletes at Tusculum University and worked in clinical settings providing child/adolescents/adult- individual therapy and couples鈥� therapy for clients with a broad range of mental health issues. Salome has been a guest lecturer for courses in cultural diversity at Northeast Tennessee State College. Salome Velez is currently a Research Study Coordinator for a NIMH funded project at USF and began the PhD program in Social Work in fall 2023. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with her family and friends, being outdoors and cooking. Salome鈥檚 interest in doctoral research are working in identifying and addressing barriers for undocumented immigrants especially minors and family units accessing mental health resources once they are in the United States and influence and advocate policy changes needed to service one of the world鈥檚 most vulnerable populations.