Current Graduate Members of CHRI Lab

Kam MacNear, M.S.

(August 2019-Present)

The primary focus of my research is on race-related stress and Black mental health, with a specific focus on strengths-based protective factors. Additional points of interest include barriers and facilitators to mental healthcare access and treatment effectiveness for Black Americans, the mental health correlates of Black racial identity, and the positive effects of cultural storytelling on mental health. I recharge my batteries watching YouTube and anime with my fiancee, playing video games, and reading great books next to my great dog.

Amanda Gold, M.A.

(May 2020 – Present)

Amanda is interested in how religious and spiritual coping, diversity and culture, and social justice contribute to wellbeing.  In particular, she plans to examine how culture and diverse identities may interact with religious identity to promote or harm wellbeing. Amanda also has a keen interest in how religious stories contribute to coping and wellbeing at multiple levels of analysis.  In addition, she is interested in psychotherapists’ consideration, understanding, and incorporation of culturally diverse clients’ religious identities, and how this may shape therapeutic processes and outcomes. Overall, Amanda hopes her research will help psychotherapists, researchers, and community members understand cultural and religious diversity better, while also promoting inclusivity and visibility of diverse groups.

Raymond La, M.A.

(August 2020 – Present)

Broadly speaking, I am interested in Asian American and broad ethnic mental health. I am particularly interested in how cultural factors such as acculturation/enculturation, ethnic identity, loss of face, familism, and experiences of discrimination and microaggressions influence mental health stigma, help seeking behavior, and psychopathology. Furthermore, I am also interested how cultural factors may relate to ethnic disparities in treatment outcome and how culturally adaptive treatment may help alleviate it. Finally, I want to expand on these research topics by investigating how these cultural factors may affect ethnic LGBTQ+ populations differently from cis- heterosexual counterparts, and how these differences may be tied to their experiences as within-group minorities.

Outside of lab, I can be found baking, weight training, playing video games, or dancing (breakdancing and salsa/bachata).

 

Le’Elle Davis, B.A.

(June 2021 – Present)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Le’Elle is an MS candidate in Psychological Science. She received her BA in Psychology and Women & Gender Studies from the University of Michigan in 2021. Le’Elle is broadly interested in investigating behavioral responses to trauma and environmental stressors experienced by Black women. Further, she will explore accessible methods for processing the consequential responses to stress and trauma. She specifically works to uncover the nuance disparities of race and gender. Le’Elle enjoys good television shows but can also be found dancing and cooking in her spare time.

 

Chenhao Zhao, B.A.

(June 2022 – Present)