The Lavender Lab Research Team
Lab Director
Ethan Mereish, Ph.D. (he, him, his)
Dr. Ethan Mereish is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Lavender Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor at American University and Brown University. He completed his doctoral training at Boston College, a clinical psychology residency at Harvard Medical School, and a postdoctoral research fellowship at Brown University. His NIH-funded research program focuses on understanding the effects of social, psychological, and cultural determinants of health for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) individuals and racial/ethnic minorities, as well as factors that promote their resilience. His current work examines the impact of intersectional stress and oppression on substance use and mental health of LGBTQ youth of color.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Hyemin Lee, Ph.D. (she/her)
Dr. Hyemin Lee is a Postdoctoral Associate of the Lavender Lab in the Department of Psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park. She received her Ph.D. degree in Public Health Sciences from Korea University, South Korea (Dissertation title: Gender minority stress and health among Korean transgender adults - Rainbow Connection Project II -). Her current research interests include disparities and determinants of mental health and substance use among sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, particularly SGM youth of color. She has been exploring the impacts of minority stressors (e.g., discrimination, bullying victimization, “conversion therapy,” and internalized stigma) and resilience factors (e.g., community connectedness and family support) on the health and access to healthcare of Korean SGM individuals.
Graduate Research Assistants
Jess Abramson (she/her)
Jess Abramson is a Clinical Psychology PhD student at the University of Maryland. She graduated from Wellesley College in 2019 with a BA in Psychology and Data Science. After undergrad, Jess worked as a data analyst at Massachusetts General Hospital, studying social determinants of health and health equity in patients who had experienced strokes. Her current research examines the effects of stigma and discrimination on LGBTQ+ adolescents and adolescents of color. She is especially interested in using big data and creative sources of data to understand the experiences of young people with marginalized identities.
Diana Cox (she/her)
Diana Cox is currently a PhD student in the Clinical Psychology program at American University. She received her BS in Psychology from the College of William & Mary in 2018. Her thesis examined whether purpose in life moderated the relationship between depression and chronic health conditions. Her current research interests include studying the effects of both general stress and minority stress on health outcomes. For her dissertation, she is developing a brief, low-cost intervention to improve mental health outcomes for sexual minority adolescents.
Tara Sullivan (they/she)
Tara Sullivan is a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Student at the University of Maryland. They graduated from Stanford University in 2022, having earned their bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a specialization in Health and Development. Tara is interested in researching how intersectional minority stress and trauma can influence the development of psychopathology for QTBIPOC populations. They hope to dedicate their career towards using community-based research methods and radical healing frameworks to reduce treatment inequities in psychological health for QTBIPOC communities.
Monica Bagnoli (her/she)
Monica Bagnoli is a Clinical Psychology MPS student at the University of Maryland. She graduated with a B.S. in psychological sciences with a minor in linguistics from William & Mary in the Spring of 2024. There, she focused primarily on researching language acquisition among children in various developmental stages, while interdisciplinary coursework fueled her interest in supporting marginalized groups impacted by systems of oppression. With an interest in community mental health, the impact of sociocultural identity on stress, anxiety, and depression, and social determinants of health, she hopes to pursue research on interventions for adolescents of intersectional identities, encourage self-acceptance, and uplift them through therapy. After program completion, she hopes to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Research Staff
Hannah Vanlandingham, M.P.S. (she/her)
Lab Manager
Hannah Vanlandingham recently graduated with her Master's in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maryland. She received her B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University in 2022. She also minored in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies and African, African American, and Diaspora Studies. Her current research interests involve investigating how health disparities and intersectional minority stress in sexual and gender minoritized communities and BIPOC communities impact mental health, substance use, and sexual health/behaviors.
David J. Hawthorne, M.S. (he/him)
Research Coordinator
David Hawthorne received his B.S. in Human Performance with a concentration in Sports Medicine at Howard University, and a MS in Health Promotion Management at American University. David is currently a doctoral student in the Department of Behavioral Health in the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland. His current research interests involve mental health and substance use outcomes among individuals with minoritized identities. More specifically, David is interested in studying the impact of substance use on families and children. Prior to this position, David worked as a Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Maryland Prevention Research Center. He also worked as a Research Coordinator in the Department of Health Studies for the Lavender Lab at American University.
Arushee Bhoja (she/her)
Research Coordinator
Arushee Bhoja recently graduated from NYU with a B.A. in Psychology and a minor in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. At NYU, she worked on an independent research project investigating perceptions of gay and lesbian individuals occupying stereotypically gendered roles, as well as on a research project piloting an intervention to reduce the risk of child sexual abuse. Her current research interests include societal perceptions of minority individuals, minority stress and its impact on mental health and interpersonal functioning in QTBIPOC populations, and familial/cultural influences on mental health outcomes. She hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling or clinical psychology.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Torie Tran (she/her)
Torie Tran is a junior at the University of Maryland, College Park, majoring in Psychology. She is interested in the impacts of societal factors on childhood development, specifically within racial/gender minority communities. She is also interested in the relations between social policies and cultural beliefs impacting our understandings of gender and health.
Taylor Gonzales (she/they)
Taylor Gonzales is a senior at the University of Maryland. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in human development, with an interest in studying adolescents. They are interested in QTBIPOC populations and how the intersectionality of race and sexuality influences the personal health, communal health, and interpersonal relationships of these communities. Additionally, they are interested in learning more about interventions that could serve as protective factors for QTBIPOC populations.
Dev Patel (he/him) - Information Technology Research Assistant
Dev Patel is a sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park majoring in Computer Science. He is passionate about creating software that has real world applications and impacts people's lives.
Leo Osei (he/him)
Leo Osei is a senior Psychology major and LGBTQ+ Studies certificate. He is interested in research with neurodivergent adults, especially in QTBIPOC populations. He specifically has an interest in research conducted with self-diagnosed neurodivergent adults and their experiences.
Rachel Chen (she/her)
Rachel Chen is a junior at the University of Maryland, double majoring in neuroscience and dance. She is interested in developmental and societal factors that impact mental health, specifically in marginalized communities. Additionally, she is interested in the relationship between mental health and physical health and the brain-body connection.
Judy Crandall (she/her)
Judy Crandall is a sophomore at UMD. She is majoring in psychology and minoring in Chinese. She is interested in how cisheteropatriarchy, capitalism, and systemic racism interact and, ultimately, impact the mental health of QTBIPOC populations. She would specifically like to explore this with regards to disordered eating.
Grace O’Neill (she/her)
Grace is a sophomore at the University of Maryland majoring in Public Health Science. She is interested in researching health literacy for QTBIPOC teens and ways to bridge the gap between intersectional youth and health systems, especially in rural areas. She is particularly interested in the ways that internalized stigma and identity concealment impact both the delivery and reception of health information materials.
Furry Friends of the Lavender Lab
Frog (she/her) & Toad (she/her)
Otis Pants (he/they)
Goku (he/him/Kakarot)
Lavender Lab Research Team Alumni
Ramiyah Beckles
Summer 2024
Helina Asfaw
Summer 2023 - Spring 2024
Yajna Jowaheer, M.A.
Fall 2021 - Fall 2023
Ross
Summer 2023 - Fall 2023
Diamonde McCollum
Summer 2022 - Summer 2023
Elijah Webb
Spring 2023 - Summer 2023
Eric Shi
Spring 2023 - Spring 2024
Virginia (Louise) Templeton Plever
Spring 2022 – Summer 2022
Carolyn Chen
Fall 2020 – Spring 2022
Kai Wasson
Fall 2020 – Spring 2022
Mariya Malik
Spring 2022
Zoe Smith
Spring 2022
Cassia Efthymiou
Fall 2021
Moataz Salim
Fall 2020 – Summer 2021
Farshad Bazargani
Fall 2018 – Summer 2021
Nehi Pathak
Summer 2023-Spring 2024
Matias Mancia
Spring 2024-Fall 2025
Irene Navaleza
Summer 2024-Fall 2024
Melanie Saumer
Fall 2024
Cayleah Anders
Summer 2024-Fall 2024
Chidinma Okeke
Summer 2024
Lucas Guberman
Spring 2023 - Summer 2024
Ash Arumugam, M.P.S.
Fall 2022 - Spring 2024
Allison Li
Fall 2023 - Spring 2024
Anthony-Ray Koutta
Spring 2024
Defne Demirer
Spring 2024 - Summer 2024
Damiana Colley
Summer 2024
Nel Odike
Fall 2023
Jenna Cutri, M.P.S.
Fall 2022 - Summer 2023
Steven Smathers, M.A.
Fall 2021 - Summer 2023
Shannon Touhey
Fall 2018 – Summer 2021
Sofia Flynn
Fall 2018 – Summer 2021
Lindsay Sarfo
Fall 2020 – Spring 2021
Julia Harris
Fall 2018 – Spring 2020
Quinn Anderson
Summer 2018 – Spring 2020
Roma Kaczmarkiewics
Fall 2019 – Spring 2020
Marnina Hornstein
Summer 2019 – Spring 2020
Uma Neelakantan
Summer 2019
Adam Majeski
Fall 2018 – Spring 2019
Eli Hernandez
Fall 2018 – Spring 2019
Blaine Johnson
Spring 2018
Harrison Ferachi
Spring 2018
Britton Perry
Summer/Fall 2017
Liliana Ascencio
Fall 2017