Research Interests:
As a community psychologist, I work across settings and ecological levels (e.g., individual, program,organizational, community) to promote collective wellness using strength-based approaches. I have a background in clinical-community psychology and business, and particularly enjoy projects that involve interdisciplinary collaboration. My interests relate primarily to capacity building and the processes involved in spreading capacities across systems to elevate social impact. I am passionate about working with health care systems and community organizations. Currently my colleagues and I are working with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement on the Spreading Community Accelerators through Learning and Evaluation (SCALE) Initiative, a national effort to enhance the readiness and capabilities of communities for healthy outcomes. My research team is also collaborating with the Kennedy Forum and Morehouse School of Medicine to develop an instrument for measuring and improving the readiness of organizations for integrating behavioral health and primary care. Additionally, we are working in partnership Palmetto Health and the University of South Carolina School of Medicine-Columbia to study the impact of frontline nurse engagement in quality improvement activities. With a commitment toward bridging the gap between research and practice, we are continuously working to bring the fruits of our research into the hands of practitioners.
