OUR TEAM
| Image | Name/Affiliation/Role | Bio & Contact |
| Kelsey Dickson, PhD Principal Investigator, San Diego State University | Kelsey is a licensed clinical child psychologist. She has expertise and experience adapting and testing interventions in community settings such as schools and mental health clinics, particularly interventions for neurodivergent youth. Much of her work focuses on testing Unstuck and On Target and she provides trainings and consultation in this approach. [email protected] | |
| Sarah Kennedy, PhD Site Principal Investigator, CU Anschutz | Sarah is a licensed clinical child psychologist, researcher, and treatment developer. She is one of the authors of the Unified Protocol for Children and also provides trainings and workshops to organizations in this approach. In addition to conducting research on interventions for neurodivergent youth and families, Sarah’s current projects focus on developing, adapting, and testing interventions for youth with suicidal thoughts and behaviors, self-injury, cardiovascular health risk factors, and depression. [email protected] | |
| Laura Anthony, PhD Site Principal Investigator, CU Anschutz | Laura is a professor and the Director of Research for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Laura has focused most of her teaching, research and clinical work on neurodivergent people of all ages, with particular interests in Community-Partnered Participatory Research, addressing disparities, and community-based evidence-based practices. She is a member of the original Unstuck and On Target author team. [email protected] | |
| Jonathan Safer, PhD Co-Investigator, CU Anschutz | Jonathan is a bilingual psychologist with experience implementing the Unstuck and On Target intervention in both English and Spanish. He has expertise in both evidence-based intervention and comprehensive assessments for neurodivergent youth. | |
| Jessica Holmes, PhD, MS Site Coordinator, CU Anschutz | Jessica is a project coordinator for the TOUCAN study. She enjoys working on community-based participatory research, interventions for neurodivergent youth and families, and brings experience in qualitative methods. [email protected] | |
| Kathleen Diaz, PhD UP-C Coach, CU Anschutz | Kathleen (she/her; ella) is a bilingual therapist who is certified to provide and train clinicians on the Unified Protocol for Children. Kathleen’s experience spans hospitals, schools, community mental health, and private practice, with specialties including anxiety, depression, OCD, trauma, relational issues, and more. Her research work focuses on understanding how family, peer, and sibling relationships influence youth internalizing problems, including the role of risk and protective factors across cultures, as well as how experiences of peer, cyber, and sibling victimization, with implications for intervention design. [email protected] | |
| Mary Troxel, PhD Post-Doctoral Fellow, CU Anschutz | Mary is a clinical psychology post-doctoral fellow. Her research interests include increasing access to effective mental health services and reducing stigmatization of neurodivergent children and their families. | |
| Lauren Brookman-Frazee, PhD Senior Investigator, UC San Diego | Dr. Lauren Brookman-Frazee's implementation research program focuses on improving the quality and effectiveness of routine care services for children with mental health and developmental needs. She partners with leaders, providers, and families to develop and rigorously test clinical interventions and strategies for implementing evidence-based practices. |
| Image | Name/Affiliation/Role | Bio & Contact |
| Lily Nguyen (she/her), B.S. Assessor, CU Anschutz | Lily (she/her) is a research assistant interested in improving mental health care and in studying co-occurring mental health challenges of neurodiverse youth. Lily is a primary contact between families and the TOUCAN team. Her work focuses on engaging families and children in research and conducting cognitive assessments with children. [email protected] | |
| Angelina Ruiz, MPH Assessor, San Diego State University | Angelina (she/her) is dedicated to improving access, outcomes, and equity across systems of care for children and families through the implementation of evidence-based practices. Since 2017, she has worked with and supported children in community, healthcare, and school-based settings. She has conducted assessments with youth since 2019, and with neurodivergent youth specifically since 2025. In her free time, Angelina enjoys crafting, powerlifting, and reading. Every autumn, she looks forward to rereading Harry Potter, one of her favorite book series! [email protected] | |
| Ulises Venegas-Rivera, B.A. Assessor, CU Anschutz | Ulises (he/him) is a proud migrant from Guanajuato, Mexico. He and his family migrated to the U.S. when he was 2 years old. Ulises has devoted his work to research geared towards executive functioning in the Latinx community. Ulises is currently a primary contact between participating families and the TOUCAN team. His work on the team consists of family engagement and conducting cognitive assessments. In his free time, Ulises enjoys training in Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu, and watching sports with his family. [email protected] | |
| Laurel Benjamin, MS Assessor, San Diego State University & UC San Diego | Laurel Benjamin (she/her) is a bilingual English- and Spanish-speaking assessor for the TOUCAN Study. She is currently a PhD student in the SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Clinical Psychology. Her research focuses on improving the quality and effectiveness of publicly-funded mental health and educational services for children, including those on the autism spectrum, through implementation-effectiveness trials of evidence-based interventions. In her free time, Laurel enjoys reading, hiking, solving crossword puzzles, and exploring San Diego farmers markets. |
| Image | Name/Affliation/Role | Bio & Contact |
| Tana Holt, MPH Research Specialist, San Diego State University | Tana Holt (she/ella) is a bilingual project coordinator and trainer for the Unstuck and On Target intervention for the TOUCAN study. Her roles include participant and data management as well as assisting mental health providers in the delivery of Unstuck. Her interests lie in public health research that advances mental health positive outcomes for autistic youth and the historically underserved. As an avid cyclist, she is also passionate about improving safety and accessibility in the built environment to support healthier communities. [email protected] | |
| Hannah Reynolds, MPH Project Coordinator, San Diego State University | Hannah (she/her) is a project coordinator for the TOUCAN Study. She is passionate about addressing community needs to advance access to responsive mental health care and to promote public health equity overall. Outside of research, you can find Hannah cheering on her favorite soccer teams, drawing, rock climbing, or on a run in sunny San Diego! [email protected] | |
| Amanda Ferrell, MS Research Associate, San Diego State University | Amanda (she/her) is passionate about improving the mental health and well-being of children and young people in schools through equitable, evidence-based practices. Her work focuses on advancing neurodiversity-affirming approaches and supporting the implementation of effective mental health interventions in real-world school settings. Amanda uses mixed methods and draws on implementation science and community-based participatory approaches to collaborate with schools and communities and ensure that supports are accessible and culturally responsive. In her free time, Amanda enjoys traveling, practicing yoga, and spending time with her kitty cats. [email protected] |
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| Jessica Lopez Volunteer | XYZ |
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| Gaby Peralta Reyes, MPH Assessor | XYZ |