Our People
Meet The Team
Maggi Price, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
Principal Investigator
Dr. Maggi Price is a licensed psychologist and an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at Boston College where she runs the Affirm Lab. She also serves as a Psychology Associate in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Dr. Price is an applied health equity researcher who studies stigma as a critical driver of mental health inequities. She has two active complementary arms of research. The first explores how stigma, such as racism and sexism - across multiple levels, such as discrimination and laws/policies - create and sustain mental health inequities. Her second research arm focuses on developing and testing multilevel interventions to reduce stigma (e.g., in mental health care, schools).
Awards
Dr. Price's contributions to research in stigma and diversity have been highlighted in awards from the American Psychological Association (APA), the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (JCCAP), and the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry.
Teaching and Mentoring
Dr. Price is a passionate and dedicated teacher and mentor, qualities that have been recognized in her receipt of the Yale University Doctoral Internship in Clinical & Community Psychology Leadership Award and the Boston College Donald J. White Teaching Excellence Award.
Clinical Expertise
Dr. Price earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Boston College in 2018, her M.A. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Hawaii Hilo in 2012, and her B.S. in psychology and sociology from the University of Oregon in 2010. Dr. Price completed her clinical training at Yale University School of Medicine after finishing clinical practica as a Harvard Medical School fellow at Cambridge Health Alliance and Massachusetts General Hospital. Across these settings, she trained in culturally-responsive practice for children, adolescents, and adults and gained extensive experience treating trauma. Dr. Price completed her postdoctoral research fellowship in clinical child psychology at the Laboratory for Youth Mental Health.
Maddi Condon
(She/Hers)
Project Coordinator
Maddi is the GAPS project coordinator Affirm Lab. She has dual degrees in Psychology and English from Boston Colleg. While working as an intern and administrative assistant at Wellness Therapies Spokane, she developed an interest in counseling and clinical psychology. She is passionate about children and creating safe spaces for them to grow and has worked closely with them over several years. Her dedication to fostering healthy environments for growth and interest in psychology are what brought her to the Affirm Lab. In the future, she hopes to pursue a career in clinical or counseling psychology, specifically working with youths.
Cecilia Rabayda B.A. (she/her/hers)
Research Assistant
Cecilia is a research assistant for the Affirm Lab. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a distinguished major in Global Public Health. After graduating, Cecilia conducted research as the Mental Health Policy Fellow at the nonprofit Girls Inc. This project culminated in the manuscript “Youth eating disorders soared during COVID-19: Schools can help”. Throughout her experiences in design and academic research, Cecilia has cultivated a passion for the power of human-centered methodologies and their ability to address the unique needs of vulnerable populations. Her interests lie at the intersections of mental health, identity, and design. She plans to pursue a PhD in social psychology and a future career in research. Curriculum Vitae | Website
Bonnie
(she/her/hers)
Bonnie is 4 years old and one of the longest-term lab family members. Though she often sleeps through lab meetings and events, she provides critical emotional support and affection.
Patrick Mulkern
(they/he)
Project Coordinator
Lab Manager
Patrick is the IMPACTS project coordinator, Affirm Lab manager and a doctoral student in the Boston College School of Social Work. Patrick earned an MSW and a Pupil Personnel Services Credential in School Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley in 2016. After graduating, Patrick worked with the San Francisco Unified School District coordinating a high school Wellness Center and later as a Central School Worker providing district wide crisis response and support to students and families experiencing homelessness. They also serve as the Past President of the California Association of School Social Workers and the Western Representative for the School Socia. Work Association of America. Patrick’s research interests are informed by the tension of schools as sites of oppression and potential sites for liberation. They are interested in utilizing Youth Participatory Action Research to create sustainable equitable school environments where queer students are connected, safe(r), and successful.
Emma Bokhour, B.A. (they/she)
Research Assistant
Emma is a research assistant and training coordinator with the Affirm Lab. Emma graduated cum laude from Smith College in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and a certificate in Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice. Emma is currently a candidate for a Master's in Social Work at the Boston University School of Social Work. They work primarily with young adults navigating mental health conditions and has a passion for working with queer and trans young people. In the fall of 2024, Emma will be a clinical intern with the Counseling Center at Simmons University. Prior to getting her master's, Emma worked for Cambridge Health Alliance as a Sexual and Reproductive Health Counselor and Educator for a school-based clinic in Everett, MA and has recently interned with the College Mental Health Education Program at BU's Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation. Emma has been involved in the Affirm lab in various capacities since 2019, including co-authoring two papers, and is thrilled to be back working with the lab for the summer of 2024.
Caelyn N. Nordman B.S., B.A.
she/her/hers
Research Assistant
Caelyn (she/her) is a Research Assistant in the Affirm Lab and a current master’s student in the Lynch School of Education and Human Development at Boston College. She also serves as City Connects Graduate Assistant at The Center for Thriving Children. Caelyn’s passion for research began through her work in the Individual Differences in Development Lab under the mentorship of Dr. Kirby Deater-Deckard. She graduated with honors from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a B.S. in psychology and a B.A. in English, earning the highest honors distinction on her senior thesis entitled, SEL Education in Pre-K Through 3rd Grade: Reducing the Lifelong Effects of Childhood Trauma within Foster Care. Alongside work at the Affirm Lab, Caelyn is studying the impact of systemic school-based interventions (e.g., MTSS, Integrated Student Support) on student developmental outcomes, focusing on under-resourced communities. Caelyn plans to pursue doctoral work to study the impact of reading and writing on social competence in children and adolescents, fostering her love for developmental psychology and literature.
Affirm Lab Graduates
August Wei, B.S. (he/him/his)
August will be pursuing a PhD in Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware beginning August 2024.
Justine Lee, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Justine is beginning a joint MSW/MPH program at Virginia Commonwealth University in August 2024.
Marina Rakhilin, B.S., M.S.W (they/them)
Marina is a Program Manager at the MIT Center for Constructive Communication, and is a part-time professor teaching courses in the BCSSW Design Thinking for Social Change certificate program.
Email | LinkedIn
Moumina Khan, B.A. (she/her/her)
Moumina graduated from Tufts University with a major in Clinical Psychology and minor in English in Spring 2023. She is particularly passionate about mental health and mental health care as it pertains to stigmatized and minority communities, particularly BIPOC communities.
薛雯青 (Wenqing Xue) “Shelly” (she/her/hers)
Shelly is a current undergraduate at Boston College pursuing double majors in Applied Psychology and Philosophy. With a passion for liberal arts, Shelly embraces all kinds of academic and career possibilities through constant learning and managing to discover her path.
Sarah Reilly, M.S.W. (she/her/hers)
Sarah earned her M.S.W. from Boston University in 2022 and her B.A. in History of Art and Architecture with a secondary in economics from Harvard University in 2014. At Boston University, Sarah was a clinical track student and completed a Trauma and Violence Specialization. Sarah is passionate about expanding health equity and access to care for LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults.
Yang Fan, M.A. (she/her/hers)
Yang graduated from Boston College’s Mental Health Counseling Program in Spring 2023 and aspires to pursue a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. She hopes to work on raising mental health awareness and de-stigmatizing mental illness for youth in China.
Gabi Ortiz, B.A., M.A. (she/her/hers)
Gabi is currently a Ph.D. student in BCSSW.
Gabrielle Kaufman, M. A. (she/her/hers)
Gabi is working on a PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Denver since September 2020.
Colleen Johnston, B.A., M.S.W. (she/her/hers)
Colleen graduated with her MSW in May 2021 and began her career in medical social work at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) in June 2021. Email
Nathan L. Hollinsaid, B.S. (he/him/his)
Nathan is a graduate collaborator in the Affirm Lab and Clinical Science PhD student in the BEST Lab at Harvard. ResearchGate | Twitter | Email
Ziwei Wang, M.S. (she/they)
Ziwei is applying for MSW/MHC programs. Email
Marissa Allen, M.A. (she/her/hers)
Marissa graduated in Spring 2023 with a Masters degree from Boston College's Mental Health Counseling program in Spring 2023 began her Psy.D. at Spalding University in Fall 2023.
Atlas Sanogo, B.A., (he/they)
Atlas graduated from Harvard College with a degree in Psychology and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. Atlas hopes to pursue a PhD in Social or Clinical Psychology to work directly on research and applications that concern LGBTQ+ youth in the education, sports, clinical, or nonprofit sector.
余泊林 (Bolin Yu) "Ella" (she/her/hers)
Ella is currently studying Applied Psychology at Boston College. In the future, she aspires to continue endeavors on strengthening cross-cultural relationships, as well as becoming a counseling or clinical psychologist supporting individuals with diverse identities.
Dylan Reyes, M.A. (he/they)
Dylan graduated from Boston College's mental health counseling master’s program in Spring 2023, and completed their practicum at the Counseling Center at Simmons University. They hope to pursue a PhD in the field of Community Psychology where they hope to use a participatory-action research model to collaborate and research the ongoing effects of trauma at the southern border.
Tara Deonauth, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Tara is a chaplain at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and she wishes to subsequently pursue a Ph.D. in clinical or counseling psychology.
McKenzie E. Sheridan, M.A. (she/her/hers)
McKenzie began working on a Clinical Psychology Psy.D. with a concentration on children and families of adversity and resilience at William James College in August 2020.
LinkedIn | Email