People | Affirm Lab at Boston College

Maggi Price, Ph.D. (she/her/hers)
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).

Dr. Price's contributions to research in stigma and diversity have been highlighted in awards given at the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology (JCCAP) Future Directions Forum and the American Psychological Association (APA) Convention. Finally, 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.

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 evidence-based practice for children, adolescents, and adults with a focus on trauma-related psychopathology. Dr. Price completed her postdoctoral research fellowship in clinical child psychology at the Laboratory for Youth Mental Health.

C.V. | BC Faculty Page | ResearchGate | Twitter | Google Scholar | Email

Marina Rakhilin, B.S. (they/them)
Marina is the lab manager for the Affirm Lab. They graduated from Tufts University in 2018 with a major in Clinical Psychology and a minor in Religion. Working with Dr. Heather Urry, they wrote a senior honors thesis about mindfulness and experiential avoidance. Post-graduation, Marina worked as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Dauten Family Center for Bipolar Treatment Innovation for two years, focusing on two PCORI-funded projects examining patient-centered interventions for bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. Now, they are on the Macro track at the Boston College School of Social Work, hoping to find work post-graduation at the intersection of human-centered design, research, and social justice. Marina's core interests include implementation science, and increasing access to care. Email | Resume

Lisa Collins, B.A., M.ENVS (she/her)
Lisa is the project coordinator for the IMPACTS study. She graduated from American University in 2007 with a B.A. in International Relations and from Virginia Commonwealth University with a Masters in Environmental Studies. Post-graduation, Lisa worked as a Junior Professional Associate at the Global Environment Facility in Washington, D.C., a program manager for a company in Atlanta, and is currently a Research Project Director at the Boston University School of Dental Medicine. In addition, she is on the Clinical track in Children, Youth, and Families at the Boston College School of Social Work and volunteers with the Trevor Project. Lisa is passionate about working with LGBTQ youth and excited to continue that work as part of the Affirm Lab.

Kara Johansen, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Kara Johansen is the research coordinator for the GAPS project. Kara graduated from Boston College in 2022 with a major in Sociology and minors in Economics as well as Applied Psychology. Kara's undergraduate thesis is titled "Cleaning During COVID: Navigating Working Arrangements for House Cleaners and Their Employers in Boston and Dallas." She received the McCarthy prize which is awarded to the best undergraduate thesis in Boston College's Social Sciences, as determined by the dean's reviewers. She also received the Scholar of the College award and the Karp Award, which awarded to one particularly outstanding senior thesis in Sociology. Kara’s previous research experience includes working on Professer Charles Deber’s book Emergency Election and researching Texas policing policies for Meet the Momentum. Kara hopes to continue and pursue a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology.

Marissa Allen, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Marissa is a research assistant in the Affirm Lab. She graduated from Georgetown College in 2021 with a B.A. in Psychology. During her time there, Marissa completed an Honors thesis focusing on culturally-informed treatments for Substance Use Disorder and worked as a research assistant on a project investigating the relationship between sex work and motherhood. Marissa also spent time abroad studying Developmental Psychology and Social Psychology at the University of Oxford. She is now a graduate student at Boston College studying Mental Health Counseling and she plans to continue her education in pursuit of a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. Marissa hopes to eventually have her own counseling practice and become a Psychology professor.

Yang Fan, B.A. ( she/her/hers)
Yang is a research assistant in the Affirm lab. She graduated from Wake Forest University in 2020 with a B.A. in Psychology and a B.A. in Mathematics. While at Wake Forest, she actively engaged in research projects in Dr. Lisa Kiang’s Developmental Lab and Dr. Eranda Jayawickreme’s Growth Initiative Lab. After graduating, she worked as a research assistant at East China Normal University and Shanghai Mental Health Center in her hometown, Shanghai. Yang is interested in the etiology of youth depression and the effectiveness of real-life psychotherapy with stigmatized Asian youth, especially clinical populations. She is a graduate student of Boston College’s Mental Health Counseling Program aspiring to pursue a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology. She wants to work with Chinese youth in clinical settings and conduct research to find better and more culturally-appropriate psychotherapy for this population. Ultimately, Yang hopes to work on raising mental health awareness and de-stigmatizing mental illness for youth in China.

Moumina Khan (she/her/her)
Moumina is a senior at Tufts University majoring in Clinical Psychology and minoring in English. She has previously worked as a research assistant in the Tufts’ PsychoLinguistics Lab and in the Tufts Emotion, Brain, and Behavior Lab. With Tufts Counseling and Mental Health Services, Moumina created new mental health resources for students, particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds. Under the Tufts Interfaith Student Council, she also worked on a study to survey pastoral care as a confidential mental health resource.

Moumina is particularly passionate about mental health and mental health care as it pertains to stigmatized and minority communities, particularly BIPOC communities. She is excited to join the Affirm lab and to participate in the important and useful work done by the lab! Email

Dylan Reyes (he/they)

Dylan is a second-year mental health counseling master’s student at Boston College. They grew up in Portland, Oregon and received their BA in Theology and Communications from Whitworth University where they studied Liberation Theology and developing spiritualities of immigrant experiences. Regarding research, Dylan is interested in developing and working with individuals with intersecting and historically stigmatized identities who have experienced harm as a result of systemic oppression. Dylan is interested in researching the complex trauma of the Undocuqueer community (2SLBGTQIA+ Migrants). 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; tracking both historical-generational-communal trauma, centering the meaning-making process of Undocuqueer individuals, and archiving community-based restorative and radical healing practices for mental health clinicians and clinical social workers. In the coming academic school year, Dylan will be completing their practicum at the Counseling Center at Simmons University. In their spare time Dylan enjoys running, reading, RuPaul’s Drag Race, and succulent/plant maintenance.

Sarah Reilly (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. During her foundation placement she worked with housing insecure youth and young adults in Lowell, MA with Community Teamworks' Youth Services. Sarah completed her advanced placement clinical training at Harvard University's Counseling and Mental Health Center. Sarah is passionate about expanding health equity and access to care for LGBTQIA+ youth and young adults, and is so excited work with the Affirm Lab!

薛雯青 (Wenqing Xue) “Shelly” (she/her/hers)

Shelly is an undergraduate research assistant in the Affirm Lab. She is currently on track to graduate in 2025 with 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. She is so excited to join the Affirm Lab and work with excellent researchers!

余泊林 (Bolin Yu) "Ella" (she/her/hers)

Ella is an undergraduate research assistant in the Affirm Lab. She is currently studying Applied Psychology at Boston College. As an individual who has lived in three countries, Australia, the United States, and China growing up, she has developed a strong enthusiasm for learning about foreign cultures and investigating how diverse environments shape one's identity. She has previously conducted independent research in clinical psychology on developing a psychosocial intervention to reduce the risk of psychotic symptoms in migrants living in the United States. She founded the Global Citizen Project, a curriculum aimed to educate local Wuhan public primary school students on multicultural knowledge and encourage an international mindset through classes on global cultures. In the future, she aspires to continue endeavors on strengthening cross-cultural relationships, as well as supporting individuals with diverse identities.

Justine Lee, B.A. (she/her/hers)

Justine is a volunteer research assistant in the Affirm Lab. She graduated from the University of Virginia (go Hoos!) in 2022 with a major in psychology. Justine received the Harrison Undergraduate Research Award to fund her distinguished majors thesis, "The Effect of Psychoeducation on College Students' Mental Health" which is now published in the Journal of American College Health. She has research experience with labs at the University of Virginia, George Mason University, and Stony Brook University and has presented her work at various conferences. In her free time, she hosts a podcast ("BYOB: Bring Your Own Baggage") that focuses on mental health in college and post-grad settings. Justine is interested in the creation of scalable interventions for adolescent anxiety and related disorders, and she hopes to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.

Atlas Sanogo (he/they)

Atlas Sanogo is a junior at Harvard College from Ottawa, Canada. They are concentrating in Psychology and also pursuing a secondary in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies: they are specifically interested in understanding gender discrimination using a psychological lens, especially when it comes to genders beyond the binary. To this end, Atlas has been working on an independent research project investigating the impact of pronouns and nonbinary gender identity on the stereotypes and judgements involved in interpersonal decision making.

On campus, they are the co-president for the Harvard College Queer Students Alliance, a Peer Advising Fellow, and a Writing Tutor. In their spare time, they enjoy playing volleyball, skateboarding, and meditating!

In the long term, Atlas would like to pursue a PhD in Social or Clinical Psychology. Beyond graduate school, they are committed to working directly on research and applications that concern LGBTQ+ youth in the education, sports, clinical, or nonprofit sector.

Bonnie (she/her/hers)
Bonnie is a 4-year-old Texas-born pitbull 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.

Affirm Lab Graduates

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. Email

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

Hilary Skov, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Hilary has been working on her Ph.D. in School Psychology in the Child and Family Lab at Tulane University since August 2020. LinkedIn | Email

Gabrielle Kaufman, M. A. (she/her/hers)
Gabi will is working on a PhD in Counseling Psychology at the University of Denver since September 2020. Email

Emma Bokhour, B.A. (she/her, they/them)
Emma works for Cambridge Health Alliance as a Sexual and Reproductive Health Counselor and Educator for a school-based clinic in Everett, MA. Emma is planning to get a Masters in Social Work or Public Health or eventually pursue a Ph.D. LinkedIn | Email

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

Irene Mapfunde, B.A (she/her/hers)
Irene is currently a graduate student at the Boston College School of Social Work. Email | LinkedIn

Gabi Ortiz, B.A., M.A. (she/her/hers)
Gabi is a Ph.D. student in BCSSW. Email

Erick DuShane, B.A., M.S.W. (he/him/his)
Erick graduated from BCSSW in spring 2022. He is moving to NYC and working with urban youths in a community based program. Email | LinkedIn

Halina Tittmann, B.A. (she/her/hers)
Halina graduated from Boston College in Spring 2022, majoring in Sociology and minoring in International Studies (Ethics and Social Justice). After graduation, she moved to LA to pursue her future career. Email | LinkedIn

姜帅 (Shuai Jiang) "Eddy", B.A. (he/him/his)
Eddy graduate from Boston College in Spring 2022 with a double major in Applied Psychology and Theology.