jessica magidson, phD

Lab Director

MORGAN ANVARi, MS

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

valerie bradley, MPS

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Imani Brown, MPH

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Jessica Anane, MPH

Graduate Research Assistant

DWAYNE DEAN

Peer Supervisor

Jessica anthony

Interventionist

Gabrielle Atkinson, MPS

Faculty Specialist

Maretta Sonn

Research Coordinator

Rithika baskar

Research Coordinator

Abigail Hines, MPH

Research Coordinator

Sophia Nahabedian

Graduate Research Assistant

Chiara Sforza

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Nicole Fortune Hernandez

UM Scholars Summer Research Intern 

Leia Patel

Undergraduate Research Assistant

SYBIL MAJOKWENI, Bs

Senior Research Assistant

Nonceba ciya

Interventionist

neliswa kotelo, ba

Research Assistant

SIBABALWE NDAMASE, ba

Research Assistant

Yolisa Jakavula

Kim Johnson, MA

Nomvula Mdwaba

Ntombi Nyembezi

Lwandile Tokwe, PhD

Yanga Tshukuse

Nosikhumbuzo Zenane

Millicent Kihiuria

Research Coordinator

Jessica Bonumwezi, phD

Postdoctoral Fellow

Yvonne Ochieng

Masters Student / RA

emily satinsky, msc

Faculty Research Assistant

Alexandra rose, PhD

Mary kleinman, PhD

Tolu Abidogun, mbbs

Research Coordinator

Jenn Belus, PHD

Postdoctoral Fellow

cj seitz-brown, phd

Assistant Clinical Professor

Gabrielle bozman

Interventionist

KRISTEN REGENAUER, MS

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Lea simms, MPH

Program Manager

Latonya Aaron, BS

Masters Student / RA

Sara Abdelwahab

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Abdul-Aziz Baig

NIDA Summer Intern

Issmatu Barrie

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kavya Bhattiprolu

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Yosef Bronsteyn, BA

Research Assistant

Alli Buller

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Donovan Clemmons, BA

Summer Research Fellow

Melissa Coaxum

Masters Student / RA

Samantha Cohen

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Sophia Crooks

Summer Research Intern

Scottie Farrin

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Talya Gordon

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Kayla Griffin

Summer Research Institute Scholar

Elizabeth Hutman, BS

Graduate Research Assistant

Miwa Johnstone

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Joi Kenner

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Alison Li

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Hasan Mirzoyev

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Beza Negash

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Xavier Phelps

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Alyssa Precil

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Meera Ragunathan

Research Assistant

Anu Sangraula

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Lakendra Schwendig

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Ever Sheplee

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Alia Shields

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Khyati Suthar

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Emilia Toloza

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Hannah Tralka

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Reuben Van Eck

Research Assistant

Christine Wan

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Zach Wright

Masters Student / RA

Stefani Du Toit, PhD

Senior Research Officer

Bonga Mkhize

Research Assistant

Yvonne Mdakane, MA

Interventionist

Thembelihle Pita, Mcom

Research Assistant

Jessica Magidson, PhD
Lab Director

Dr. Jessica Magidson is an Associate Professor in the Clinical area in the Department of Psychology, the Director of CESAR--the Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research--in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS), and an MPower Professor, through the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State. 

She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from University of Maryland College Park in 2013 and completed her predoctoral clinical internship in Behavioral Medicine and postdoctoral fellowship in Global Psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, where she was also an Assistant Professor and Staff Psychologist prior to returning to UMD in 2018.

She is currently the PI of seven NIH-funded trials to evaluate peer and community health worker-delivered behavioral interventions to improve substance use and other health outcomes locally and globally in sub-Saharan Africa. Overall, her program of research focuses on how to expand the reach of evidence-based behavioral interventions to address substance use in underserved settings in the US and sub-Saharan Africa using peer and lay health worker delivery. Her research program aims to foster bidirectional learning between ongoing research in sub-Saharan Africa and local collaborations in Maryland to improve the treatment of addiction and its impact on physical health comorbidities in underserved clinical settings globally. 

Active Projects in the US

Dr. Magidson is leading several trials funded by the NIH HEAL Initiative in partnership with University of Maryland School of Medicine evaluating peer-delivered interventions to improve retention in treatment for opioid use disorder, including (1) among low-income, minority individuals in Baltimore (R33DA057747; Magidson) and (2) in rural areas of Maryland via a telemedicine-enabled mobile treatment unit (R01DA057443; Magidson, Kattakuzhy).

With UMB, she is also co-leading a new initiative "ARTEMIS: Advancing Addiction Research and Treatment through Engagement with Rural Marylanders Impacted by PolySubstance Use" (R24DA061178; Magidson, Kattakuzhy) to create a national consultation model for engaging patients and community members in the research process in rural Maryland to support improvements in polysubstance use care delivery. Also with UMB she is co-leading with UMB a five-year trial (R01DA061324; Magidson, Rosenthal) to evaluate a peer-delivered intervention to support adherence to long-acting injectable forms of medication for HIV treatment and prevention in two community sites in DC and Baltimore. She is also co-leading a newly funded trial with Henry Ford Health to evaluate a peer-delivered intervention to support both substance use and depression outcomes in a certified community behavioral health clinic in Detroit (R01MH137237; Magidson, Felton). 

Active Projects in South Africa

In South Africa, she is leading a trial in partnership with University of Cape Town "Project Khanya" (R01DA056102; Magidson) to evaluate a stepped-care, peer-delivered intervention to improve HIV medication adherence and substance use in primary care in Cape Town, South Africa. She is also leading an NIH-funded project with the South African Medical Research Council and Curtin University in Australia on how to support community health workers to deliver home-based mental health and HIV services (R21TW012347; Magidson, Myers, Carney).

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
PhD Clinical Psychology

University of Maryland, College Park
MS Clinical Psychology

Dartmouth College
BA Psychology

Contact: jmagidso@umd.edu

Imani Brown, MPH

Clinical Psychology PhD Student

Imani Brown is a doctoral student in the University of Maryland Clinical Psychology program. Her research interests include behavioral interventions for substance use disorder and co-occurring mental illness, with a particular emphasis on trauma-informed care. She is also interested in addressing the syndemics of comorbid physical and mental illness. She previously worked as a research coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry at Howard University, and where she was involved in a variety of projects: i) exploring supported employment for people dually diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and mental illness; ii) reducing symptoms of PTSD through exposure and medication therapy; and iii) uncovering and addressing barriers to engagement in treatment for OUD. She has also been involved in research on interventions for improving adherence to antiretroviral therapy for people living with HIV/AIDS in rural Zambezia province, Mozambique.

Education 

Vanderbilt University: MPH,  Global Health 

Dartmouth College: BA, Romance Languages

Mary Kleinman, PhD

Mary Kleinman received her PhD from the University of Maryland Clinical Psychology program in 2024. Her research interests include behavioral interventions for substance use and the intersection of mental health and infectious disease prevention and treatment. Mary previously worked as an epidemiologist at Maryland Department of Health where she monitored community-based programs to test and treat hepatitis C. She has also worked internationally on research investigating social and biological determinants of tuberculosis treatment outcomes, including the effect of alcohol use on TB treatment outcomes in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. 

Education:

University of Maryland
PhD Clinical Psychology

Boston University
MPH Epidemiology

Dickinson College
BS Biology, Minor in History, Certificate in Health Studies

Jessica Anthony
Peer Recovery Coach

Jessica is a certified Peer Recovery Coach. She works on the Peer Recovery to Improve Polysubstance Use and Mobile Telemedicine Retention (PRISM) study as a peer interventionist, delivering behavioral activation skill training for individuals struggling with polysubstance use. PRISM is implemented on a mobile treatment unit on the eastern shore of Maryland run by the Caroline County health department.

Rithika Baskar

Research Coordinator

Rithika Baskar is the Research Coordinator for the HEAL Together project, an NIH HEAL initiative aiming to evaluate how peer recovery coaches can improve retention in care for underserved, minority individuals with OUD, and is based in the University of Maryland Drug Treatment Center in Baltimore. In addition, she also works on data analysis for the Siyakhana-CHW R34 and Siyakhana-Peer R21 studies in Cape Town, South Africa..

Previously Rithika worked as a Research Assistant under Dr. Carla Hunter in the Cultural Heritage and Racial Identity Lab and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She worked on the ASPIRE project aiming to learn the effectiveness of community intervention programs for African American adolescents by working with local afterschool programs like DREAAM. In the future, she hopes to continue research related to health disparities in low-income and minority communities.

Education:

University of Illinois Urbana Champaign

BS Astrophysics and Psychology

Gabrielle Bozman
Peer Recovery Coach

Gabby is a certified Peer Recovery Coach. She works on HEAL Together, an NIH HEAL initiative which aims to evaluate how peer recovery coaches can improve retention in care for underserved, minority individuals with OUD. HEAL Together is delivered at the University of Maryland Drug Treatment Center in Baltimore, MD, in close collaboration with UMB Psychiatry.

Dwayne Dean, ICPR, CPRS, RPS
Peer Supervisor

Dwayne Dean works as the supervisor of the Peer Recovery Specialists for the HEAL Together, PRISM, PUSH and ARTEMIS studies Dwayne previously served as the Peer Recovery Specialist and Interventionist for the HEAL Together study and prior to that, as the Peer at Paul's Place, a community outreach center in Southwest Baltimore. Dwayne is an Internationally Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, a Maryland State Certified Peer Recovery Specialist, and a Registered Peer Supervisor through the MD Addictions and Behavioral Health Certification Board. 

Millicent Kihiuria

Research Coordinator

Millicent Kihiuria is a Research Coordinator for the NIDA funded PRISM study, which looks at the efficacy of a peer-delivered behavioral activation intervention for individuals struggling with polysubstance use. PRISM is implemented on a mobile treatment unit on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. In addition to the PRISM study, she also works on qualitative data analysis for the Siyakhana-CHW R34, Siyakhana-Peer R21, and Masculinity R21 studies in Cape Town, South Africa, as well as the HEAL R61 study in Baltimore, MD.

Previously, Millicent conducted an observational clinical study at the University of Maryland School of Medicine under the guidance of Dr. Annabelle Belcher, where she investigated the existence of an association between substance use and mental health disorders in individuals with an opioid use disorder (OUD) who are incarcerated at a rural jail on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. She was then introduced to the Global Mental Health and Addiction Program (GMAP), where she was an undergraduate research assistant from 2022-2023, primarily working on the HEAL R61 study. She received a BS in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland, College Park. In her future career as a healthcare professional, she hopes to work diligently to deliver the highest quality of care to patients in resource-limited settings.

Education

University of Maryland, College Park

B.S., Public Health Science

Caroline Sacko, MSN

Graduate Research Assistant

Caroline Sacko is a Research Coordinator in the GMAP lab. She primarily divides her time between the PUSH and PRISM studies; two effectiveness-implementation trials that evaluate the effectiveness of peer-delivered behavioral activation to promote medication adherence among individuals living with or at-risk for HIV (PUSH) and individuals with opioid use disorder (PRISM). Both studies are domestic with PUSH based in Washington DC and Baltimore, MD, and PRISM in Caroline County, a rural county in Maryland.

Previously, Caroline worked as a public health and infectious disease nurse at the Baltimore City Health Department HIV/STI clinics. She was also a nurse in a mobile clinic for medication assisted opioid treatment. Caroline’s research interests include implementation science, substance use prevention and recovery, the intersection of substance use, mental health, and infectious disease, and ethical task sharing models. She is passionate about using participatory action research to eliminate mental and physical health disparities through community-informed interventions.

Education:

University of Maryland

MPS, Master of Professional Studies in Clinical Psychological Science

Johns Hopkins University

MSN, Master of Science in Nursing

Swarthmore College

BA, Education and Political Science

Maretta Sonn

Research Coordinator

Maretta Sonn is the Research Coordinator for the NIDA funded PRISM study which looks at the efficacy of a peer-delivered behavioral activation intervention for individuals struggling with polysubstance use. PRISM is implemented on a mobile treatment unit on the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

Prior to coming to the lab, Maretta was a post-baccalaureate student in the psychology department at Columbia University. There she worked under social psychologist Dr. Tory Higgins on projects related to self-regulation and motivation. She also was a mentee of Dr. Randy Auerbach at the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Under his supervision she conducted research on reward anticipation and processing dysfunction in adolescents struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors using EEG. Maretta has also completed course work at The University of Pennsylvania Center for Positive Psychology.

Education:

Dickinson College

BA English, Minor in Africana Studies

Stefani Du Toit, PhD
Senior Research Officer

Stefani Du Toit is the appointed Senior Research Officer in the HIV Mental Health Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. She is the director of Project Khanya, which is a peer-delivered intervention to improve ART adherence and substance use disorder in primary care. She holds a MA in Psychology, a PGDip in Addictions Care and a PhD in Public Health.

The primary focus of Dr. Du Toit’s research has been on investigating mental health and implementing mental health interventions is setting characterised by high adversity and among high-risk populations. Her current research focuses on substance use and chronic conditions, with specific focus on HIV and treatment adherence. She have managed several cross sectional studies and intervention trials that address issues such as HIV, child health, adolescent mental health, substance use, and community-based healthcare.

Education:

Stellenbosch University

PhD, Public Health

Stellenbosch University

MA, Psychology

Post Graduate Diploma, Addictions Psychiatry Residency Program

Stellenbosch University

BA, Psychology

Neliswa Kotelo, BA
Research Assistant

Neliswa Kotelo is a research assistant in the HIV Mental Health Research Unit at the University of Cape Town. She is the Research Assistant for Project Khanya, which is a peer-delivered intervention to improve ART adherence and substance use disorder in primary care. Previously she worked on the pilot study for Project Khanya as well as a study looking at the effectiveness of nurse-delivered care for adherence and mood in HIV in South Africa. Before joining the HIV Mental Health Research Unit, Neliswa worked at Matrix Alcohol and Drug Rehabilitation Centre as a psychological counselor while doing her Honours practicum. Her main interest is in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy--she favors this approach as it is evidence-based and effective for a broad base of problems of varying severity. 

Education:

University of the Western Cape
BA Honours in Psychology

Ebonie Massey
Research Assistant

Ebonie Massey received both her Master of Arts in Sociology and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Criminology & Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park. She is currently working with GMAP as a research assistant on Project HEAL Together, an NIH HEAL initiative which aims to evaluate how peer recovery coaches can improve retention in a methadone treatment program for underserved, minority individuals with OUD by reducing stigma. Ebonie is also a faculty research assistant at the Center for Substance Use, Addiction & Health Research (CESAR) where she began working in 2017. She serves primarily as a quantitative data analyst on the national expansion of the Emergency Department Drug Surveillance (EDDS) system, funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), by managing databases and conducting analyses of electronic health record (EHR) data including urine toxicology results and other patient information from patients presenting to hospital emergency departments for drug overdose or drug-related health problems. Previously, Ebonie served as a quantitative data analyst on two projects within the Opioid Use Disorders Project funded by the University of Maryland Strategic Partnership: MPowering the State Initiative. She also has a background in qualitative data analysis which includes experience transcribing and thematically coding interviews for a project of the Capital Region Violence Intervention Program studying the experiences of Black male victims of violent injury being treated at UM Prince George's Hospital Center. 

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
MA Sociology

University of Maryland, College Park
BA Sociology and Criminology & Criminal Justice

Antoinette Dorzon

Graduate Research Assistant

Antoinette Dorzon is in the Clinical Psychological Science Master’s program. Antoinette received her BS in Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she worked in the university’s health center as a mental health peer educator. She recently joined GMAP, as a research assistant and splits her time working on the PRISM and Siyakhana studies. The PRISM study evaluates the effectiveness of interventions delivered by peers on polysubstance use. The Siyakhana study evaluates the effectiveness of training community health care workers (CHWs) in South Africa to decrease stigma surrounding substance use and mental health. In both studies, Antoinette provides support for qualitative interviews by cleaning transcriptions and coding interviews. She is also interested in the stigma surrounding mental health in minority communities and sociocultural risk and protective factors for substance use.

Education:

University of Maryland School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD
B.S. Psychology

University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
M.P.S. Clinical Psychological Science (expected May 2025)

Gabrielle Atkinson, MPS

Faculty Specialist

Gabrielle Atkinson is a research assistant for the PRISM project, a NIDA-funded study which looks at the efficacy of a peer-delivered behavioral activation intervention for individuals struggling with polysubstance use. PRISM is implemented on a mobile treatment unit on the Eastern Shore of Maryland. 

Prior to coming to GMAP, Gabrielle worked on various research projects. Most recently, she worked in Dr. Jack Blanchard’s Laboratory of Emotion and Psychopathology, assisting with fMRI scans examining neural and behavioral correlates of paranoia in psychosis. She also worked for the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development as an on-site classroom observer, examining social processes and culturally responsive practices in elementary and middle school classrooms across Anne Arundel County, Maryland. For her Master’s Capstone, Gabrielle wrote on implementing a peer-focused social skills training intervention for young adults with first episode psychosis to improve social functioning outcomes, paralleling her current work on the PRISM study and its peer-led intervention to improve treatment and recovery outcomes.

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
MPS Clinical Psychological Science

Salisbury University
BA Psychology, Minor in Sociology

Chiara Sforza

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Chiara is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland seeking a Bachelor of Arts as a double major in Psychology and Anthropology (with a focus in Medical Anthropology). She recently joined CESAR as a research assistant on the Khanya project team in the Fall of 2024. She also formed part of the Honors Global Challenges and Solutions program where she learned about global issues and data science. Additionally, Chiara works at the Help Center at UMD, training to become a counselor for the peer counseling and crisis hotline. After graduating, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park, MD
B.A. Psychology & Anthropology (Expected May 2025)

Sophia Nahabedian

Graduate Research Assistant

Sophia is a Clinical Psychological Science MPS student who joined GMAP to gain experience working with qualitative data and D&I research. She currently assists with qualitative data for Project Khanya DRI, which focuses on adapting an intervention for comorbid HIV and SUD in South Africa to better serve the community's needs and enhance treatment adherence.

In addition, Sophia is a research assistant in the Clinical and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab and teaches ceramics at UMD's Studio A. Her primary interest lies in improving health outcomes for individuals with mood disorders through the development of psychosocial interventions that address comorbid SUD to optimize treatment adherence. She is passionate about using community-based participatory research to ensure that interventions are responsive to the needs and concerns of the population she hopes to work with.

Education:

Tulane University
B.S. Psychology and Studio Art

University of Maryland, College Park
M.P.S. Clinical Psychological Science
(expected December 2024)

Hakima Hussaini

Graduate Research Assistant

Hakima majored in biology and pre-med for her undergraduate degree. Initially, she wanted to pursue medical school and become a psychiatrist. After graduating with a B.S. during the pandemic surge, she began working in the biotechnology industry for about two years. Upon learning the medical field is more focused on the body as a collection of organs rather than having a holistic approach to human health, she decided to pursue a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Behavioral and Community Health (BCH) at the University of Maryland, College Park. Hakima became increasingly immersed in mental health and psychology during her MPH program.

Before GMAP, Hakima worked with Dr. Kirsten Stoebenau for two years at the UMD School of Public Health on a study of mental health and HIV status in sub-Saharan Africa. During her internship with Roberta's House in Baltimore, she recognized a deeper commitment to contribute to systematic changes that can reduce the prevalence of addiction, substance use, and overdose in Maryland and has recently joined GMAP/CESAR.

Education:

University of the District of Columbia
B.S. Biology

University of Maryland, College Park
M.P.H. Behavioral and Community Health (expected May 2025)

Nicole Hernandez

UM Scholars Summer Research Intern

Nicole is a research intern participating in the MPower UM Scholars Summer Research Program in Summer of 2025. She graduated with a BS in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland College Park in 2021 and with a MSPH in Health Policy and Management from the Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2023. She is currently a medical student pursuing her MD at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. After graduation, Nicole hopes to become a physician advocate in her field of practice.   

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
B.S. in Public Health Science

Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

MSPH in Health Policy and Management

University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD
M.D. (expected May 2028)

Leia Patel

Undergraduate Research Assistant

Leia is an undergraduate student at the University of Maryland pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Psychology. She recently joined GMAP on the Siyakhana-Peer R21 study in Cape Town, South Africa, in the summer of 2025. After graduating, Leia hopes to pursue a PhD in clinical psychology to become a therapist specializing in substance use and addictive disorders. She is interested in promoting addiction treatment in underserved communities while working at GMAP, where she contributes to reducing the stigma that prevents individuals from seeking help. Leia is passionate about spreading awareness of inaccessible resources and supporting families impacted by substance use.

Education:

University of Maryland, College Park
B.S. Psychology (expected December 2025)