Our Team
Dr. Melissa Holt
Dr. Melissa K. Holt (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and a licensed Psychologist. She completed her doctorate at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a clinical internship at the University of Illinois at Chicago in the Department of Psychiatry, and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Danielson Institute. Her research, conducted in collaboration with schools and non-profit agencies, focuses on adolescents’ experiences with identity-based harassment and victimization in school, at home, and in the community. Within this line of research Dr. Holt has evaluated disparities in victimization and its correlates (e.g., mental health), factors that promote resilience among youth, the overlap among violence exposures, and the efficacy of school-based prevention programs. Her recent research has had a particular emphasis on harassment based on identity – specifically, with respect to gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, and race/ethnicity.
Dr. Jennifer Green
Dr. Jennifer Greif Green, Ph.D. (she/her) is an Associate Professor in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development and a child clinical psychologist. She completed her doctorate at the University of California, Santa Barbara and trained at Yale School of Medicine and in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School. Her research focuses on supporting student social/emotional wellbeing in schools, and bullying prevention. In particular, Dr. Green studies teacher identification of students with mental health needs, racial/ethnic disparities in mental health service access, and youth bullying involvement. She has developed surveys to assess bullying in schools and has evaluated school-based bullying prevention and mental health promotion programs. She collaborates with a number of local schools and districts to support student social-emotional well-being and reduce bullying.
Katharine Parodi
Katie (she/her) is a PhD candidate in Counseling Psychology and a graduate research assistant in the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Her research is situated within a social-ecological framework and broadly focuses upon child and adolescent mental health and well-being, with two research strands: (1) trends in youth mental health – particularly anxiety – and factors which may be contributing to population-level changes, and (2) contextual-level factors which contribute to the well-being of sexual and gender minority youth. Katie is committed to partnering with schools and community organizations, elevating and empowering youth voice, and sharing research findings. In her free time, she enjoys being outdoors with family, learning more about statistics, and long-distance running.
Dr. Sabra Katz-Wise
Dr. Sabra L. Katz-Wise, PhD (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in Adolescent/Young Adult Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School (HMS), and in Social and Behavioral Sciences at the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. She also co-directs the Harvard SOGIE (Sexual Orientation Gender Identity and Expression) Health Equity Research Collaborative. Dr. Katz-Wise’s research investigates sexual orientation and gender identity development, sexual fluidity, health inequities related to sexual orientation and gender identity in adolescents and young adults, and psychosocial functioning in families with transgender youth. She is currently working on an NIH-funded community-based study to develop an intervention to support families with transgender youth. In addition to research, Dr. Katz-Wise is involved with advocacy efforts at BCH to improve the workplace climate and patient care for LGBTQ individuals, including her role as co-chair for the BCH Rainbow Consortium on Sexual and Gender Diversity and member of the BCH Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council. She also serves on the HMS LGBT Advisory Committee and is a HMS Sexual and Gender Minority Curriculum Development Fellow. Dr. Katz-Wise co-founded the Alliance of Gender Affirming Professionals (AGAP), a group for professionals and trainees in greater Boston who work with transgender youth and families.
Aidan Kraus
Aidan Kraus (they/them) is a Doctorate of Education student at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, earning a degree in Counseling with a Specialization in Sport Psychology. Aidan graduated from Smith College and earned a degree in American Studies with a focus in the Psychology of Sport. They are particularly interested in how the mental health of student-athletes is influenced by collegiate athletics which stemmed from their interests in diversity and access among this population of college students. Further, their professional interests extend to creating more inclusive spaces for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals within athletic competition. Currently, Aidan spends their time working with collegiate student-athletes as a mental performance consultant within the Boston area and is involved in multiple research projects within BU Wheelock College focusing on sport, youth advocacy, and inclusion and diversity. Further, Aidan will be working as a Clinical Counseling Intern at Regis College Counseling Services over the next year.
Nicolina Fusco
Nicolina (Niki) Fusco (she/her) is a doctoral student at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development, earning a degree in Counseling Psychology with a specialization in Child & Adolescent Development. Prior to her PhD, Niki graduated from CUNY Hunter College and earned a degree in Psychology with a minor in music and a concentration in clinical work and research. Niki then spent time working as a research assistant at The Consultation Center at Yale University where her work focused on community based research and interventions in New Haven, CT, working on projects such as to support substance use prevention in youth and police reform efforts within the community. Niki currently is a National Science Graduate Research Fellow at Boston University where her research aims to uplift the voices of LGBTQIA+ youth. Her research uses nationally representative sampled data that focuses on sexual and gender minority youth’s experiences of bias-based harassment, their interest, engagement, and barriers to STEM related fields, and most recently, their experiences with friendship and identity development. Her clinical work includes supporting individuals across the lifespan with a focus on identity development in youth. Further, her professional interests extend to creating more inclusive mental health treatment for queer, transgender, and gender-nonconforming adolescents
Alyssa Ciniglio
Alyssa Ciniglio (she/her) is a second-year Counseling Psychology master’s student at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Development. Alyssa graduated from CUNY Hunter College with a degree in Clinical Psychology and Sociology. Upon graduating, she became a research lab manager for the Hunter Psycho-Oncology Lab and program coordinator for an NCI-funded summer research program, STANDOUT, both of which sparked her interest and passion for working with college students. Currently, alongside her role as a graduate research assistant, Alyssa co-facilitates a support group for first-generation students and is beginning her internship at Boston University’s Counseling & Psychiatric Services (CAPS) with her clinical goal of promoting accessible, inclusive, and affirming care. Alyssa’s research interests focus on furthering the understanding of LGBTQIA+ and TNB adolescent and young adults’ experiences and identity development through a strengths and resilience-based approach. She aims to highlight and explore various protective factors within their experiences, such as schools and peer connections, to promote and advance how counselors, health care providers, educators, and government officials can provide support and advocacy. Alyssa is pursuing applying to PhD programs to further her research endeavors and clinical experiences.
Andra Preda
Andra Preda (she/her) is a doctoral student in the Counseling Psychology program at the Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Prior to her PhD, Andra attended Tufts University, earning a degree in Clinical Psychology with a minor in Child Studies and Human Development. She then worked at the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders at Massachusetts General Hospital, focusing on the mechanisms underlying the efficacy of evidence-based treatments for anxiety, PTSD, and prolonged grief disorder. She has long held an interest in researching how to make mental healthcare more effective and accessible to marginalized populations, especially the LGBTQ+ community. Her prior research projects span various subjects: mechanisms of change in prolonged exposure therapy and prolonged grief disorder therapy, psychological pain in sexual minority young adults, physiological impacts of racial discrimination, and mindfulness-based interventions for PTSD. She hopes to leverage protective factors, such as social support, to develop more affirming and effective care for LGBTQ+ adolescents.
Lynsie Ranker
Lynsie Ranker (she/her) is a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health. She is a social epidemiologist interested in exploring the complex connections between contextual factors (e.g., state policies, social media-based exposures) and substance use among youth. Recent projects include: variations in alcohol use and treatment access among college students, drinking trajectories from adolescence into young adulthood, and a content analysis of poly-substance use discussions on Twitter. She is passionate about substance use harm reduction within marginalized communities, and advocating against the predatory marketing practices of tobacco and alcohol manufacturers.
She received her PhD in epidemiology and her MPH from Boston University School of Public Health. Lynsie is a current A-TRAC career enhancement fellow with the American Heart Association.
In her free time, she enjoys reading science fiction, eating copious amounts of nachos, and going on long walks in her neighborhood while listening to her favorite podcast.
Dr. Ziming Xuan
Dr. Ziming Xuan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the Boston University School of Public Health. He is a faculty member of the Primary Care Academic Fellowship Program, and a faculty member of the Transformative Training Program in Addiction Science (TTPAS) at Boston University School of Medicine. He is a faculty member of the Injury Prevention Center, and a member of the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) research and program evaluation team at Boston Medical Center. He is a Frederick Pardee Faculty Research Fellow at Boston University. He is a social epidemiologist who is interested in understanding the influence of social-contextual determinants, especially policy determinants on health, particularly among vulnerable populations (i.e., youth, patients with substance abuse, and women). He is also interested in the methodologies involved in social- behavioral interventions to promote healthy behavioral changes and enhance community well-being. His research interests include health policies related to alcohol, marijuana, other substance use and guns, youth health, alcohol advertising, impaired driving, substance use disorders, mental health and addiction. He received his Doctor of Science Degree (Sc.D.) in public health in 2010 and Master’s Degree (S.M.) in Biostatistics in 2008 from Harvard University. He has led an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health to study alcohol policies and leading causes of alcohol-related mortality in the United States. He has been awarded as a co-investigator on research grants from the National Institutes of Health, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institute of Justice, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the American Cancer Society. Currently he is serving as an Assistant Field Editor for the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Dr. Xuan has provided research expertise to various health agencies including the World Health Organization, and Innovations for Poverty Action among others. His research has been featured by Reuters, CNN, US News & World Report, and the Boston Globe among others. Dr. Xuan is currently serving as a member of the Faculty Senate, Doctoral Committee, and Education Committee (evaluation subcommittee). His prior university activities include serving as a member for the Boston University Faculty Council Nominating Committee. At Boston University School of Public Health, he has been teaching SB822: Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation. He is currently the director of Health Communication and Promotion certificate for the MPH program at the school.