Hello, I prefer to go by Sara and I use she/her pronouns. I joined the faculty of the Clinical-Community Psychology PhD Program at the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2017. I am a Licensed Psychologist committed to bridging clinical, community, and cultural psychology. In addition to my role in our PhD Program, I co-direct the Center for Community Engagement and Learning. I also serve as Community Psychology's Representative to the American Psychological Association [APA] on its Council of Representatives and as the Early Career Psychologist on APA's Council Leadership Team. My program of research centers on how communities and systems shape acculturation. I examine how people navigate acculturation in context and its impacts on their multidimensional wellbeing. My work is largely with international migrants, and it also extends to groups whose cultures have been suppressed through systemic efforts, such as colonization. I aim to identify and support the development, implementation, and evaluation of policies and programs that support inclusion of multicultural community members, as opposed to tolerance or mere integration. I collaborate across disciplines and partner with communities to develop research projects. I use diverse, applied, community-engaged qualitative and mixed methods to answer these questions. I believe that research must be given away for the common good and used for action. My research informs my applied work. I care about intervention at multiple, interconnected levels - including national and local policy, community development, group prevention/promotion programming, and individual psychotherapy. I work not only as a researcher, but as an educator, advocate, and therapist. Above all, I believe in collaboration, and I strive to ask questions of concern to communities and to answer the questions in partnership with them. I have the privilege of working with an incredible team to do this work. I hope you enjoy getting to know them!  

I’m Jun, and I joined the Crossroads Research Collective in 2024. My professional interests center on promoting mental well-being among individuals experiencing adaptation stress, particularly immigrants and those transitioning from rural to urban settings. As a first-generation immigrant from China, my professional goals are deeply rooted in my own acculturation process. I envision a future where cultural self-expression is celebrated, allowing my child and many others to grow up free from self-doubt and able to embrace their heritage with confidence. Outside of work, I enjoy exploring new experiences such as hiking, traveling, diving, and skiing. I also have a passion for fiber arts, especially crafting with the hair of my two cats and one dog.

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​Research Project: Community Integration Challenges Experienced by Foreign-Born Residents in Anchorage

Hello, my name is Sam Garbus! I’m from Westchester, New York, and I studied Psychological Sciences and Global Studies at the University of Vermont. During my undergraduate studies, I conducted mixed-methods research on the social determinants of worrying and “thinking too much” in a South African community. After graduating from UVM, I joined the Peace Corps and served as a Youth and Families Development Promotor for two years in Ecuador. In Ecuador, I gained experience teaching life skills to youth and parenting classes to adults, along with leading hiking and English clubs and camps. I also helped raise money to renovate and purchase new equipment for the community computer lab in town. Overall, my time conducting research and serving in the Peace Corps confirmed my passion for cross-cultural community psychology. 

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At UAA, I’m interested in conducting research that examines the connection between culture and mental health. Specifically, I'm interested in learning about idioms of distress, resiliency, perceptions of mental health, and acculturation gaps.

Hello! I am from rural, northwestern Illinois. Growing up in a rural community gave me an intimate look at the mental health disparities and a passion for clinical psychology in rural areas. I received my B.S. in Developmental Psychology with a minor in Theatre Arts from Liberty University in the fall of 2018. My research interests are primarily related to rural psychology and how research can be turned into evidence-based practices for rural communities. I am also extremely interested in mood and anxiety disorders, particularly risk, protective, and resiliency factors in a rural context. Lastly, supplementary techniques of therapy such as expressive and arts therapies are another area of interest to me. Currently, I am working on my second year research project, which is using Constructivist Grounded Theory to examine and compare the experiences of rural mental health clinicians in Alaska and Illinois and glean their perspectives on what constitutes efficacious rural mental health care. I also worked with RAIS (Refugee Assistance and Immigration Services) over the summer to complete a program needs assessment for them. This consisted of interviewing current staff, volunteers, community partners, and the clients themselves. Both projects have been extremely rewarding thus far. Outside of school, I enjoy anything artistic: theatre, painting, music, makeup, and photo/videography. I also love reading, and my dream is to one day have a dedicated library room in my home. Playing with my dog, Arya, is also a consistent and wonderful form of self-care.

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Research Project: The Experiences of Rural Mental Health Clinicians: Insights from Alaska and Illinois

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Dissertation: Regional Influences on Experiences and Recommendations for Rural Mental Health Improvement from Community and Providers

I am Riley August Russell (they/them). I am a PhD candidate in Clinical-Community Psychology at the University of Alaska Anchorage. My research focuses on community connectedness among sexual and gender minoritized populations, with particular attention to how structural and policy contexts shape these processes. In Alaska, I have served as principal investigator for PhotoGAIS, a Photovoice project exploring sense of community among sexual and gender minority adults in Anchorage, and as a researcher with the My Best Alaskan Life project, a community-based health promotion initiative for youth. I am also involved in collaborative efforts in developing Alaska’s first School Psychology program through participatory evaluation and stakeholder engagement. My dissertation examines how U.S. state-level policy climates influence outness. Previously, I worked as a Research Coordinator at Tufts Medical Center and as a Research Assistant at Teachers College Columbia University, the University of Washington’s Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress, and the Evidence Based Treatment Centers of Seattle. My broader interests include therapy adaptations for underserved populations, participatory and mixed-methods research, and leveraging community partnerships to promote mental health equity.
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Research Project: PhotoGAIS: A Photovoice Project Examining Gender & Sexual Orientation Minorities (GSM) in Anchorage’s Intergenerational Sense of Community (SOC)

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Dissertation: Longitudinal Effects of Sociopolitical Context on Outness for Bi+ People and the Mediating Role of Community Connectedness

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Waqaa. Wiinga atqa Tiera Uqiilaq Schroeder. Anglilluunga Curyugami. Yupiagua kasaugua-llu. Aanaka Mary Barnes, aatalqa Baze Schroeder. Mauraluqa Meg Schroeder, mauralulqa Daisy Barnes. Apauraluqa Hudy Schroeder, apauralulqa Harry Barnes Sr.

Hi! I am Tiera Uqiilaq Schroeder. I grew up in Curyung (Dillingham, Alaska). I am Yup’k and White. My mom is Mary Barnes and my late dad is Baze Schroeder. My grandmothers are Meg Schroeder and the late Daisy Barnes. My grandfathers are Hudy Schroeder and the late Harry Barnes Sr.

I, like many Alaska Natives, became interested in my chosen field of study because I wanted to do something that could potentially benefit our community. I chose psychology when starting my undergraduate education because I understood it to be a field that focused on supporting mental and behavioral health – areas our region has been struggling with since colonization. I recognized the value of giving back to community as I had experienced the great fortune of being uplifted by a town that kept me safe, helped me thrive, and enriched me in Native ways of living. In retrospect, I realize these privileges are ones not everyone has had, in large part due to systemic factors beyond our control such as historical trauma, pressures to assimilate or adapt to Eurocentric culture, oppressive policies enacted by governing bodies that do not prioritize Nativeness, and so much more. Thus, while I was ignorant of oppressive systemic factors prior to graduate school, awareness of the rampant inequity that contributes to Native health disparities now fuels my desire to channel my passion, privilege, and capabilities into productive avenues.

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For me, that has been a renewed enthusiasm for my academic and career goals wherein I have purposefully centered my training around research, clinical, and community opportunities that best prepare me to serve rural Alaska Natives. Presently, that entails completing my dissertation in which I am qualitatively investigating: What shapes the nature of intergenerational connections amongst Curyung Alaska Natives? In doing so, I hope to generate academic literature on something Alaska Natives have known for generations: connection, rooted in our culture, traditions, strengths, and values, is at the center of our wellbeing. More broadly, my research interests revolve around cultural identity, culture-based prevention and intervention, and community-based participatory methods with Alaska Native populations.

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Upon graduating with my PhD in 2027, I will pursue clinical licensure in the state of Alaska in addition to post-doctoral training before returning home to take on clinical and community roles needed in Curyung. Outside of academic pursuits I enjoy being in my home community spending time with family, friends, and nature, subsisting, traveling, playing volleyball and basketball, and practicing my Native language, Yugtun.

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Research Project: Alaska Native Cultural Identity Development as Experienced by Elder Facilitators and Students in a University Setting

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Dissertation: Investigating Intergenerational Connections in Curyung from the Eyes of Alaska Native Elders and Young Adults

Hello! My name is Sofia, and I use she/her pronouns. I was born and raised in Metro Detroit and earned my undergraduate degree in psychology from DePaul University in Chicago, where I worked as a research coordinator studying the implementation of a group-based therapy in Chicago Public Schools. Guided by constructivist and critical frameworks, my work integrates research, clinical practice, and advocacy to promote equity and well-being among youth and young adults. My current research focuses on sexuality health and empowerment among young people in Alaska, highlighting the importance of incorporating lived experience and youth voice in sexuality health research and practice. My dissertation evaluates the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment Scale to examine its validity and relevance in the Alaskan context. I also served on the first bargaining committee for University of Alaska graduate student workers and have taught courses at the University of Alaska Anchorage, including Statistics for Psychology Lab, Psychopathology, and Psychology of Sex and Gender. In my free time, I enjoy dancing, cooking, and spending time with my friends and two cats, Moon and Gemini.
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Research Project: Sexual Health in Alaska: The Missing Adolescent Perspective

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Dissertation: An Exploratory Factor Analysis of the Sexual and Reproductive Empowerment (SRE) Scale Among Alaskan Adolescents and Young Adults

Sharnel Vale-Jones, Yaagál, is Lingít (Alaska Native) from Yakutat, belonging to Kwaashk’IKwáan (Raven, Humpy Salmon) and Dis hítdaxáyáxat (Moon house). She is also the daughter of Teikweidí (Eagle, Brown Bear) and granddaughter of the Kaagwaantaan (Eagle, Beaver). She holds an M.S. in Clinical Psychology and recently completed the fourth year of her Clinical-Community Psychology Ph.D. program. Sharnel has dedicated nine years of her career to serving Alaska Native people in various capacities at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, including networking, improvement science, rural energy efficiency, and tobacco prevention. Since Fall 2020, she has provided community mental health services to adults, children, and families through telehealth and in-person sessions.

Navigating Western worldviews as a Lingít/European American individual, Sharnel is passionate about merging the two perspectives and weaving Indigenous knowledge into Western research practice. She firmly believes engaging in culturally responsive research is crucial for decolonizing knowledge production, which in turn will foster a more profound understanding of Indigenous perspectives and experiences. By embracing both Indigenous and Western research methods, she seeks to promote a more inclusive and equitable path toward the well-being and resilience of Indigenous peoples.

Sharnel's research interests lie in intergenerational trauma and resiliency strategies for Alaska Native (AN) and Indigenous people. Throughout her career, she aims to collaborate with Alaska tribal health organizations on research projects identifying culturally relevant resiliency strategies for AN individuals, ultimately breaking the cycles of trauma for families.

Outside of her professional life, Sharnel treasures her time with her family in Anchorage, enjoying activities like traveling, playing outdoors, or simply relaxing at home. She is also an avid basketball player and seizes every opportunity to hit the court.

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Research Project: The Social Validity of Qualitative Data Collection Methods with Alaska Native People: Comparing Focus Groups and Talking Circles

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Dissertation: Lingít Legacy of Resilience: Exploring the Role of Traditional Child-rearing Practices Using Critical Indigenous Research and Transformative Grounded Theories