Intersect Lab

Marginalized urban populations

Using large epidemiological datasets we aim to identify factors that foster “positive adaptation” - awareness of one’s affective experiences with the capacity to compartmentalize - that promotes psychological health among an urban marginalized subpopulation, exposed to an inordinate amount of life stressors and potentially traumatic events.  We will identify those experiences that are unique to this population and which affect short- and long-term health outcomes.  In doing this work, we will document how correlates of health interact to predict varying trajectories of health. These explorations will inform interventions and policies that can improve health outcomes for marginalized urban population.

Stressors over the life course

An abundance of research examines the long-term outcomes of trauma on well-being.  However, less attention has been given to understanding the role of daily stressors on everyday functioning or long-term health.  Within urban settings, such experiences are significantly more salient for marginalized populations. Our Lab explores the effect of such experiences on psychological health in a clinical care setting as well as at a population level. 

Clinical care: Access & outcomes

Urban marginalized populations have access to disproportionally fewer mental health services and are less likely to receive care than non-Latinx White Americans despite having similar rates of mental disorders.  Similarly, due to the scarcity of resources, few urban community-based mental health clinics have the capacity to measure trajectories of clinical care or treatment outcomes. We aim to document (i) individual-level factors that mediate treatment outcomes among patients of an urban community-based setting, (ii) the effectiveness of psychotherapy on different patient outcomes, (iii) the role of stigma (individual and institutional) on the utilization and retention of psychological services among an urban marginalized population.