Jillian R. Scheer, PhD, is a licensed counseling psychologist, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rhode Island, and Director of the Minority Stress & Trauma (MST) Lab. Dr. Scheer is also a research affiliate at the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS at the Yale School of Public Health.

Dr. Scheer earned a Ph.D. in counseling psychology from Boston College and completed a predoctoral clinical internship at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s/West Hospital in New York City. Dr. Scheer also completed an NIMH T32 postdoctoral fellowship in psychiatric epidemiology at the Yale School of Public Health. Dr. Scheer is the author of over 80 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Scheer’s research has been supported by grants from NIAAA, NIMHD, the William T. Grant Foundation, and the American Psychological Foundation. Dr. Scheer’s work has been recognized through several awards (e.g., NIMHD Research Institute Scholar, NIH Office of Research on Women’s Health).

Dr. Scheer’s work examines the biopsychosocial determinants of substance use, mental health concerns, and chronic pelvic pain among trauma-exposed individuals and those with minoritized identities (e.g., sexual and gender minority people). Dr. Scheer’s research leverages ecological momentary assessment, qualitative inquiry, and wearable sensors to inform just-in-time adaptive interventions that address the intersection of pelvic pain, substance use, and trauma in real-world settings. Dr. Scheer also investigates multilevel factors influencing help-seeking and linkage to care, and develops scalable in-person, telehealth, and digital mental and behavioral health interventions tailored to sexual and gender minority populations.

Gabriella (Gabby) Epshteyn Gabby is a third-year doctoral student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program under the mentorship of Dr. Jillian Scheer. She graduated with her BA in Psychology from Baruch College, City University of New York, and earned her Masters in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in global mental health and trauma from Columbia University, Teachers College. Before coming to URI, Gabby served in various research coordinator/program manager roles across the Veterans Health Administration, Columbia University, and the Mount Sinai Health System. Gabby’s research focuses on the intersection of suicide, trauma, substance use, and personality disorders, with an emphasis on adapting transdiagnostic mindfulness-based interventions within historically underrepresented and marginalized communities. In Gabby’s free time she enjoys thrifting and spending time with her two dogs.

Rachel Girard is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Psychology, Ph.D. program. After earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Kalamazoo College, MI in 2019, she worked at Michigan Medicine as a clinical research coordinator on several projects aimed at increasing access to evidence-based substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. At URI, she has continued studying her interests in health utilization, with an emphasis on improving access and treatment experiences among marginalized communities under the mentorship of Dr. Spillane (now at ASU) and Dr. Scheer. Rachel was awarded the F31 application from NIDA exploring intervention stigma surrounding buprenorphine prescribing and use in the Veterans Health Administration, which will serve as her dissertation project. Outside of the lab, her interests include playing volleyball, doing heated workout classes, and spending time at the beach.

Katerine (Katya) Rashkovsky; Katya is a first-year Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student mentored by Dr. Jillian Scheer. They earned their B.S. in Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, San Diego. During and after completing their undergraduate degree, Katya worked as a research assistant and coordinator at the San Diego Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, supporting various projects focused on increasing access to and enhancing the efficacy of treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). They are interested in research on developing and evaluating scalable, accessible interventions for PTSD and minority stress, particularly in sexual and gender minority populations. Outside of research, they enjoy rock climbing, hiking, backpacking, and spending time with their cat (Styles) and dog (Sky).

Natalie Chasten graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and a minor in nutrition. She is thrilled to be supporting the Minority Stress & Trauma Lab as a research assistant and hopes to pursue a graduate degree in psychology in the future. Her research interests include behavioral endocrinology, eating disorder behaviors, sports psychology, and mental health interventions for sexual and gender minorities.

Aria Schiappa (she/her) is a rising sophomore at the University of Rhode Island studying neuroscience and psychology. Aria will be a researcher assistant in the lab and cannot wait to begin. Her research interests include all things neuroscience and psychology but specifically genetics and neurodegenerative disorders and their causes. Aria hopes to pursue a masters degree in genetic counseling post-grad.

Makayla Leon is a senior working on her BA in Psychology and BA in Criminology/Criminal Justice at the University of Rhode Island. Her research interests include the impact of stressors on the health of marginalized communities and forensic psychology. She also plans to pursue a graduate degree in psychology in the future. She is excited to be a part of the Minority Stress & Trauma Lab as a research assistant!

Olivia Camire is am a Junior at URI working towards my BS in Public Health with a minor in Psychology. Olivia hopes to pursue a Masters in Physician Assistant Studies in the future and is thrilled to be joining the MST lab as a research assistant this summer!

Kayla Archer is a junior at URI, double majoring in Neuropharmacology (B.S) and Psychology (B.S) with hopes of obtaining a career in clinical research. Her role as an undergraduate research assistant includes participant engagement and recruitment, collecting physiological data, and interpreting data collected from the studies. She is excited to work with the Minority Stress & Trauma Lab to gain experience in biopsychosocial research!