Courtney Colgan, MA 

Courtney (she/her) is a 6th year doctoral student in Dr. Lai's lab, currently on an APA internship at Cambridge Health Alliance. She earned her BA in History and MA in Mental Health Counseling from Boston College. 

Courtney's dissertation focuses on decent work and its association with mental and physical health among Latina immigrants. Her research interests center around the intersection of experiences of oppression and trauma, especially as it applies to asylum seekers, human trafficking survivors, and disaster survivors. Courtney is also interested in the experience of migration, transnational families, and the psychosocial effects of U.S. immigration policy on immigrant-origin families and communities. She is interested in community-based participatory research and clinical interventions that seek to empower historically-marginalized groups. 

Barbora Hoskova, MA

Barbora (she/her) is a 5th year doctoral student in Dr. Lai's lab. She earned her BA in Psychology and Anthropology from Tufts University. Her research interests are centered around the effects of sociocultural and contextual factors on coping, resilience, and post-traumatic functioning in children. In particular, she is interested in the role that cultural, family, and health factors play in children's post-traumatic functioning. Barbora is also interested in mixed-methods research, and in contributing to the development of culturally sensitive interventions, especially ones focused on prevention. 

Alexa Riobueno-Naylor, MA

Alexa (she/her) is a 4th year doctoral student in Dr. Lai's lab. She earned a BA in Psychology and Sociology from Wellesley College in 2018 and served as a research coordinator at Massachusetts General Hospital and Shriners Hospitals for Children for two years after graduation. 

Alexa's dissertation focuses on the impact of exposure to multiple weather-related disaster events on risk for depression and suicidality in youth. She is dedicated to translating her research findings into actionable insights that inform the development of effective prevention and intervention strategies for young people and their families who have been affected by disasters and other forms of collective trauma. As a clinician, she focuses on serving youth and families using evidence-based, culturally informed interventions. 

Mauricio Montes, BA

Mauricio (he/him) is a second-year doctoral student in Dr. Lai’s lab. He is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow and Bill Anderson Fund Fellow. Mauricio earned his BA in Psychology and BS in Human Development at Binghamton University and his MA in Counseling Theories at Boston College. Before his doctoral studies, Mauricio served as a clinical research assistant at a treatment center specializing in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder and their families for two years. During this time, he focused on assessing treatment outcomes to enhance the accessibility, inclusivity, and effectiveness of interventions for PTSD.

Mauricio is interested in researching how intersectional oppression shapes trauma exposure, symptoms, and recovery to facilitate affirming and empowering healing journeys. Mauricio is engaged in research supported by the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students and Psi Chi: International Honor Society of Psychology to better understand the experiences of caregivers of young people at clinical high risk for psychosis.