Our Mission

Through education and outreach, our mission is to increase participant diversity and engagement in mental health research and to empower community members affected by mental health challenges via their collaboration and personal contributions.

Our Vision

Our vision is to bridge the gap between researchers and individuals whose lives are impacted by mental illness in order to pave the way for a more inclusive environment where mental health research can serve and benefit everyone.

Our Team

We are a group of mental health researchers, clinicians, community members, students, and volunteers with an interest in promoting mental health and mental health research. Click on each of the profiles below to learn more about our team!

Director

Dr. Katy Thakkar
Advisory Board

Catherine Adams
Advisory Board

Dr. Kaston Anderson Jr.
Advisory Board

Nicole Armour
Advisory Board

Carrie Lee Edwards
Undergraduate Project Manager

Sophia Futo
Advisory Board

Emily Giedzinski
Advisory Board

Megan Mikhail

Dr Jason Moser

Dr John Waller

Director

Dr. Katy Thakkar

Katy Thakkar (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at Michigan State University and licensed Psychologist in the state of Michigan. Her research is focused on understanding causes for the symptoms of schizophrenia and related conditions and understanding what factors promote wellbeing in individuals that experience psychosis. Katy developed MSU Mental Health Research Connect to promote the exchange of knowledge and collaboration between academic scholars and individuals in the community and to facilitate community engagement in mental health research.

Email:kthakkar@msu.edu

Advisory Board

Catherine Adams

Catherine Adams, LMSW, ACSW, CAADC, received her MSW from Michigan State University. She worked for over 30 years for the Clinton-Eaton-Ingham Community Mental Health Board in Lansing, MI as a senior clinician and clinical manager serving consumers living with mental health distress and their families. Ms. Adams has served as Project Director for multiple national research endeavors exploring the benefits of early intervention following a first episode of psychosis. Ms. Adams is also the Owner and Clinical Director of ETCH (Early Treatment and Cognitive Health) which provides RAISE-NAVIGATE Coordinated Specialty Care interventions to young adults experiencing a first episode of psychosis and their families. Ms. Adams is the Consultant/Trainer for First Episode Psychosis programs in the state of Michigan. Cathy is excited to be a part of this exciting endeavor to create a collaborative approach to research in the mental health field and believes that the voices of those with lived experience are essential to successful endeavors and meaningful outcomes.

Advisory Board

Dr. Kaston Anderson Jr.

Dr. Kaston Anderson-Carpenter (he/him/his) is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University. A behavioral psychologist by training, he has master’s degrees in public health, applied behavior analysis, and experimental psychology. His research interests are in addiction and health equity in underserved and marginalized populations. He is also a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral and is licensed in the state of Michigan.

At Michigan State University, he is a Core Faculty in the MSU Consortium for Multicultural Psychology Research, the MSU Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health, and the MSU Center on Gender in Global Context. Additionally, he is an Affiliate Faculty in the MSU Institute of Public Policy and Social Research. Currently, Dr. Anderson-Carpenter serves as Guest Editor for three scientific journals and is on the Editorial Board for a fourth. Moreover, he is a member of the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) Practice Board.

Dr. Anderson-Carpenter is an award-wining and sought-after scholar, providing expertise on several national and international projects. Some of these projects include: (1) community engagement and health outcomes for the kink community; (2) HIV, substance use, and Hepatitis C in First Nations and Métis peoples in Saskatchewan, Canada; and (3) measuring minority stress among transgender adults. His work has been featured on radio and television, and he has given talks to both national and international audiences.

One of Dr. Anderson-Carpenter’s projects examines the psychosocial and behavioral impacts of COVID-19 on adults across five countries. This study is one of the largest, if not the largest, study of its kind, and it includes over 2,500 adults from the United States, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, and India. One of his recent COVID-19 papers examines racial and political disparities between Black and White Michiganders, which has been published in the Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities.

Advisory Board

Nicole Armour

Nicole Armour received her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from DePaul University. She has been working in First Episode Psychosis programs for the past eight years, and she has previously worked as a Peer Support Specialist, Cognitive Adaptation Trainer, and Supported Employment and Education Specialist. Nicole is passionate about workplace and education accessibility and is excited to further advocate for individuals with disabilities by participating in MSU Mental Health Research Connect.

Advisory Board

Carrie Lee Edwards

Carrie Lee Edwards received her Associate of Art – AA, Art/Art Studies in 2006. Ever since then, Carrie has shared her love for art with everyone she possibly could; allowing her to make connections in her community and foster healing. Committed to helping others, Carrie teaches art techniques for coping and advocates for equity in art therapies for the disabled. Additionally, having over a decade of experience working with nonprofits (such as NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness), Carrie has immersed herself in the world of mental health. Volunteering as a facilitator for NAMI Connection support group has allowed her to gain much insight to the needs of those with challenging mental health disorders. Through NAMI’s In Our Own Voice program, Carrie was able to share her unique story with others, to advocate for and support the mental health community. Furthermore, her involvement with the Ending The Silence program has helped her reach youth, by educating students on mental health and suicide prevention and providing resources for students to take with them. NAMIcon2023 gave Carrie a platform for more advocacy, as she was selected to present her proposal (on equitable mental health services for the d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing community) during this event.

Following NAMIcon2023, Carrie sought to put her proposal into action by creating an initiative with programs that align with this mission. Her volunteer efforts are focused in other areas besides the mental health realm, as she continues to fill needs within her community wherever possible, including volunteering at Riverview Church in the children’s (RivKids) classrooms enriching the children with Bible stories and activities. Her faith is of most importance to her, and she is committed to her involvement in the Riverview Community group where members come together and serve the community. Being involved in many causes and nonprofit efforts helped Carrie share her writing skills and passion in this area. She is a professional writer, ghost writer, copy editor and content creator; excelling in creative writing and teaching healing through poetry. Carrie has been involved in the grant seeking process for nonprofits in the Detroit and Lansing area, and aims to continue to unleash her creativity to make a positive impact, especially through writing. While also being a member of the Mid-Michigan Art Guild, Carrie recently joined the Art Interactive in Lansing and aims to teach art workshops and promote positive coping skills in her community.

Her unique experiences with her mental health struggles, being a disabled individual, as well as supporting immediate family members who struggle with mental illness, only strengthens her passion and motivation to help others. Carrie is appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of MSU Mental Health Research Connect, and is very excited to be a voice in this meaningful way.

Undergraduate Project Manager

Sophia Futo

Sophia is a first-year undergraduate student at MSU earning her bachelors degree in Psychology and Criminal Justice. She currently works as MHRC’s Undergraduate Project Manager and a Professorial Research Assistant with the MSU College of Law. Sophia is also a member of the Honors College and the Social Science Scholars Program. Her ultimate career goal is to work as a Forensic Psychologist, helping to combat the marginalization and mistreatment of individuals with severe mental illness within the criminal justice system.

Advisory Board

Emily Giedzinski

Emily White (Giedzinski) is a third year law student at Michigan State University with big dreams of helping people through the legal profession. She is a devoted wife to her husband Adam and mother to their geriatric chihuahua Spanky whom they rescued last October. Emily law clerks at Casey D. Conklin law firm where she is building on her trusts and estates education through school. She aspires to work on pet trusts one day, an area of law that leaves plenty of room for pro bono work with the elderly and disabled, protecting their furry best friends forever. She would like to complete a MLS or LLM in Animal Law from Lewis and Clark University to help propel her career forward in helping animals. She finds great inspiration in key advocates like Elyn Saks and wants to be that kind of advocate for someone who needs her.

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Advisory Board

Megan Mikhail

Megan Mikhail is a PhD student in the clinical science program at MSU. Their research focuses on eating disorders – in particular, how biological factors (such as genes and hormones) interact with psychosocial risk to give rise to eating disorders and other mental health concerns. They are passionate about addressing stigma around mental illness and increasing access to mental health research and care, especially for people from marginalized and disadvantaged populations.

Dr Jason Moser

Dr. Jason Moser is Professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at Michigan State University.  He received his BA in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University and his MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Delaware. Dr. Moser’s work lies at the intersection of clinical, cognitive neuroscience, social-personality, and developmental research. Prior to arriving at MSU as an assistant professor and director of the MSU Clinical Psychophysiology Lab, Dr. Moser completed a one-year clinical internship at the Boston Consortium in Clinical Psychology where he received training in the treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in military veterans. Dr. Moser’s previous clinical training was at the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Treatment and Study of Anxiety.

Dr John Waller

John Waller is a historian of medicine by training who has left the archive behind in preference for research and community service in fields related to mental health care, neigborhood poverty, and the criminal justice system. As director of MSU’s Social Science Scholars Program, an initiative which recruits able and socially conscious undergraduates, John also mentors students who are involved in Mental Health Research Connect and other community-related endeavors. He looks forward to contributing in any ways he can to the inclusion of people with lived experience of mental illness in all aspects of the research process.