Team

Lab Director

Briana Shiri Last, Ph.D.

Dr. Last directs the Mental Healthcare for All Lab. Dr. Last is an Assistant Professor in the psychology department at Stony Brook University. Dr. Last employs both quantitative and qualitative methods to examine the social determinants of mental health and mental health service provision. They research how political and economic forces impact public mental health service systems and the workers providing care in these clinical settings. In addition to their academic research, they write about the history of psychiatry and the political economy of mental health care and social services. You can find their popular work in venues such as The Nation, Boston Review, Dissent, and Psyche.

Curriculum Vitae

 

Photo by Luis Pedro Castillo Pictures for PRIDEnet

Graduate Students

Laura Jans

Laura started the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Stony Brook in the fall of 2024. She is interested in characterizing multilevel factors—such as provider and organizational characteristics, intervention elements, and intervention delivery models—that influence the uptake, accessibility, and effectiveness of evidence-based treatments. Additionally, Laura is interested in identifying and measuring structural level determinants of mental health and implementation outcomes. She seeks to use both qualitative and quantitative methods within her research to center the needs and perspectives of providers, patients, and other stakeholders. Laura holds a B.S. and M.A. in psychology from Stony Brook University and previously worked as a research coordinator for Dr. Jessica Schleider’s Lab for Scalable Mental Health at Northwestern University.

Rafael Esteva Haché

Rafael started the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program at Stony Brook in the fall of 2024. He seeks to advance research to improve and implement evidence based interventions in under-resourced settings. Rafael is interested in investigating ways to tailor implementation efforts based on system, organization, provider, and client factors. Some of these factors include economic and political forces, organizational capacity, and provider training. Rafael previously worked as a researcher, implementation facilitator, and sleep therapist with Allison Harvey at UC Berkeley’s Golden Bear Sleep and Mood Research Clinic. He completed a BA in Ethics, Politics, and Economics at Yale University.

Rebecca Mirhashem

Rebecca entered Stony Brook University’s Clinical Psychology Ph.D. in Fall of 2020 (Primary Mentor: Kristin Bernard, PhD). Rebecca is interested in increasing access to effective parenting interventions for families with children of all ages, as well as conducting research on parenting styles and social-emotional development in early childhood. In addition, Rebecca is interested in conducting implementation research to improve policy initiatives that benefit all children and families, including those involved in the foster care system.

Volunteer Research Assistants

Madeline Poupard

Madeline graduated with a B.A. in psychology and a double minor in women’s and gender studies and history from the University of Michigan. She completed a thesis with honors in Dr. Felix Warneken’s lab looking at children’s perceptions of economic inequality. She is broadly interested in the role of policy factors in mental healthcare access and implementation considerations in public settings.

Nicole Teow

Nicole Teow is a volunteer research assistant at the Mental Healthcare for All Lab and a post-baccalaureate psychology student at UC Berkeley. She is interested in structural dissemination and implementation research, scalable intervention delivery models, clinical judgment and decision making. She is making a career switch to clinical psychology and hopes to conduct research and practice. Nicole was previously Vice President of Product Innovation at Tia, a women’s healthcare startup. She holds a BAS in Biomedical Science from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Northwestern University. In her free time, you can find Nicole at farmers markets, on the trails with her dog, Rindo, or curled up with a book.

Tatiana Rogel

Tatiana graduated from Stony Brook in 2025 with a double major in Psychology and Sociology with a minor in Health, Medicine, and Society. She is passionate about improving the accessibility and availability of mental health care services for those who need them. Her long-term goal is to obtain a PhD in psychology and use her career as a weapon to travel around the world helping underrepresented communities to give them a voice and the help they need to support the next generation to be the change for their communities.

Noah Williamson

Noah is a volunteer research assistant in the Mental Healthcare for All Lab. They are interested in LGBTQIA+ mental health and currently preparing to apply to graduate school in the mental health field after a 9 year career in tech. Noah completed their undergraduate degree in English Literature with a minor in Women’s Studies at the University of Central Florida.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Mia Murata

Mia is a senior at Stony Brook University with a major in B.S. Psychology and a minor in Biology. She’s interested in the field of Clinical Psychology and aims to be a therapist in the future. She’s passionate about improving accessibility of mental health care for the general public and learning more about mood disorders and their treatments. Mia plans to continue her Psychology education in graduate school.

Akshita Arora

Akshita is a senior at Stony Brook University majoring in psychology. She is interested in exploring the various subsections of psychology. She wants to better understand the clinical side, as well as how to improve mental health resources and services for both therapists and clients. In the future, she plans to continue her education in graduate school.

Crystal Zheng

Crystal is a junior majoring in Psychology and Business Management. She is passionate about supporting children and neurodivergent individuals, helping them develop the skills and confidence to achieve greater independence. Crystal plans to pursue graduate studies in Applied Behavior Analysis and become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst to create meaningful changes in the lives of those who need it.

Karla Wilches

Karla is a junior at Stony Brook University, majoring in Psychology (B.S.) with a minor in Chemistry. She is passionate about improving access to mental health care for low income and minority communities, with a focus on childhood and adolescent psychiatry. Her long term goal is to become a psychiatrist and open a clinic that provides affordable mental health care for children and families.

Jonathan Cheung

Jonathan is a junior at Stony Brook University majoring in Biology on a pre-med track. He is passionate about providing compassionate, patient-centered care and improving access to healthcare. Since his freshman year, Jonathan has volunteered at the university children’s hospital and worked as a medical assistant in New York City. He plans to attend medical school after completing undergrad.

Isla Wang

Isla is a sophomore majoring in Psychology at Stony Brook University. She is passionate
about clinical psychology and supporting individuals facing emotional and cognitive
challenges. With prior research experience in adolescent academic disengagement and a
growing interest in clinical psychology, Isla is eager to further explore evidence-based
approaches to improve mental health outcomes. She plans to pursue graduate training in
Clinical Psychology with the long-term goal of bridging research and therapy to create
meaningful change in the lives of those she serves.

Lab Alumni

Research Support Specialists

Madeline Kiefer (in lab 2023-2024). Now: PsyD in clinical psychology at West Chester University

Ahnaf Annur (in lab 2022-2023).

Master’s students

Elizabeth Aubin (in lab 2023-2024).

Yuanyuan Yang (in lab 2022-2023). Now: PhD in clinical psychology at the University of Kansas

Undergraduate students

Iris Chiou (in lab 2023-2025). Now: Master’s student in psychology at Columbia University

Emily Ramirez (in lab 2024-2025). Now: Stony Brook undergraduate

Samantha Morreale (in lab 2022-2024). Now: Stony Brook undergraduate

Samantha Seibert (in lab 2022-2023). Now: Stony Brook undergraduate

Maria Ryding (in lab 2022-2023). Now: Stony Brook undergraduate

Rosena Petit Homme (in lab 2022-2023). Now: Stony Brook undergraduate

Cristian Farias (in lab 2022-2023). Now: Graduated from Stony Brook.