Meet the COLOR Lab!
Shequanna Belizaire (She/Her)
Graduate Student
Shequanna is a second year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph. D. program working with Dr. Mekawi. She graduated from the University of Florida with a B.A. in Sociology and earned her M.A. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Cincinnati. Her current research interests involve studying the cognitive and behavioral motivators of racism and prejudice as well as exploring opportunities to develop population-driven interventions for BIPOC populations
Maryam Ware (She/Her)
Graduate Student
Maryam Ware is a second year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program working with Dr. Yara Mekawi. She graduated from Mount Holyoke College with a Bachelor of Arts in Neuroscience & Behavior with a minor in Psychology. Her current research interests include examining the mechanisms by which racism and its consequences impact development and using this knowledge to develop impactful interventions.
GRADUATE STUDENTS
Graduate Student
Lauren is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program working with Dr. Yara Mekawi. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelors of Arts in Psychology. Her current interests revolve around investigating the cognitive impacts of racism and discriminatory stress and its relationship with current and future mental health symptoms as well as developing culturally-sensitive interventions informed by the unique experiences of BIPOC individuals.
Lauren Hall (She/Her)
Graduate Student
Meg is a first-year graduate student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program working with Dr. Mekawi. She graduated from the University of Louisville with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and a minor in Biology. Meg’s research interests include anti-racism interventions and the cognitive mechanisms of racism within racially privileged groups. By systemically analyzing how racist thoughts are formed and maintained, Meg hopes to identify effective interventions to reduce racist beliefs and mitigate the impacts of racism on BIPOC communities.
Meg Powers (She/Her)
Isabella Johnson (She/her)
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Isabella Johnson is a Junior who is majoring in Psychology and Pan-African Studies. She is a Porter Scholar and Brown Fellow at the university. She is dedicated to understanding the of impacts of experiencing intersectional discrimination on the mental wellbeing of people with marginalized identities.
Kelsey Leenerts (She/Her)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
My name is Kelsey Leenerts, and I'm a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Louisville, majoring in Psychology and pursuing a minor in Criminal Justice. My drive to be in the COLOR Lab stems from a passion to understand how racism affects development and to improve psychological testing to be more inclusive for everyone.
Omar Elathamna (He/Him)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
My name is Omar Elathamna, and I am a 4th-year Undergraduate Psychology major with a minor in Philosophy. I am Vice President of SAHA, Treasurer of the Black and Brown Pre-Law Society, and serve as co-chair of Cultural Arts and Heritage on the SAB board.
Mya Moore (She/her)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
I am a third-year undergraduate student pursuing a double major in Neuroscience and Psychology and a certificate in ethics. I am a Porter Scholar and an Honors Scholar. I plan to pursue a PhD or PsyD in Clinical Psychology to specialize in neuropsychology to go into neuropsychological testing. My research interests include the impacts of system racism on minority groups. I want to explore how racism impacts minority groups’ ability to have access to mental health and how it impacts development throughout life. I also would like to explore how systemic racism impacts psychological testing for developmental disorders, learning disabilities, and other disorders. I wanted to join the COLOR Lab because racism and social justice issues are a passion of mine. My time at the COLOR Lab will help me explore different perspectives as I further my education.
Gentille Ntakarutimana (She/Her)
Post-Bach Research Assistant
Gentille is a recent UofL MBA graduate with plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. As a Black refugee from Africa, her research interests center on the racial identity struggles and trauma faced by Black immigrants navigating both the legacy of displacement and the realities of anti-Blackness in America. Through the COLOR Lab, she hopes to strengthen her research foundation and explore the intersections of race, migration, and mental health in underserved communities.
Kamryn Campbell (She/Her)
Undergraduate Research Assistant
My name is Kamryn Campbell, and I am a second-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology at the University of Louisville. In addition to my academic work, I am involved as a manager for the university’s women’s lacrosse team. I plan to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology in the future, with the goal of contributing to research and practice that promotes equitable mental health care. My research interests include systematic disparities in women’s health and mental health treatment within prison systems; particularly how structural inequities affect access to care and psychological outcomes. I chose to join the COLOR Lab because it offers an opportunity to gain a new perspective on research while providing hands-on experiences and mentorship that align with my academic and career goals. Through involvement in the lab, I hope to further develop my research skills, deepen my understanding of systemic inequities in mental health, and learn from faculty and peers who are committed to socially meaningful research.
Dr. Yara Mekawi (She/Her)
Director and Assistant Professor
Dr. Yara Mekawi is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences and head of the Challenging Ongoing Legacies of Racism (COLOR) Lab. Dr. Mekawi earned her PhD in Clinical and Community Psychology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
FACULTY & STAFF
FACULTY & STAFF
Maddie Bailey (She/Her)
Lab Manager
Maddie is continuing to work in post-bacculareate research to enhance her research skills and prepare to apply for Clinical Psychology Ph.D programs. She is interested in research on the stress/anxiety/trauma continuum in high-risk adult populations and examining social and societal factors interactions with severity of symptoms and presentation. She is also a research assistant for the Kent School of Social Work for a project partnered with Wellspring to evaluate integrated care for persons experiencing homelessness and co-occurring substance use and mental illness.
AFFILLIATED ALUMNI
Kay Boyd (She/They)
Post-Bach Research Assistant
Kay has recently graduated from UofL with a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology. Kay continues to work with the COLOR Lab during her gap year. This spring Kay will be applying to Forensic Psychology programs in pursuit of a specialized Clinical Psychology PhD.