Meet the COLOR Lab!
Alex Cowand (She/They)
Graduate Student
Alex is a fourth-year clinical psychology graduate student in the COLOR lab. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.A. in Mathematics and a minor in Neuroscience. Their current research interests include the psychological and somatic experiences of oppression and how ecological levels impact the mental health and well-being of historically excluded populations.
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)
Undergraduate RA
Brianna Williams is a third year Honor’s Scholar, Porter Scholar, and Psychology Major with a minor in Diversity and Inequality. Along with serving as a research assistant in the COLOR Lab, she also works as a student facilitator of Antiracism workshops through the Kent School of Social Work and serves as the Marketing Director of the Engage Lead Serve Board. It is through these positions and endeavors that she strives to promote diversity and inclusion at the University of Louisville.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Brianna Williams (She/Her)
Avery Huff (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Avery is a Junior with a major in psychology on a pre-PA track. At the university, she is a porters scholar and the treasurer of the student parent association. Within the COLOR lab, she hopes to learn more about the experiences of minorities as well as herself. With those experiences in mind, she strives to promote quality medical attention to patients belonging to underrepresented groups.
Luz Moreno (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Luz Moreno is Senior pursuing a B.S. in Psychology with a minor in Spanish. She is also the vice president for the TRIO Student Support Services on campus which focuses on serving low income first generation minority students.
This encompasses the passion she has to explore the needs of minority groups in mental health areas and hopes to focus on the Latinx community when pursuing her PhD in Clinical Psychology.
Olivia Roth (She/Her)
Undergraduate RA
Olivia is a second year Psychology major at the University of Louisville with a minor in Spanish. Outside of her position as a research assistant with the COLOR lab, she is the Vice President of UofL’s chapter if the Kentucky Public Health Association and has worked as an Industrial/Organizational Psychology Intern with the Department of Homeland Security. Her research interests include studying the impacts of systemic and generational trauma in BIPOC communities and incorporating such research into governmental entities and public policy.
Malyah Spencer (She/Her)
Research Assistant
Malyah is a senior undergraduate student at UofL double majoring in psychology and sociology with a minor in social change. She is an MLK Scholar, Woodford R. Porter Scholar and in the University Honors Program. She is serving as a research assistant in the COLOR Lab and plans to continue her research efforts in a clinical psychology PhD program post-graduation.
Her research interests are to explore the psychosocial impacts of discriminatory experiences on BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ adults, specifically regarding mood disorders, resilience, and interpersonal relationships.
POST-BAC RESEARCH ASSISTANTS
Darrian Evans (She/Her)
Post-Bac Research Assistant
Darrian is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPCC) at the UofL-Peace Hospital providing clinical services to individuals in crisis. She received her BA from the University of Louisville in Psychology and M.Ed in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Western Kentucky University.
She aspires to apply for a PhD in Clinical Psychology focusing on the topics of mental health and trauma in communities of historically underserved populations
Calie Pannell (She/Her)
Post-Bac Research Assistant
Calie Pannell a first-year master's student in the Counseling Psychology Program. She graduated from Berea College with her B.A. in Psychology and was previously a student intern for the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services under the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental, and Intellectual Disabilities.
Her current research interests include BIPOC and marginalized populations, social justice, and correctional mental health.
India Mccray (She/Her)
Post-Bac Research Assistant
India McCray is a UofL graduate. Along with serving as a research assistant in the COLOR lab, she also works as a peer advisor ambassador for the college of arts and sciences and a part time supervisor at UPS. . Through these different endeavors, India is working to make connections at UofL, gain mentor experience, and gain research experience to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology.
Simone Sibley-McBride (She/Her)
Post-Bac Research Assistant
Simone Sibley-McBride is a graduate of Spelman College who currently works as the Health Equity Training Coordinator within Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness’s Center for Health Equity. Passionate about dismantling oppressive systems based on racism, collaboratively redesigning equitable solutions and interventions through shared power and working towards holistic well-being for all, Simone is a life-long learner who yearns to be of service and support collective healing.
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
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.