Check out my TEDx Talk here!

I'm an Assistant Professor of Psychology at Loyola Marymount University, where I direct the HOPES Lab: Harm reduction · Outcomes · Policy Engagement · Substance use. 

Before joining LMU, I spent a year as a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow working in the U.S. Senate applying psychology and public health expertise directly to health policy. That transformative experience grounds my research in the realities of the policymaking process and strengthens my work on behavioral health, recovery, and community well-being. My work with the HOPES Lab focuses on how social connection influences substance use, mental health, and health equity — and how evidence can guide policies that reduce harm and support individual and community health.

I believe the best policies come from understanding both the science and the lived experiences of the people they affect. That's what drives my work every day.