Congratulations to Dr. Taylor Martin on earning a PhD this summer! Dr. Martin's dissertation was titled, "Expert Consensus on Practices, Facilitators, and Barriers of Community Engaged Learning: A Delphi Study." Community engaged learning (CEL) is a promising pedagogical approach to higher education that promotes mutually beneficial partnerships with communities, but there are not well-established best practices for CEL. To address this gap, Taylor conducted a two-phase delphi study. Her findings inform recommendations for best practices in CEL implementation and provide information pertaining to factors that impact its implementation.

Dr. Martin is working as a Success Navigator and Instructor at The University of Olivet.

Congratulations to MSU Ecological-Community Psychology alumna Dr. Jaleah Rutledge on being awarded the 2025 Dissertation of the Year Award at the Society for Community Research and Action Biennial meeting held in East Lansing, Michigan on June 19, 2025.

Read the full story here.

Congratulations to Dr. Mallet Reid on earning a PhD this summer! Dr. Reid's dissertation was titled, "Hindering Health Equity: Oppression and Whiteness Pervade Trauma, Substance Use, and Therapy." Co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder (PTSD/SUD) is a serious public health issue affecting millions. People of color endure chronic and severe cases of PTSD/SUD due to their heightened exposure to common risk factors and to unique risk factors associated with the disorder. Mallet's dissertation found that oppression significantly contributes to PTSD/SUD incidence, exposure to discrimination exacerbates PTSD/SUD symptoms, and people of color wanted to address these issues in therapy. When they did attempt to address these issues in therapy, though, clinicians often invalidated their experiences or were underprepared to address them.

Dr. Reid is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow with MSU's Department of Family Medicine.

Congratulations to Dr. Jasmine Engleton on earning her PhD this summer! Drawing on Black feminist and intersectional frameworks, Jasmine’s dissertation focused on the healing trajectories of Black female sexual assault survivors with previously untested kits and their intersections with the criminal legal system. Jasmine found that those who experienced prolonged institutional betrayal from the criminal legal system were less likely to seek help resources, which delayed their healing process.

Jasmine is currently working as a Research Analyst at the Justice Information Resource Network, a national non-profit and resource center for researchers, analysts, journalists, and practitioners of justice research.

The Michigan State Psychology department congratulates psychology alumna Dr. Aisha Nyandoro on her recent TED Talk titled “What does ‘wealth’ mean to you?” Dr. Nyandoro, who specialized in ecological-community psychology at Michigan State, founded Magnolia Mother’s Trust, the longest-running guaranteed income program in the United States.

Read the full article here.

Congratulations to Dr. Rosaura Domínguez-Rebollaron on earning her PhD this summer!Rosaura used a mixed methods case study to test whether a targeted Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) approach is a feasible, acceptable, and appropriate method for improving MSU's College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) to more holistically support and promote the retention of Latine migrant farm-working students.

Rosaura's plans include an administrative position with student support services post graduation.

Dr. Katie Clements, assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, is a community psychologist whose journey has been marked by a deep commitment to community engagement and a belief in the transformative power of education. Through her research, teaching, and mentorship, Dr. Clements strives to empower individuals and communities, fostering thoughtful, engaged, and scholarly citizens who can effect positive social change. 

Read more about Dr. Clements here.

Congratulations to Dr. Jaleah Rutledge on earning her PhD this summer! For her dissertation, Dr. Rutledge drew on Black Feminist Theory and resilience frameworks to explore the sources of community, intrapersonal, and interpersonal strength that assist young Black women to mount a resilient response to acquiring an STI. Her committee was especially impressed by how she integrated these frameworks with narrative methods and journey mapping visualizations to center Black women's experiences, elevate their voices, and celebrate their strengths.

Dr. Rutledge will be joining Yale University School of Public Health as a postdoctoral research fellow.

Congratulations to Dr. Corbin Standley on earning his PhD this summer! For his dissertation, Corbin conducted participatory focus groups with high school students as part of a convergent multi-stage mixed-methods project that looked at the complex public health issue of suicide. This project furthers our understanding of how youth experience the intersections of identity, mental health and suicide, while informing the ways that schools can better support and affirm youth to aid in prevention.

Dr. Standley is a senior director at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

The College of Social Science congratulates psychology alumna Jennifer Lawlor on receiving the Ten Outstanding Young Americans Award by JCI USA . Dr. Lawlor, who earned a doctorate in ecological-community psychology, works to help communities understand, share information, and move to action on complex social issues.  

The Ten Outstanding Young Americans program has been celebrating the work of people between the ages of 18-40 since 1934. They celebrate ambitious individuals who work to create positive change locally, nationally, and globally. Previous recipients of the award include President Joe Biden, Arthur Ashe, and Leonard Bernstein.  

“Jenny is using cutting-edge research to help communities help themselves,” said former advisor Zachary Neal, Ph.D. “She's exactly the sort of person I have in mind as an outstanding young American."  

Read more about Dr. Lawlor here.

September is National Suicide Prevention month and Corbin Standley, an ecological-community psychology Ph.D. candidate, is uniquely equipped to share his story. Standley focuses on public health and community-level approaches to suicide prevention. He serves as a national director at the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. And he has his own story of loss by suicide.

Read more about Corbin Standley's story here.

We are proud of our four graduate students who completed their PhDs in Spring 2022! Congratulations to Drs. MK Kitzmiller, Funmi Ayeni, and Lauren Vollinger (not pictured, Dr. Isi Bilbao)!