Elizabeth Bates is a doctoral student in the Prevention Science program. Prior to joining the PhD program, she worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care and emergency medicine. Under the supervision of her doctoral advisor, Dr. Leslie Leve, Elizabeth studies contextual factors that affect child health and development, with a focus on protective factors to address health inequalities. She connects her work with science communication and research translation practices to support evidence-informed policies and practices to better serve children and families. She is currently a fellow with the Research Translation Platform.  

Lauren Berny is a Doctoral Candidate in Prevention Science. Her program of research focuses on adolescent substance use and mental health, evidence synthesis, and social environmental effects on health outcomes. In 2024, she received an R36 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to support her dissertation research testing the long-term effects and underlying mechanisms of recovery high school attendance. In the future, she hopes to continue her line of research at a research-intensive university or institution, with the ultimate goal of using rigorous analytical approaches to inform preventive interventions and improve evidence-based decision-making.

Maya Casper is a doctoral student in Prevention Science at the University of Oregon. With her background in public health, she has had the opportunity to participate in health promotion activities at the local, state, and federal levels. Her research interests include interventions for corrections-involved individuals and improving substance use outcomes. She is interested in exploring those topics through mixed methods research emphasizing implementation and translational approaches. Maya hopes to continue to pursue related research opportunities utilizing strength-based and community-informed frameworks.

Zach Farley is a doctoral candidate in the Prevention Science program. His academic background includes a BS in Exercise Science and an MPH with a focus on chronic disease prevention.

Zach’s research interests revolve around community health promotion and prevention of chronic diseases; specifically, by promoting physical activity and nature exposure. He is also passionate about examining the influence of community context on individuals’ health behaviors and outcomes. Looking ahead, Zach aims to serve communities through outreach, advocacy, and participatory research, and he aspires to become a professor, where he hopes to help shape the next generation of public health professionals.

Rebecca Gordon joined the Prevention Science PhD program in 2021. She received a bachelor's degree in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and a master's degree in Behavioral and Social Health Sciences from Brown University. Rebecca's research examines potential genetic, behavioral, and environmental mechanisms that impact the relationship between early exposure to adversity (i.e., poverty) and long-term psychological and physiological outcomes in adolescence. Before her PhD, she conducted research in various settings, ranging from the university, to local community clinics, and emergency medicine in the hospital. During her PhD, she earned doctoral specializations in Educational Data Science and Quantitative Research Methods. 

Vivian Koomson is a PhD student and research assistant at the UO Suicide Prevention Lab, specializing in school-based mental health promotion, suicide prevention, implementation science, and program evaluation. With a master's in Prevention Science and previous experience as an Assistant Director of Education in Ghana, her research focuses on generating insights to inform the development of systems and programs that provide optimal mental health and educational services to at-risk and underserved youth. Her goal is to help address inequalities and cultural differences in designing interventions that promote youth mental health. Vivian aspires to become an academic who positively impacts society through teaching, research, and practice.

Marielena McWhirter Boisen received her BAs in Political Science and Spanish through the UO Honors College in 2019, completing three terms abroad at the University of Oxford. McWhirter Boisen spent two years working for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities before pursuing a MS in Prevention Science at UO in 2021, matriculating into the PhD program in 2022. Her research focuses on suicide prevention among adolescent and older adult populations, and suicide prevention policy, implementation, and evaluation. She currently serves as Lab Manager for the UO Suicide Prevention Lab and participates in the RADD Lab and CYPEER Lab as well.

Abbie Sanders is currently pursuing a PhD in Prevention Science. She completed her MS in the same field from the University of Oregon in 2022. Her primary objective is to provide assistance to families who are involved in the criminal legal system by developing and evaluating educational and community-based programs. Abbie is particularly interested in implementing restorative, rehabilitative, and harm-reduction interventions for both youth and adults with problematic substance use. Her recent research involves supporting parents with substance use disorders as they transition from correctional institutions. She employs both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in her research.

Contact info: asander6@uoregon.edu

Audrey Sileci is a Prevention Science doctoral student whose research focuses on supporting marginalized children and families globally through evidence-informed, strengths-based programs. With a professional background in Brazil and Mexico supporting children in out-of-home care, Audrey is passionate about partnering with nonprofit organizations that promote children’s rights with community-based approaches. Current research projects include a mixed-methods evaluation of a child protection program in Central America (Miles de Manos), a needs assessment for an Oregon-based nonprofit of post-adoption family support programs (with ORI CES), and work on the Family Check-Up (a brief, strengths-based parenting intervention) for parents with histories of substance misuse.

Avery Turner is a doctoral student in the Prevention Science program. Under the supervision of her doctoral advisor, Dr. Leslie Leve, Avery researches risk and protective factors for substance misuse among young adults, with a focus on underrepresented communities.

Mandi Ward received a Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Neuroscience with a specialization in research at the University of Kansas. Post-undergrad, she moved to Arizona and worked as a clinical psychometrist in the field of neuropsychology then transitioned to working in clinical research trials as a clinical rater/research assistant. Mandi’s research interest surrounds prevention of neurological diseases through health behaviors. She hopes to pursue a career in clinical research trials that focus on neurological diseases and specialize in data science.

Tracy Zehner’s research focuses on interventions in early childhood for self-regulation and social-emotional development. In addition, she is committed to research focused on establishing equitable practices and systems in PreK-12 classrooms to support the academic development, social-emotional functioning, and over-all well-being of all children and older students. Tracy received her bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and her MEd from the University of Hartford.