Project Team

Principal Investigator

Dr. Pamela Martin

Professor

Dr. Pamela Martin is a Professor in the Department of Psychology and African American Studies Program at the University of South Carolina.  Prior to returning to her alma mater, she served as the Associate Dean in the College of Juvenile Justice and Interim Department Head in the Psychology Department at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Before coming to PVAMU, she served for two years as the Chair in the Department of Psychology at North Carolina Central University (NCCU). At NCCU, she instituted the department’s branding message and the use of social media to help the department’s green efforts. She also increased the number of undergraduate and graduate students participating in research. Starting her academic career at North Carolina State University, she was the first African American female tenured in the Department of Psychology in 2009. For her outreach efforts in the Raleigh- Durham areas in 2008, Dr. Martin was inducted into the Academy of Outstanding Faculty Engaged in Extension and Engagement at NC State University. She holds a B.S. in Psychology from University of South Carolina, M.A. in Psychology from North Carolina Central University and a Ph.D. in Ecological/Community Psychology and Urban Studies from Michigan State University. After completing her graduate training, Dr. Martin was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the Programs for Research on Black Americans at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Influenced by ecological theory, Dr. Martin is interested in examining the person-environmental fit between social institutions such as churches and behavioral outcomes. More specifically, her research investigates the role of theology in shaping the daily experiences of African Americans. Dr. Martin seamlessly integrates her extension and engagement efforts with her teaching and research. Not only does she engages in extension outreach activities herself, she also teaches students to do so, and inspires them to continue in that tradition after graduation.

Lab Scholars

Undergraduate Students

Jarissa Adams 

Research Assistant 


Jarissa Adams is an undergraduate student from Batesburg, South Carolina, attending the University of South Carolina. She is in her third year, pursuing a B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice with minors in Psychology and African American Studies and a Pre-Law concentration. She plans to earn a Juris Doctorate to become a criminal defense lawyer specializing in holistic law. Jarissa is passionate about bringing social change to the criminal and juvenile justice systems through her future career. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering at the Department of Juvenile Justice, watching true crime documentaries and Law & Order, and spending time with friends.

Kanyisile Barrett 

Research Assistant 


Kanyisile Barrett is an undergraduate student from Charleston, South Carolina, majoring in African American Studies with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of South Carolina. She plans to pursue a Ph.D., focusing her research on the untold stories of Black women and girls across the African diaspora. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with family and friends, reading, and exploring the outdoors.

Destiny Brown

Research Assistant 


Destiny Brown is a senior undergraduate student from Greenville, South Carolina. She is currently attending the University of South Carolina and is majoring in Neuroscience with a concentration in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience. She plans to attend medical school to become a psychiatrist. Her hobbies include reading, spending time with family and friends, playing basketball, cooking, and shopping.  She is very passionate about both addressing and correcting the mental health stigma associated in Black households, as well as addressing racial biases in the clinical community.  She is also adamant in diversifying neuroscience studies and closing the gap in underrepresented research and developments in systemically minoritized and unrepresented groups.

Rachel Garrett

Research Assistant 


Rachel Garrett is a senior majoring in psychology at North Carolina Central University. She is a native of Ayden, North Carolina, and one of the HBCU scholars in the lab. Rachel is earning my B.A. in psychology. Her career goal is to become a clinical psychologist. Her research interests lie in understanding and addressing the impact of intergenerational trauma, particularly within Black communities. She aims to develop interventions that utilize cultural and spiritual support systems found in the Black church.  Her goal is to explore innovative pathways for healing and resilience. She aspires to serve the community by educating people, especially families and children, about the importance of mental health.

Vernon Jones III 

Research Assistant 


Vernon Jones III is a third-year Psychology major with double minors in Sociology and Leadership Studies from Richmond, VA. He attends Hampton University and is one of our HBCU scholars. He is passionate about supporting and empowering veterans re-entering the workforce by providing resources and opportunities that help them transition smoothly. What a powerful way to contribute to the occupational and financial wellness of both his community and those who have served.

Erin Marion

Research Assistant 


I am a Political Science and African American Studies major at the University of South Carolina, currently conducting research on hair discrimination affecting Black/African American males aged 18 and older with the Sumter CROWN Act Coalition. My future goals include pursuing a master's degree in public administration and attending law school to become an attorney.

Kaitlyn Rivers

Research Assistant 


Kaitlyn Rivers is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of South Carolina studying psychology with a minor in Spanish. She hopes to attend graduate school and become a clinical psychologist. In her free time, she enjoys running, reading, and spending time with friends and family.

Kai White

Research Assistant 


Kai White is a first-year undergraduate student from Raleigh, North Carolina, currently majoring in psychology at North Carolina Central University. She is one of the HBCU scholars in the lab and plans to pursue a Ph.D. in counseling psychology to become a child psychologist. Her research interests include examining how race-related trauma affects the development of African American children. In her free time, Kai enjoys listening to music and spending time with friends and family.


Post-Baccalaureate Researchers


Darryl Lee

Research Assistant 


Hailing from Blythewood, South Carolina, Darryl Lee earned his B.S. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina.  He plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, aiming to merge his interests in mental health studies among African Americans and substance abuse with his overarching goal of specializing in abnormal child psychology. Darryl enjoys being with family and friends or listening to music when he's not focused on his career goals.

Devin Weeks

Research Assistant

 

Devin Weeks, a Columbia, SC native, holds a B.S. in Psychology from the University of South Carolina. His research focuses on stressors within the African American community, aiming to improve understanding of coping mechanisms and enhance well-being. In his free time, Devin enjoys painting and attending USC athletic events, particularly football. Notably, he ranks in the top 10 students for accumulating points by attending these sporting events.

Ayren Thomas 

Research Assistant 


Ayren Thomas, originally from Greenville, South Carolina, earned her B.S. in Neuroscience at the University of South Carolina. She is passionate about cognitive and social psychology and aims to pursue graduate studies in Arizona. When she's not studying, Ayren enjoys true crime television, reading, and relaxing drives.


Graduate Students

Tiera Cleveland

Clinical-Community Program


Tiera Cleveland is a third-year Ph.D. student at USC. She graduated from Baylor University in 2022 with a BS in Psychology and was a scholar-athlete in Track and Field. She is interested in resiliency, religious factors, and racial socialization as cultural strength-based coping assets among Black populations. 

Kalyn Prothro

Clinical-Community Program


Kalyn Prothro is a first-year Clinical-Community Psychology Ph.D. student who earned a B.A. in Psychology from the University of North Texas in 2021. She is interested in using community-engaged methods to study how family, peer, and community contexts can promote resiliency, specifically in African American youth who have experienced adversity and trauma. Kalyn's goal is to buy land to own farm animals and grow her own fruits and vegetables one day.

Kofi Mosley-Kellum

Clinical-Community Program


Kofi Mosley-Kellum is a first-year Ph.D. student in Clinical-Community Psychology at USC. He is a two-time Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University graduate, earning a B.S. in Psychology in 2022 and an M.S. in Community Psychology in 2024. He is interested in using African-centered psychology to assess cultural worldview orientation to dismantle systemic and institutional racism that affects the mental and spiritual stability of African people across the diaspora. Kofi enjoys watching football, going to the gym, and being in nature in his free time.

Research Collaborators

Dr. Marketa Burnett

Assistant Professor, Human Development and Family Sciences & Africana Studies, University of Connecticut 

Marketa Burnett, Ph.D., is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Psychology at the University of South Carolina.  Dr. Burnett, a fellow in the African American Faith Communities Lab,  will be investigating religious coping factors and psychsocial outcomes among Black adolescents and adults. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022. Her research interests include Black girls' identity development, Black family processes, and STEM persistence. Her research has examined how Black parents (residential and non-residential) actively contribute to the positive development of their children and their ability to thrive using cultural assets and strategies. In her spare time, Marketa enjoys volunteering in the local community, watching Jeopardy, and trying out new recipes in the kitchen.

Dr. Derek Blackwell

Associate Professor, Communication, Prairie View A&M University

Derek Blackwell, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Languages and Communication at Prairie View A&M University. Drawn to academia by a passion for teaching and mentoring, he currently teaches courses on media literacy, communication technology, and media industries. His research focuses on the impact of new digital tools on romantic relationships. He has written on a number of topics in this area ranging from the design of online dating websites to the role of social networking sites in romantic relationships to the ways new technologies impact understandings of infidelity. His most recent work looks at depictions of digital romance in the television series, Black Mirror.  He is currecntly collarboaring on the Gospel Rap and Youth Development Project. 
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Dr. Sheretta Butler-Barnes

Professor, Social Work, the Brown School at Washington University

Sheretta Butler-Barnes, PhD is a Professor in the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Butler-Barnes was a National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Michigan’s School of Education affiliated with the Center for the Study of Black Youth in Context. During her fellowship, she conducted research on how individual-level factors connected to Black youths’ cultural backgrounds (e.g., internal assets such as racial identity beliefs, religiosity) and ecological risk and resources (e.g., community violence, family and peer support) influence their achievement and psychological well-being outcomes.
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Dr. Nikeea Copeland Linder

Associate Professor/Chair, Department of Psychology at the Notre Dame of Maryland

Nikeea Copeland Linder, PhD is an Associate Professor/Chair in the Department of Psychology at the Notre Dame of Maryland University. Dr. Copeland Linder’s research focuses on the impact of chronic stress on the mental health and health-risk behaviors of children and adolescents. She is particularly interested in the role of protective factors in promoting resilience among African American youth and the development of prevention and intervention programs for youth.
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