INSPIRED Lab Team
Innovative and Strategic Prevention
in Racial and Ethnic Disparities (INSPIRED) Lab
Trenette Clark Goings, PhD
DirectorTrenette Clark Goings, Ph.D. LICSW is the Sandra Reeves Spears and John B. Turner Distinguished Professor in the School of Social Work and the founding director of the INSPIRED Lab at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research focuses on racial and ethnic health disparities, primarily emphasizing the epidemiology, etiology, and prevention of substance use among African American and biracial adolescents and young adults. Dr. Trenette holds expertise in substance use prevention, extensive data analysis, intervention research, and grant writing and has received invitations to speak internationally. Her work has been consistently funded—mainly by the National Institutes of Health—and has yielded publications in leading peer-reviewed journals, including Drug & Alcohol Dependence, Addiction, Development & Psychopathology, Addictive Behaviors, and Health Psychology. She is the Society for Social Work and Research recipient Deborah K. Padgett Early Career Achievement Award, the Wallace Kuralt Early Career Professorship in the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and the Making a Difference Ph.D. Alumni Award from the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Trenette completed her undergraduate degrees at Elizabeth City State University (B.A. and B.S.), graduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MSW), and doctoral degree at Virginia Commonwealth University.
“The best way to prevent addiction is to prevent initiation.” (T.C. Goings)
“Good science plus love is an equation that makes a difference.” (T.C. Goings)“Good science plus love is an equation that makes a difference.” (T.C. Goings)
Daniel J. Bauer, PhD
StatisticianDr. Daniel J. Bauer is a Professor and Director of the Quantitative Psychology Program and L.L. Thurstone Psychometric Laboratory of the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The overarching goals of his research program are to propose, evaluate, and apply quantitative modeling techniques to improve research on the development of negative social and health behaviors and psychopathology. For the past decade, he has focused mainly on developing and applying integrative data analysis techniques, which aim to combine data records from independently conducted studies to allow for simultaneous analysis.
Ai Bo, PhD
Co-Investigator and Project ManagerDr. Ai Bo is an assistant professor in the Social Work Department at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Dr. Bo’s current research focuses on three interrelated areas of intervention research: advancing intervention theories for understanding structural and behavioral determinants of youth substance use and mental health problems; evaluating and synthesizing intervention effects and mechanisms of substance use prevention programs; and enhancing clinical trial design and evaluation methods. Dr. Bo is a recipient of the GADE 2019 student award for social work research and has published her work in top-tier interdisciplinary journals. She is on the editorial board of Research on Social Work Practice and an early career reviewer for the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. Over the years, she has developed strong applied methodological and statistical skills with an expertise in meta-analysis and structural equation modeling. Dr. Bo was a Kuralt Postdoctoral Scholar for Quantitative Intervention Research at the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before joining the Helen Bader School of Social Welfare. She was an adjunct lecturer at NYU where she taught substance abuse courses in the BSW Program and a guest lecturer for MSW research methods courses.
Caroline Evans, PhD
SUPER Lead EvaluatorDr. Caroline Evans received her Ph.D. in social work from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2015. As a doctoral student, Dr. Evans worked as a research assistant for the North Carolina Youth Violence Prevention Center (NC-YVPC) and assisted primarily with the Teen Court program. She helped with program implementation, data collection and analysis, and dissemination of results through journal articles and presentations. Following graduation, Dr. Evans became a research associate for NC-YVPC and assisted in a Teen Court in Schools project funded by the National Institute of Justice. Dr. Evans currently works on the SUPER project assisting with many facets, including data collection and analysis, fidelity tracking, participant recruitment and retention, and program implementation. Dr. Evans’s primary research interests include youth violence prevention, adolescent development, bullying perpetration, and victimization.
Patrece L. Joseph, PhD
Postdoctoral FellowDr. Patrece L. Joseph earned her Ph.D. in Child Study and Human Development from Tufts University. Her research uses community-engaged methods to positively impact the health of Black and Latinx adolescents and adolescents from low-income communities. First, her research examines these adolescents’ unique health-related beliefs, decision-making skills, and health behaviors. Then, it applies the findings to designing, implementing, and disseminating interventions that consider adolescents’ developmental trajectories, contexts and build on their strengths. Her recent research has focused on developing a conceptual foundation and measure of health identity development (i.e., how health aligns with other aspects of identity development and adolescents’ goals). Patrece is excited to continue this work as a part of the INSPIRED lab.
Amy Levine, MSW, LCSW
Program Delivery CoachAmy Levine, MSW, LCSW, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the UNC-Chapel Hill School
of Social Work teaches courses in child welfare and mental health and serves as a faculty member in the field education program. Amy has a practice background in child welfare and community mental health and worked as a child, adolescent, and family therapist. Amy is also a North Carolina Certified Clinical Supervisor, providing supervision and consultation to LCSW-A’s. Amy’s practice and research interests include trauma-informed models of care, child and adolescent mental health, and the intersection of child welfare and behavioral health services.
Adam Mack
Data ManagerAdam Mack is a SAS programmer and data manager with the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Psychology and an M.S. in Information Science. He has worked with data from various research projects, including studies of adolescent substance use prevention, early childhood education, and outcomes for babies born prematurely. Adam plays games (both video and board) in his spare time and attempts to corral his two lovably rambunctious children.
Jennifer Traver
Research AssistantJennifer Traver is a PhD student in the Quantitative Psychology program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She received her B.S. in Psychology and Data Science and M.S. in Psychology from the College of William & Mary. Her research interests include the measurement and analysis of longitudinal data, the development of resilience in children and adolescents, and the causes and implications of substance use. In addition to working in the INSPIRED lab, Jen is a peer educator at UNC’s Violence Prevention and Advocacy Services.
Andrea Murray-Lichtman, MSW, LCSW
Project ManagerAndrea Murray-Lichtman is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) School of Social Work and a PhD student at Memorial University of Newfoundland. Andrea serves as project manager for the Substance Use Prevention, Education, and Research (SUPER) initiative. Andrea is excited about the aims of SUPER to strengthen community capacity to prevent the onset of substance use (including alcohol, cigarette, and e-cigarettes) and reduce the progression of substance use among youth ages 11-16. Her research interests include racial inequities in access and outcomes across social systems and strategies to promote racial equity. She has a combined 17 years of physical health, mental health, and substance misuse treatment experience within integrated healthcare and criminal justice settings serving people living with comorbid mental health, substance misuse, and chronic physical health diagnoses.
Tauchiana Williams, MSW, LCSW
Lead InterventionistTauchiana Williams is a clinical assistant professor and director of the 12-month advanced standing Master of Social Work program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In addition, she is the coordinator of the school social work license program. Ms. Williams received her Bachelor of Psychology from Wellesley College and Master of Social Work from UNC-Chapel Hill. She is a licensed clinical social worker and currently serves on the North Carolina social work certification and licensure board. She teaches direct practice social work, field education, and school social work practice courses. Her practice areas and experience include trauma, substance use, child and adolescent mental health, and school social work. Ms. Williams’s research interests include African American single parent engagement and student success in schools. Ms. Williams serves as an interventionist with SUPER. She engages youth and families with support services and acts as a liaison with middle school partnerships.
Emma Swarts
InterventionistEmma Swarts is an Interventionist in the Substance Use Prevention and Education and Research (SUPER) program. She is also a Master of Public Health Candidate studying Applied Epidemiology at the Gillings School of Global Public Health at UNC Chapel Hill. She earned her Bachelor’s in public health with a minor in Healthcare Management at Appalachian State University. Her interests include infectious diseases on the global level and how social determinants of health play a role in those infected and the transmission of those communicable diseases. As a first-generation college student, her goal is to make an impact and serve vulnerable populations. She hopes to get involved in research in this area because it will aid her in becoming a public health professional and rising epidemiologist.
Tyme Nunn
InterventionistTyme R. Nunn is an MSW candidate at the University of Kentucky’s College of Social Work studying with a concentration in school social work. She is an Interventionist in the Substance Use Prevention and Education and Research (SUPER) program with the INSPIRED Lab. She earned her Bachelor of Social Work at Meredith College in May 2022. Prior to joining the SUPER team, her work was centered on child welfare and education policy, as well as working within Wake County school systems and communities to address educational barriers and inequities through advocacy, individualized support, and relationship-building.
Rachana Sherman
Communications SpecialistRachana Sherman is an undergraduate student at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) studying Biology with a minor in Data Science. She’s also a General Staff Member under the Department of Campus Life & Student Experiences of UNC’s Undergraduate Student Government Executive Branch. Since high school, she’s worked to mentor students as the co-founder of her free mentorship program, The Scholar’s Corner. She’s completed marketing internships and currently works as a social media manager and video editor. She’s excited to contribute to the INSPIRED Lab as a Communications Specialist!
Caitlyn Esparza
Research AssistantCaitlyn is an undergraduate student at UNC-Chapel Hill double majoring in psychology and sociology. Her interests include substance abuse disorder, prevention methods, and health disparities surrounding race and socioeconomic status. Caitlyn has volunteered in a psychosocial rehabilitation clinic and interned at a substance abuse treatment facility. Additionally, she is involved in many UNC campus organizations focused on mental health advocacy and substance abuse prevention. Caitlyn is excited to work with the INSPIRED Lab and contribute as a Research Assistant.
David French
Research AssistantDavid French is a graduate student at the UNC School of Social Work. At the Inspired Lab, David is a research assistant studying recent substance use trends among adolescents and a facilitator within the Life Skills Training Program.
Demeisha Carlton-Brown
Doctoral Research AssistantDemeisha Carlton-Brown is a Ph.D. student at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Her research interests are: 1) multigenerational trauma amongst Black populations and 2) behavioral interventions to reduce trauma symptoms. Demeisha currently serves as an interventionist within the INSPIRED Lab for the Substance Use Prevention and Education Research (SUPER) program, which is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
In her former role within the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, she worked for the Race & Opportunity Lab where she focused on resource navigation, strategic planning, program management, staffing operations, and community-based participatory research. Demeisha graduated from Parkland Community College with an AA in Psychology prior to transferring to the University of Illinois, where she served as an undergraduate research assistant within Dr. Elizabeth Stine-Morrow’s Adult Development Lab & Dr. Robin Jarrett’s Ethnographic Research Lab.
Alejandro Martinez
Research AssistantAlejandro Martinez III is a PhD student in the Quantitative Psychology program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He received his B.A. in psychology and M.S. in Experimental Psychology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. His research interests in Quantitative Psychology include estimators of nonlinear structural equation models, instrumental variable estimators, and measurement. In addition to these interests, his research in the Inspired lab involves examining factors related to the onset of substance use.
Elle Gill
Research AssistantElle is a graduate student in UNC’s School of Social Work studying clinical social work, as well as a recent UNC alum who majored in psychology. Her interests include substance use disorder and behavioral addictions, eating disorders, personality disorders, and OCD. As a social work student, Elle volunteers at the Student Health Action Coalition (SHAC), which helps provide free health care and services to underserved populations and engages UNC students from a variety of health and science disciplines. Elle is also involved in the Social Work Student Organization (SoWoSo) and is an active member of the Abolitionist caucus. She has experience working with foster care youth and university students and hopes to do psychotherapy with individuals aged 16+.
Krystal Grudinsky
Research AssistantKrystal is a graduate student in UNC’s School of Social Work studying community management and policy practice. Krystal recently graduated from Towson University with her bachelor’s in psychology and was a member of PSI CHI. Before moving to North Carolina for school, Krystal was an alcohol and drug counselor who focused on helping young adults reengage in their journey of pursuing higher education. Krystal is passionate about making changes in the criminal justice system and hopes to use her MSW to help previously incarcerated individuals reintegrate into society.