Who We Are
Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice
Katherine Elkington, PhD
- Director, Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice
Katherine (Kate) Elkington, PhD, is a Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University, a Research Scientist at the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and a licensed clinical psychologist. She serves as the director of the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice, within the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Northwestern University and her postdoctoral research training at Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Elkington has over 15 years of research experience in justice settings, with expertise in documenting and understanding correlates of mental illness, substance use/disorders and HIV risk behaviors in highly vulnerable youth, and using these data to (i) develop and implement prevention programming, and (ii) understand multi-level barriers to treatment access for justice-involved individuals. Most recently, her work has focused on the development and evaluation of implementation interventions to increase access to behavioral health and health services, of which a centerpiece is building cross-system relationships between justice and community treatment systems. She has served as the PI or co-I on numerous NIH- and CDC-funded awards.
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Gail Wasserman, PhD
- Founding Director
Dr. Wasserman has been investigating the psychopathology of child and adolescent conduct problems for over 30 years. She was the founding Director for Columbia University’s Center for the Promotion of Mental Health in Juvenile Justice (now the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice). The Center’s collaborations with juvenile justice agencies nationwide systematically documented the range, severity and correlates of substance use and mental health problems in youths in contact with the juvenile justice system. Under her direction, our team developed a systems-level NIMH-supported multilayered intervention (e-Connect) that relies on automated Clinical Decision Support technology to enhance identification of suicide risk and correlated mental health and substance use concerns in probation settings, and support practices that more effectively connect juvenile probationers to community providers. Following her partial retirement in 2018, she handed over leadership of both the Center and research activities to longtime collaborator Dr. Elkington, although she remains closely involved in the Center’s e-Connect activities.
Corianna Sichel, PhD
- CBHYJ Associate Director for Clinical Research
Corianna E. Sichel, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Medical Psychology (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and a Research Scientist at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Her work focuses on understanding, preventing, and addressing the behavioral health consequences of traumatic experiences and posttraumatic stress (e.g., suicidality; substance use; other mental health problems) in young people. Dr. Sichel’s research is supported by a NIMH K23 Career Development Award. She serves as the Associate Director for Clinical Research in the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice, where she is a co-I on other NIH-funded awards. Dr. Sichel was previously selected for a KL2 award through the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research at Columbia University, and is a past Child Intervention, Prevention, and Services (CHIPS) Fellow. Dr. Sichel completed her undergraduate studies at Duke University and received her PhD in Counseling Psychology from NYU, completing an APA accredited internship in Clinical and Community Psychology at Yale, and postdoctoral training at Columbia University.
Margaret Ryan, MPH
- Quantitative Research and Data Associate Director
Margaret (Maggie) Ryan is the Quantitative Research and Data Associate Director at CBHYJ, Columbia University and NYSPI. Maggie received her MPH from the University at Albany School of Public Health, with a special focus on epidemiology and mental health. She joined NYSPI after serving as a fellow with the Center for Disease Control National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC-NIOSH), where she worked on research related to occupational health and safety. Maggie is the current Project Manager for e-Connect and JCOIN.
Stephanie Campos, PhD
- Field Research and Compliance Associate Director
Stephanie Campos is the Field Research Associate Director at CBHYJ, Columbia University and NYSPI. Stephanie received her PhD in Anthropology and a Certificate in Women's Studies from The Graduate Center, City University of New York. She was previously head ethnographer at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., and Post-Doctoral Research fellow in the Behavioral Science Tranining in Drug Abuse Fellowship. Stephanie is the Project Director for MoveUp and RADx.
Alexandra Arnold, MA
- Project Coordinator
Alexandra Arnold is a research assistant at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute in the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She received her MA in clinical psychology, with a concentration in forensic psychology, from Montclair State University in 2020. While obtaining her master's degree, she completed a yearlong clinical assessment and treatment externship at Ann Klein Forensic Center and served as a graduate research assistant in the Legal Decision-Making Lab. Alexandra is currently a Research Coordinator for the e-Connect Project.
Ikenna Y. Achebe, MD, MPH, MA
- Program Associate
Ikenna Achebe is a Program Associate at the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice at Columbia University and the New York Psychiatric Institute. He has a Doctor of Medicine degree from Washington University of Health and Sciences and a Masters of Public Health and Post-Graduate Certificate in Epidemiology and Biostatistics from Drexel University Dornslife School of Public Health, and a Masters of Arts in Urban Bioethics from Temple University Lewis Katz School of Medicine. Ikenna assists with managing the day-to-day operations for Project Opioid Court Reach and served as the Community Health Coordinator for the Move Up/ Connect to Health Study.
Jane Kim, MSEd
- Research Technician
Jane Kim is a Research Technician at CBHYJ, Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute. Jane received her B.A. in Psychology from Villanova University and her M.S.Ed. in Interdisciplinary Studies in Human Development at the University of Pennsylvania. Currently, she is training to be a clinical psychologist at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
Jiaxin Santos, BA
- Research Assistant
Jiaxin is a research assistant at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute in the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice and the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She received her BA in Psychology, with a concentration in Clinical Psychology, from Hunter College in 2021.
Kuljit Kaur, MPH
- Research Technician
Kuljit Kaur is a Research Assistant at the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute. She received her Masters of Public Health from San Jose State University, with an emphasis in community health. She previously completed her fieldwork at the Injury and Violence Prevention Branch at the California Department of Public Health. Kuljit is currently a Research Coordinator for the e-Connect Project.
Maya Holcomb, BA
- Research Assistant
Maya Holcomb is a Research Assistant for the RADx-UP study working with Dr. Kate Elkington and Dr. Stephanie Campos. She is a recent graudate from the State University of New Paltz, where she studies Psychobiology and Cultural Studies. During her undergrad academic career, she worked for a year as a Research Assistant developing advocacy campaign strategies. She also worked for two years as a volunteer with the NYSPI Global Psychiatric Epidemiological Group and volunteered in the NYP Rehabilitation Unit. Shortly after she graduated in 2020 from SUNY New Paltz, she began working as a lab technician with a private testing company before being hired full-time at NYSPI as a Research Assistant.
Rosheka Faulkner, MA
- Research Technician
Rosheka Faulkner is a Research Assistant with the team in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute. Rosheka has a MA in Criminal Justice with a focus in Forensic Psychology. She is studying for her PhD at the Rutgers School of Criminal Justice.
Kedron Hoepstine, MSW, MSc
- Research Assistant
Kedron Hoepstine is a research Worker at the Center for Behavioral Health and Youth Justice at Columbia University and New York State Psychiatric Institute. She received her M.S.W from Hunter College of The City University of New York. During this time, she completed a yearlong clinical Internship at The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and received extensive child trauma training as part of a program sponsored through the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. She also holds an MS in Clinical, Cognitive and Social Neuroscience from The City University of London.
