Our Team:
Dr. Jami Young is an Associate Professor of Clinical
Psychology at Rutgers University. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology
from Fordham University and then completed a Post-Doctoral Fellowship at
Columbia University. Dr. Young developed Interpersonal Psychotherapy –
Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST), a depression prevention program based on
Interpersonal Psychotherapy for Adolescent Depression (IPT-A). She has conducted three randomized controlled
trials of IPT-AST, with two others underway. Dr. Young has trained and
supervised over 50 clinicians in IPT-A and IPT-AST. At Rutgers, Dr. Young
teaches graduate-level courses on psychotherapy and supervises graduate
students on their clinical work and research projects. In her spare time she
enjoys cooking, urban adventures, and spending time with her family.
Jessica Benas, Ph.D., Project Coordinator, Depression Prevention Initiative
Dr. Jessica Benas graduated with a B.S. in Human Development from Cornell University and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Binghamton University. She is the Evaluation Supervisor for the Personalized Depression Prevention Project and the Project Coordinator for the Depression Prevention Initiative. In addition to her work on the two projects and providing clinical supervision for psychology doctoral graduate students, Dr. Benas also teaches a graduate level course at Rutgers on Child Psychopathology. In her free time, she enjoys theater, reading, and playing volleyball and tennis.
Christie Schueler, Ph.D., Project Coordinator, Personalized Depression Prevention
Dr. Christie Schueler is the project coordinator of the
Personalized Depression Prevention project. She received her Ph.D. in
Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. She has
worked in academic and hospital settings with children, adolescents, and adults
diagnosed with depression as well as other disorders. Dr. Schueler was trained
in Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) and Interpersonal Psychotherapy –
Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST) by Dr. Young. Dr. Schueler led IPT-AST
groups with adolescents for the Depression Prevention Initiative. She has also
provided IPT-AST training and supervision to clinical psychology graduate
students and community clinicians. She is a central NJ native and enjoys
reading, cooking, and biking in her spare time.
Micheline Anderson, B.A, Research Assistant, Personalized Depression Prevention
Micheline Anderson joined the Institute for Research on Youth Depression and Prevention in 2013 after experiences as lab
support in research on substance use at the National Institute of Drug Abuse
(NIDA) in Baltimore, and in adolescent eating disorders and obesity prevention
at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in
Bethesda, Maryland. A graduate of Duke
University (B.A, ’06), Miche plans to pursue graduate education in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests lie at the intersection of mindfulness-based interventions in both adolescent and adult populations, health psychology, and positive psychology . Working at Rutgers has given her the opportunity to contribute to research on positive youth development. A certified yoga instructor, Miche spends her free time reading, running, teaching yoga, and exploring the quirkier side of New Jersey.
Meghan Huang, B.A, Research Assistant, Depression Prevention Initiative
Meghan Huang is the full-time research assistant for the Depression Prevention Initiative. She received a B.A. in Psychology from Swarthmore College in 2014, where she completed her senior thesis examining perceived social support as a mediator in the relation between assertiveness and depression in adolescence. Meghan is interested in interpersonal risk and resilience factors for depression and anxiety, as well as comorbid anxiety and depression, in child and adolescent populations. She plans to pursue a doctoral degree in clinical psychology in the near future. In her free time, she enjoys reading, watching cancelled TV shows, and doing all things crafty.
