Introducing the Violence and Traumatic Stress Laboratory
Dr. Terri L. Weaver
Dr. Weaver is the director of the Violence and Traumatic Stress Laboratory. Her work broadly focuses on the inter-relationships among interpersonal violence, and physical and mental health sequelae. Her research frequently draws upon interdisciplinary approaches and she often collaborates with other healthcare professionals, including those in family medicine, pediatrics, otolarygology and public health. She is particularly interested in studying posttraumatic stress disorder, body image disturbance, depression and substance use disorders as mental health outcomes associated with intimate partner violence. She enjoys working with the team of graduate and undergraduate trainees in her lab and believes that projects are always better with a team-based approach. In her time away from work, she enjoys running, gardening, house projects and spending time with her family. Dr. Weaver can be reached at terri.weaver@health.slu.edu. 
Melissa Copeland
Melissa is currently a third-year student in the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at SLU. She is from Blackstone, MA and received her B.A. in Psychology and Women’s Studies from the University of New Hampshire. After graduating, Melissa served in the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program and worked at a crisis center for sexual and domestic violence, advocating and supporting survivors of interpersonal violence. Her research interests include examining help-seeking among survivors, health correlates and consequences of intimate partner violence (IPV), as well as prevention and intervention efforts. Currently, Melissa is examining ways in which the intersecting stigmatized identities of sexual minority status and IPV survivor may interact to impact help-seeking. Melissa can be reached at: melissa.copeland@slu.edu. 
Annie Garofalo
Annie is a first-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at Saint Louis University. She earned her B.A. in Psychology from Metropolitan State University of Denver, in Denver, Colorado. Her undergraduate research focused on PTSD symptomology, substance use, and psychological flexibility. While obtaining her undergraduate degree, Annie began working as a behavioral health technician at Denver Springs Psychiatric Hospital in Centennial, Colorado. There she worked both inpatient services such as detox from drugs and alcohol, mental health stabilization, and acute psychosis as well as outpatient services including partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient treatment programs for mental health. She worked extensively with the adolescent outpatient programs and was also involved in administrative roles including outpatient coordination. Annie’s broad research interests lie in examining PTSD symptomology, prevention, and policy. More specifically, she is interested in studying the prevention and intervention of posttraumatic stress disorder in first responders and military members across their lifetimes. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, dog, and hiking outdoors. Annie can be reached at: anne.garofalo@slu.edu. 
Katherine Kelton
Katherine is a Diversity Fellow and completed her final year at Saint Louis University’s Clinical Psychology Doctoral/Master of Public Health dual degree program. While her research spans across several domains and varies methodologically, the common thread revolves around the intersections of trauma, marginalized groups, and systems issues. Specifically, she is interested in the ways trauma disrupts the mind-body connection, as well as how potentially traumatic events can play a role in the pathway to crime via disrupted self-regulation. Additionally, she is interested in how treatments are developed and evaluated for underserved groups, and how programs are sustained in spaces with few resources. Katherine is currently on internship at the Durham VA Healthcare System. Katherine can be reached at: katherine.kelton@slu.edu. |