Researchers
Lisa wexler
Lisa Wexler, PhD, MSW is co-creator and Primary Investigator supporting PC CARES. Lisa has been working in and with northwestern Alaska as a therapist, community organizer, and researcher for over 20 years.
Dr. Wexler is Professor of Social Work and a Research Professor for the Research Center on Group Dynamics at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Dr. Wexler’s participatory and applied research program aims to (1) translate research into strategic, self-determined community action; (2) describe and amplify sources of strength and resilience in rural Indigenous communities that promote youth wellness; and (3) develop feasible upstream youth suicide prevention models.
Lauren White
Lauren is a citizen of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and a graduate student of Social Work and Psychology at the University of Michigan.
Her research focus is community driven approaches to mental wellness for rural and indigenous peoples. She has been involved with the PC CARES project since 2018 and is interesting in identifying successful strategies to support facilitators and community members as they host learning circles and implement wellness practices in their communities.
Tara Schmidt
Tara Schmidt, MPH is a PC CARES coordinator, providing program support based in Alaska. Raised in Nome and based in Homer, Tara communicates with project partners and community leaders to directly support local facilitators of the program, and organize and administer data collection activities, public relations, communication, and product development for PC CARES.
Diane McEachern
Dr. Diane McEachern is PC CARES developer and Co-PI with Dr. Lisa Wexler. She has been a social worker and University of Alaska Assistant Professor in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska for over 23 years. Currently she is Program Head for the Rural Human Service (RHS) and HUMS AAS degree programs at the University of Alaska, Kuskokwim Campus, in Bethel, Alaska.
Suzanne Rataj
Suzanne Rataj, MPH is a Research Coordinator at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and the all-around logistics/point person for PC CARES.
Holly Laws
Dr. Laws joined the Center for Research on Families Methodology Program as Co-Director in Fall 2017. Her research focuses on using novel statistical methodologies to examine processes within close relationships implicated in mental and physical health.
Joel Ginn
Joel Ginn is a social psychology graduate student in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Peace and Violence Program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Joel also works as a methodological consultant through the Center for Research on Families at UMass Amherst. With PC CARES, he provides data analysis and interpretation of findings, particularly for questionnaire functioning.
Patrick Habecker
Dr. Habecker is a research assistant professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has a PhD in sociology and a minor in survey research and methodology. Today he works on projects that focus on social networks, community health, and substance misuse. For the PC CARES project, Patrick works with the social network data in order to show how social positions in communities interact with each other.
Kelly Markowski
Dr. Markowski is a postdoctoral researcher in the Rural Drug Addiction Research (RDAR) Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her PhD is in sociology, and her research uses a social network approach to contextualize the link between identity processes and wellbeing. For the PC CARES project, she works with the social network data to explore who gives (and receives) social support related to suicide prevention and wellness.
Caroline Bec, MS is a graduate student in mental health at McGill University. Caroline uses ethnography and participatory research to study how community-driven programs adapt curriculum, implementation and delivery to different communities. Her research focuses on mental health promotion and suicide prevention for Indigenous Peoples. She has been involved with PC CARES since 2020.