Biography
Mary joined the Center for Indigenous Health in July of 2005 and helps to lead the Mental Health team. She is a licensed Psychologist and Associate Director/Senior Scientist at the Center. Mary has a joint appointment in Psychiatry at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. She has conducted research in the areas of suicide, substance use and trauma for the past 15 years, with a focus on preventing mental health disparities. In collaboration with the White Mountain Apache Tribe, her research has helped identify unique risk factors impacting these disparities, the importance of protective factors including cultural identity, and promising interventions associated with a reduction in the Apache suicide rate.
Mary is motivated everyday by the relationships she has built with her Apache partners, what she has learned about the beauty and strength of Indigenous peoples, the call from the youth we serve to help them create a better future for themselves, and the challenge of addressing the complex issues that face communities.
Some of her current projects include: the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Collaborative Hubs for American Indian Youth Suicide Prevention Southwest Hub, and two NIH Native American Research Centers for Health programs one on a brief intervention to reduce binge drinking among Apache youth and another evaluating a trauma-informed intervention for Apache adults. She has also served on the American Psychological Association Committee on Human Research, Suicide Prevention Resource Center steering committee, and the Zero Suicide National Implementation Team for American Indians and Alaska Natives.
Mary completed a BA in Psychology and Philosophy from Johns Hopkins University, a PhD in Child Clinical Psychology from Southern Illinois University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in the Johns Hopkins Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry