About us

The eSToRY Center is dedicated to early detection of mental illness, preventing negative treatment outcomes, improving quality of mental health care, and fostering equity in treatment for minoritized youth.

Across multiple research projects, we hope to improve access to care for youth with mental health needs, and incorporate patient and family input into the redesign of healthcare services.

Why we do what we do

Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15–29-year-olds

Over 40% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 reported persistent sadness in 2021, and 723 adolescents died from substance use overdose deaths in 2022—more than double the 253 deaths recorded in 2018. (Source)

We see this as a problem and believe the best way to work towards more equitable mental health care is to partner with communities directly. 

People

Benjamin Lê Cook, PhD, MPH

Benjamin Lê Cook, PhD, MPH is Director of the Health Equity Research Lab, Director of Research, Department of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, and Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Outside of work, Ben loves to play and coach soccer and is practicing to become a better beginner guitar player. He also spends a lot of time biking and hiking in the White Mountains with his wife, son, daughter, and moody golden retriever.

 

Philip Wang, MD, DrPH

Phillip is the Chair and Chief of Psychiatry at Cambridge Health Alliance, an academic public safety net system that is part of Harvard Medical School (HMS). Dr. Wang completed his undergraduate degree in biochemistry, medical school, psychiatry residency, and chief residency, as well as a master's and doctoral degree in epidemiology, all at Harvard University. Dr. Wang has also served as the Deputy Director of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Deputy Medical Director and Director of Research for the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

 

Ellie Richards, PhD

Ellie is a child and adolescent psychologist at Cambridge Health Alliance and an instructor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

Outside of work, Ellie loves to be outside whether that’s at the beach and swimming in the ocean, hiking with her dog, or snowboarding during the winter months.

 
 

Nicholas Carson, MD

Nick is a child psychiatrist at the Cambridge Health Alliance. He is passionate about using mental health treatment, health services research, and technology to help prevent youth suicide.

At CHA, he is very involved in psychiatric leadership, training, and mentorship. When not at CHA, Nick loves playing music and exercising with his family and friends.

 
 

Valeria A. Chambers, EdM, CAS, CPS

Valeria is the founder of Black Voices: Pathways4Recovery, a state-wide advocacy and leadership support network for Blacks and African Americans. She is also a Senior Community Researcher at the Health Equity Research Lab.

“As a result of my own mental health lived experience and that of my family, I’ve found my purpose in using all “that stuff” in a positive way to connect with others, in the hopes that they may feel less alone and gradually more empowered in their own process. To balance things out, I love playing with friends with fur, going for walks, practicing yoga and meditation and watching foreign movies without subtitles to see how much I can “read.” Every now and then I muster up my courage to engage in my love/hate relationship with writing.”

 
 

Margaret Danielle Weiss, MD PhD 

Margaret is the Interim Medical Director of the Child Inpatient Service at Cambridge Health Alliance. After work, nothing feels better than cuddling up with her Dr. Dog companions. 

 

Michael Flores, PhD, MPH

Michael Flores, Ph.D., M.P.H., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Senior Scientist in the Health Equity Research Lab at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA). His research employs rigorous analytic methods to inform policy development and improve the health outcomes and care quality of racial and ethnic minorities with behavioral health disorders. Dr. Flores has two research arcs: 1) tracking national racial and ethnic disparity trends in behavioral health treatment and investigating the mechanisms underlying these disparities; and 2) assessing the extent to which fiscal policies (Medicaid/Medicare) targeting behavioral health services impact treatment access overall, and with a special focus on minoritized populations.

 

Community Advisory Board

Jacqueline Martinez, FPS, CPS

  • Jacquie Martinez is a certified peer specialist and vice president for NAMI Latino in Massachusetts. She also served as president of the Transformation Center’s Board of Directors and is the chair of the Protection and Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) Advisory Council. Jacquie currently works with guests and staff at a Boston shelter to establish and sustain mental wellness, and she has vast experience in survey research, as well as the evaluation of health service quality. She has worked with the Disability Policy Consortium on an evaluation of One Care and wrap-around services designed to support families who have children with mental health or trauma recovery needs. As a person with lived experience, and as the parent of a child with a mental health condition, Jacquie has a passion for educating parents, teachers, and community members about the need for open communication, training, support, and awareness of services that can help people live life with enjoyment and purpose.

Florette Willis, CPS

  • Florette Willis is a Patient Liasion and Certified Peer Specialist. Florette brings over a decade of experience working at NAMI Mass, Itinerant Ombudsman of MassHealth’s My Ombudsman Program, and as Co-Chair of MassHealth’s One Care Council. Florette specializes in mental wellness, advocacy, outreach, and supporting individuals, families, and their loved ones to heal, grow & recover in their community of choice.

Terry Alves-Hunter

  • Terry Alves-Hunter refers to herself as a SHE-EO= She Empowers Everyone. As a trained auditor for legal compliance she has used those skills to advocate for children and families. She is also a Certified Peer Support Specialist for children’s mental health, special education advocate and justice warrior. She is committed to removing the stigma attached to mental health, and trauma as it pertains to children and youth. As a black woman who has benefited from “light” privilege she has the lived experience of how different the degree of melanin has been addressed in mental health.

Dachon Duval

  • Dachon "D" Duvall is a certified peer specialist and trained recovery coach. He has worked for major mental health agencies in and around the Boston area. He believes in total health care. Dachon researches and advises on multiple projects and laws geared towards the improvement of mental health services,  especially for areas where information and access is limited. He is passionate about mental health and addiction care for all.

Kate Misher

  • Kate Misher is a freshman at the University of Southern California. Service has been a core foundation throughout her life and led her to USC for its unique service-based majors. As an NGO and Social Change major, she wants to learn all the ways to establish organizations that can make a positive impact. Kate is on the pre-law track, pursuing a career in Law and Non-Profits. She is an active member of Jane Goodall’s National Youth Leadership Council and has spent several years working to combat gun violence with the Brady Organization. 

Christina Copeland

  • Christina Copeland is a Williamstown High School and Rowan College of South Jersey graduate. She completed her associate's degree in arts and science while in high school. Throughout her career, she conducted several research projects. She worked for the Rowan University of Osteopathic Medicine to provide mental health professionals with resources to connect with their patients during the Covid-19 Pandemic. She also researched at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey on using alternative treatments such as Indole-3-Carbinol to measure their effectiveness in limiting the growth of cancer cells. At Williamstown High School, she conducted a study to measure the effectiveness of mental health programs on student mental health. Currently, she is a Karsh Stem Scholar Biology student at Howard University. Her goal upon graduation is to complete an MD/Ph.D. and become a researcher.

Marcus Peng

  • Marcus Peng is a senior at Brookline High School. He is very passionate about mental health and Asian American representation. Marcus is also on the youth advisory board of the BOBA (Building our Bonds Authentically) project, which specifically focuses on Asian American teen mental health.

Andrew Schade

  • Andrew is an aspiring high school student, entrepreneur, and speaker. Passionate about neuroscience and mental health, Andrew enjoys being a part of the eSToRY youth advisory board.

Maia Sevin

  • Maia Sevin is a junior at Friends’ Central School where she is a peer counselor, math tutor, field hockey captain, and member of the inaugural sports leadership development program. Maia contributes to youth mental health and wellness through research, leadership, and community engagement. She serves on the Youth Mental Health Advisory Board of a Harvard NIMHCenter to prevent youth suicide, guiding the development of school- and community-based mental health services. She is also a Research Assistant at the CHOP Neuro-OphthalmologyDepartment, working on pediatric brain tumor studies and first-authoring a children’s book to combat patient anxiety on strabismus surgery.

Gautham Ramshankar

  • Gautham Ramshankar is an Irvington High School graduate and a current student at Yale University. He has pursued mental health and cancer research in various labs. He looks forward to monthly Advisory Board meetings, where he can learn about his peers' experiences, practice compassion, and advance youth mental health advocacy.