People

Rachel Winograd

Rachel Winograd, PhD, Big Enchilada (Principal Investigator)

Rachel Winograd, PhD, is fascinated by drugs and all the reasons and ways people use them. She’s most interested in how some people's drug use turns into problematic use or addiction, their experiences accessing care, and the beliefs, knowledge, policies, and practices of those working in clinical settings to provide substance use services to those who need them. Currently, her focus is on expanding access to medical treatment, harm reduction strategies, and person-centered approaches for evidence-based care for substance use disorders in Missouri. Rachel enjoys sunshine, eating cereal in the evening, and has recently discovered she likes puzzles. She’s outspoken and rarely takes no for an answer, except when dealing with her three young children, when sometimes she chooses to simply give up.

Kanila Brown, MA, MS, The She McCoy (4th Year Clinical Psychology Student)

Kanila is a student in UMSL's Clinical Psychology PhD program. She earned her BA in Psychology from Talladego College in 2017. In 2019, she earned her MA in Clinical Psychology and MS in Quantitative Psychology at Ball State University. There, her Master's thesis examined social cognitive predictors of substance use and sexual risk behavior among emerging adults. Broadly, Kanila's interests include understanding behavioral and mental health disparities, predominantly among Black people. More specifically, she is interested in understanding the cultural mechanisms of substance use trajectories among Black people across the lifespan and culturally responsive interventions. Her thesis used qualitative data to build a model of cannabis use among Black adolescents through a social-ecological framework. Her current specialty proposes a framework of racialized drug socialization among Black people.

Kay Campbell, MS (3rd Year Clinical Psychology Graduate Student)

Kay is a student in UMSL’s Clinical Psychology PhD program. In 2020, she earned her BA in Psychology and BPS in Professional Studies at The University of Memphis. She then earned her MS in General Psychology at the University of Memphis in 2022. There, her Master’s thesis examined dyadic differences in the perception of stress-related reactions among treatment-seeking Black youth with high body weights. Broadly, Kay is interested in the intergenerational transmission of risk and resilience among racial/ethnic minorities with regard to behavioral health. Particularly, she seeks to understand resilience resources made available to racial/ethnic minorities, particularly Black and African Americans, and the way in which substance use and post-traumatic stress (PTS) may disproportionately impact this community.

Schyler Newman, MA, Rizz Master (3rd Year Clinical Psychology Graduate Student)

Schyler Newman (she/they) is a student in UMSL’s Clinical Psychology PhD program. In 2018, she earned her BA in Psychology at Rowan University in south Jersey. She then went on to complete a post-bacc experience where she assisted with the development and implementation of contingency management interventions for substance use. From there, she earned a position at the University of Pennsylvania where she worked on The Whole Health Study–a RCT focused on collaborative care for OUD in primary care settings. Broadly, Schyler is interested in optimizing treatments for OUD, contingency management, and the dissemination of research to policy makers and the public. In her free time, she enjoys reading fanfiction, weightlifting, and streaming Call of Duty.

Brandon Park, Karaoke Emcee (2nd Year Clinical Psychology Graduate Student)

Brandon Park (he/him) is a clinical psychology Ph.D. student at UMSL. In 2017, he graduated with B.A.'s in Psychological & Brain Sciences and the Natural Sciences Area at the Johns Hopkins University. Soon after graduating, he worked with the Maryland Opioid Research (MOR) group of the Behavioral Pharmacology Research Unit (BPRU) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. For two years, he coordinated multiple in-person adn remote studies evaluating patient-centered perspectives of opioid craving, drug legalization and decriminalization beliefs, and substance use disorder treatment outcomes. At UMSL, Brandon is eager to investigate barriers to opioid use disorder treatment in the community, with a special commitment to incarcerated and forensic populations. Outside of research, he is passionate about music (especially playing cello), exploring art museums, and trying new things outdoors.

Rithvik Kondai, Research Associate and Vibes Consultant

Rithvik (Vik) Kondai (he/him) is the Senior Overdose Prevention Coordinator on the Addiction Science team at UMSL-MIMH and an MPH student at Mizzou. In his role at UMSL-MIMH, Vik works with the Harm Reduction team to implement harm reduction programming throughout the state of Missouri. Vik graduated from Washington University in St. Louis with a BA in Psychology-Neuroscience-Philosophy, an interdisciplinary degree where Vik learned to fall in love with the mind. He found his passion for harm reduction after working at a syringe service program in St. Louis. Vik joins the ASPIRE lab as a graduate research associate and vibes coordinator. He is broadly interested in learning about and advancing work in the fields of substance use, addiction, harm reduction, implementation science, drug policy, community health, health equity, and racial equity. He is also in the ASPIRE lab to maintain the vibes. Vik is committed to spreading the harm reduction gospel and finding ways to empower communities to keep eachother safe and healthy.

Bridget Coffey, How-to Queen (Addiction Science Liaison)

Bridget Coffey (MA, MSW) is a research consultant on the Addiction Science team at UMSL-MIMH. At work, Bridget enjoys asking questions, exploring possibilities, and figuring out how things work. In the ASPIRE lab, Bridget serves as a liaison with the Addiction Science team and helper with things like Zotero and Qualtrics. She is currently interested in creating systems to nurture and champion the efforts of peer support workers in substance use treatment and recovery settings. Outside of work, Bridget enjoys spending time with her dogs, kayaking (though she doesn’t get out as much as she’d like to), and reading.

Undergraduate Research Assistants

Sarah Boslaugh, Statistics Wizard

Sarah Boslaugh is a first-year student in the MA program in Philosophy at UMSL. She worked for several decades as a statistician at places like Montefiore Medical Center in New York City and Washington University School of Medicine and BJC Healthcare in St. Louis before returning to university to seek higher truths. She studied economics at the BA level at UMSL (lacking one 3-credit elective to complete the degree, which will hopefully happen this spring) and is now immersed in mastering the Queen of the Sciences. As a car-free person, she likes to explore St. Louis on foot and via public transportation.

Natalie George, Condiment Sommelier

Natalie George (she/her) is an aspiring scientist looking to earn her BS in Biology at UMSL. Natalie’s guiding principle is curiosity, and she loves to learn more about the world around her. With her degree, she hopes to make a difference in the world of ecology or medicine. Although she is not quite sure where her professional life will lead, she wants to remain at the forefront of scientific progress. In her personal life, Natalie loves to read (fiction and nonfiction alike!), go biking on the Katy Trail, and play games of all kinds.