The BETTER Lab

The BETTER Lab is the research arm of The BETTER Collaborative. The lab is led by Dr. Nuha Alshabani and is supported by undergraduate, graduate, and medical student research assistants. We collaborate closely with clinicians, educators, and researchers committed to advancing health equity for marginalized communities.

Current Projects

Collaborative Development of a Skills-Based Program for Resisting Oppression-Based Stress and Trauma

2024–2026 | PIs: Alshabani & LaMartine

Description: This study applies implementation science and participatory methods to expand the Reconnect intervention, initially focused on anti-Black racism, into adapted versions addressing additional experiences of marginalization for sexual and gender diverse communities, Latina/o/x communities, and African migrant communities. The goal is to develop a modular, intersectional intervention that allows clinicians to tailor treatment modules across diverse identities and experiences.  

Funded by: Boston Medical Center Health Equity Accelerator 

Review of Médecins Sans Frontière (MSF)’s Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Services

2025–2026 | PIs: Alshabani & Aldhalimi

Description: This study conducts a comprehensive review of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) component of MSF’s Hebron Project, tracing its development and impact from 2018 to 2025. By identifying key lessons learned and best practices, the study aims to strengthen program quality, effectiveness, and sustainability. Findings will inform programmatic decision-making, contribute to institutional learning within, and support the adaptation and scale-up of evidence-based MHPSS strategies across humanitarian contexts.

Funded by: Médecins Sans Frontières 

Past Projects

Racialized Harms of Family Separation: Needs Assessment to Inform Treatment and Policy

2024–2025 | PIs: Gellatly & Taknint; Co-I: Alshabani

Description: This mixed-methods study documents the lived experiences of migrant parents separated from their children. The project aims to:

a) elevate these narratives to motivate public awareness and political action to dismantle racist policies;

b) inform the development of culturally responsive mental health interventions addressing separation-related distress; and

c) guide policy reform priorities and advocacy strategies.

Funded by: Boston University Center for Antiracist Research

Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Burnout in Hospital Interpreters

2023–2024 | PIs: Gellatly & Alshabani

Description: This study examined experiences of vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout among hospital interpreters. Findings aim to inform the development of training programs and institutional systems of support to better meet interpreters’ professional and emotional needs.

Funded by: Boston University Center for Forced Displacement

Adaptation and Dissemination of a Race-Based Stress, Trauma, and Empowerment Program for Community Churches

2022–2024 | PIs: Alshabani, Valentine, & Cromartie

Description: Using intervention mapping and participatory research methods, this project co-designed Reconnect, a group-based therapy intervention addressing the physical and psychological effects of anti-Black racism. The intervention was piloted in both hospital and community-based settings

Funded by: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation

Current Lab Members

Aysha Khan is a first-year Counseling Psychology PhD student at the University at Albany. She received her B.A. In Clinical Psychology from Macaulay Honors College at CUNY Hunter in 2024. She is currently a clinical research coordinator at the Center for Stress, Resilience, and Personal Growth at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, where she studies trauma and resilience in the healthcare worker population. In graduate school, she is interested in studying the social determinants of mental health and how individuals from marginalized communities remain resilient through adversity. Specifically, she hopes to examine the impact of culture and community cohesiveness on the mental health of immigrant and refugee populations. 

Aaruba Ayesha is a first-year Clinical Psychology doctoral student at the University of Utah. She is a trauma therapist who specializes in treating refugees, asylum seekers, and survivors of torture. She completed an MA in Mental Health Counseling & Behavioral Medicine at Boston University.

Lab Alumni

Katy Price, Lab Director

Katy received her Psychology B. A. from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2020. She was the Senior Research Assistant at both the Immigrant and Refugee Health Center (IRHC) and the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights (BCRHHR). Katy’s research interests are centered around intergenerational trauma and resilience. She is particularly interested in examining trauma and substance use within marginalized communities who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology at the University of Rhode Island.

Andrew Lenart

As a Research Assistant for the BETTER Lab, Andrew supported the Racialized Harms of Family Separation Needs Assessment study. Andrew graduated from Wake Forest University in 2022 with a degree in Anthropology and completed his MPH at Boston University School of Public Health in 2024. Blending qualitative and quantitative research skill sets, he joined the lab as a founding member in 2023. His research interests include patient-centered, culturally sensitive care, and improving healthcare access for marginalized communities.

Chloe Mak

Chloe Mak graduated from Northeastern University, majoring in Psychology with a minor in Behavioral Neuroscience. Chloe completed a 6-month co-op at Boston Medical Center as a program assistant for the Addiction Psychiatry Treatment Program, and then worked as a research assistant for the BETTER Lab. She also has previous experience working as a Health Equity intern at Northeastern University, researching Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) as well as the impact of trauma on health. Chloe is particularly interested in research focused on not only enhancing our understanding of trauma and fostering resilience but also developing improvements to equitable and accessible mental health resources and services.

Iman Ibrahim

Iman Ibrahim graduated from Northeastern University, with a major in Public Health and minor in Data Science. Iman completed a co-op at Boston Medical Center as a health equity research assistant with the RESTORE Center. Previously, she has been a health equity intern at Northeastern University, where she conducted research on social determinants of mental health and explored applications of natural language processing in public health. Iman is passionate about advancing health equity, with a particular focus on immigrant and refugee health, as well as leveraging digital health innovations to address disparities in care.

Selected Publications

  1. Price, K., Lenart, A., Taknint, J., Gellatly, R., & Alshabani, N. (2026). Addressing barriers to forcibly displaced migrant’ participation in research. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.

  2. Alshabani, N., Godfrey, L., Fuchs, C., Villa, R., Perez, D., & Valentine, S. E. (2025). Assessing Implementation and Health Equity Determinants to Develop a Facilitation Plan for Varied Intensity Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Treatments in Minority-Serving Institutions. Psychological Services, 22(3), 546–558. https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000941

  3. Alshabani, N., Godfrey, L. B., Taknint, J. T., Sahib, W., Atari-Khan, R., & Price, K. (2025). Intergenerational Resilience in the Context of Historical and Ongoing Trauma. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 11(2), 206–222. https://doi.org/10.1037/tps0000446

  4. Alshabani, N., Haws, J. K., Zlotnick, C., & Johnson, D. M. (2025). PTSD Symptom Networks During Treatment Among Residents in Domestic Violence Shelters. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 72(1), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000771

  5. Ahmad, S. S., Hammad, I., Rbeiz, K., Ebrahimi, C. T., Alshabani, N., McLaughlin, M. Gonzalez, A., Haws, J. K., Alshabani, N., Zlotnick, C., & Johnson, D. M. (2025). Cyber Abuse and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Racially Diverse Women Who Have Resided in Domestic Violence Shelters: A Longitudinal Approach. Psychological Trauma, 17(S1), S105–S114. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001868

  6. Ahmad, S. S., Hammad, I., Rbeiz, K., Ebrahimi, C. T., Alshabani, N., McLaughlin, M. M., Kia-Keating, M. & Weisman de Mamani, A. (2025). Exploring cumulative identity-based discrimination, distress, and traumatic exposure among Muslims living in the United States. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 17(6), 1202.(2025). Exploring Cumulative Identity-Based Discrimination, Distress, and Traumatic Exposure Among Muslims Living in the United States. Psychological Trauma, 17(6), 1202–1211. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001764

  7. Taknint, J. T., Thomas, F. C., Gellatly, R., & Ameresekere, M. (2024). Responding to trauma: A critical review of mental health and psychosocial interventions for refugee women. Current Psychiatry Reports, 26(12), 866–876. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-024-01568-3

  8. Taknint, J. T., Marzoughi, M., Gellatly, R., Krengel, M. H., & Kimball, S. L. (2024). Improving access to disability assessment for US citizenship applicants in primary care: An embedded neuropsychological assessment innovation. Annals of Family Medicine, 22(5), 458.

  9. Gellatly, R., Boustani, M., Nair, P., Mahajan, R., Jambhale, A., Sahu, R., Chodankar, B., Krishnan, M., Malik, K., Mathur, S., Becker, K., Michelson, D., Patel, V., & Chorpita, B.F. (2024). Adolescent engagement in a stepped care, transdiagnostic mental health intervention delivered in Indian schools. Discover Psychology, 4(43). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44202-024-00154-1

  10. Valentine, S. E., Alshabani, N., Godfrey, L. B., Paul, E., Clark, C., Giovannini, K., & Nillni, Y. I. (2023). Considerations for the provision of PTSD treatment among pregnant women with substance use histories: A clinical conceptual model based on case consultation field notes. General Hospital Psychiatry, 84, 3–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2023.05.013

  11. Alshabani, N., Speight, S. L., Soto, S. I., Koskey, K. L. K., & Behrman, C. (2023). Socioecological Perspectives of Resilience Among Arab and Middle Eastern Migrants. The Counseling Psychologist, 51(8), 1096–1127. https://doi.org/10.1177/00110000231189299

  12. Valentine, S. E., Godfrey, L. B., Gellatly, R., Paul, E., Clark, C., Giovannini, K., ... & Nillni, Y. I. (2023). Supporting the implementation of written exposure therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder in an obstetrics-substance use disorder clinic in the Northeastern United States. SSM-Mental Health, 4, 100256.

  13. Musindo, O., Jafry, S., Nyamiobo, J., Becker, K.D., Gellatly, R., Maloy, C., Lozano, A., Romero, B., Kola, L., Chorpita, B.F., Kumar, M. (2023). Mental health and psychosocial interventions integrating sexual and reproductive rights and health, and HIV care and prevention for adolescents and young people (10-24 years) in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA): A systematic scoping review. eClinicalMedicine, 57, 1-27.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.101835

  14. Becker, K.D., Guan, K., Malik, K., Gellatly, R., Nair, P., Patel, V., & Chorpita, B.F. (2023). Proof-of-concept evaluation of the Reaching Families engagement system for youth mental health workers in India. Journal of Health Science & Education, 6(4): 226. https://doi.org/10.0000/JHSE.1000226

  15. Watson, M. K., Alshabani, N., & Swiatek, S. (2022). An Intersectional Approach to Problem Drinking in the Nepali/Bhutanese Community in Northeast Ohio. Human Organization, 81(1), 60–70. https://doi.org/10.17730/1938-3525-81.1.60

  16. Gellatly, R., Boustani, M., Malik, K., Michelson, D., Nair, P., Patel, V., & Chorpita, B.F. (2022). A qualitative analysis of collaborative efforts to build a multi-problem, school-based intervention for common adolescent mental health difficulties in India. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 13, 1-17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1038259

  17. Mattar, S., Gellatly, R. (2022). Refugee mental health: Culturally relevant considerations. Current Opinion in Psychology, 47, 1-5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101429