Meet the Team

Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

espelage@unc.edu

Dorothy L. Espelage, Ph.D., is William C. Friday Distinguished Professor of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is the recipient of the APA Lifetime Achievement Award in Prevention Science and the 2016 APA Award for Distinguished Contributions to Research in Public Policy, and is a Fellow of APS, APA, and AERA. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Education, awarded the SPR Prevention Science Award in 2020, and received a lifetime mentoring award from the National Partnership to End Interpersonal Violence. She earned her Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Indiana University in 1997.  Over the last 25 years, she has authored over 350 peer- reviewed articles, eight edited books, and 100 chapters on bullying, homophobic teasing, sexual harassment, dating violence, social-emotional learning interventions, and adolescent suicide. Her research focuses on translating empirical findings into prevention and intervention programming and she has secured over 30 million dollars of external funding. She advises members of Congress and Senate on bully prevention legislation. She conducts regular webinars for CDC, NIH, and NIJ to disseminate research. She has conducted randomized clinical trials to evaluate K-12 social-emotional learning programs to reduce youth aggression, peer-led interventions to address sexual violence and suicidal behaviors, and virtual reality-based bully prevention programs. Findings of her research are guiding state, national, and international efforts to prevent youth violence and promote positive school climates. She authored a 2011 White House Brief on bullying among LGBTQ youth and attended the White House Conference in 2011, and has been a consultant on the stopbullying.gov website and consultant to the National Anti-bullying Campaign, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). She has presented multiple times at the Federal Partnership to End Bullying Summit and Conference. She is a consultant to the National Institutes of Health Pathways to Prevention Initiative to address bullying and youth suicide. Dr. Espelage has appeared on many television news and talk shows, including The Today Show; CNN; CBS Evening News; The Oprah Winfrey Show, Anderson, Anderson 360 and has been quoted in the national print press, including Time Magazine, USA Today, People, Boston Globe, and the Wall Street Journal.  Her dedicated team of undergraduate and graduate students are committed to the dissemination of the research through various mechanisms.

Susan J. Davis

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hi! I’m Susan, a postdoctoral researcher at the UNC School of Education. I identify as a straight, cisgender, white female. I joined the lab in September 2024, where I support two IES grants. I will earn my Doctor of Education in Leadership for Educational Equity degree from the University of Colorado Denver in December 2024. I’m also a CASEL Fellow Alum with extensive experience in K-12 education, especially in SEL and school counseling. My previous research explored the implementation of a mindfulness program in schools, emphasizing the importance of building effective partnerships between families, schools, and communities. My work highlights the value of culturally tailored strategies, the role of partnership dynamics, and preparation phases that ensure minimal parent pushback, even in conservative communities. These efforts have demonstrated positive impacts on student well-being and behavioral outcomes. I’m passionate about promoting well-being through SEL, educational leadership, and mindfulness. I am particularly interested in trauma-responsive practices and creating culturally adapted approaches that help support youth development. I believe that research should be a bridge between theory and practice, leading to equitable educational environments for all students. In the future, I hope to transition into a tenure-track professorship, which would allow me to further my research, mentor emerging educational leaders, and secure funding through grant writing. I also aim to continue expanding the reach of SEL frameworks in schools. Outside of research, I enjoy hiking, reading, and traveling. Staying active is essential to me—anything that involves movement is my jam! Running, lifting weights, and doing yoga. My first love is basketball. I have a husband, three children, and four grandchildren. I’m also a strong advocate for mental health awareness and enjoy leading mindfulness workshops in my community.

Anahi Galvan

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hi! I’m Anahi, an alumna of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I joined the RAVE Lab Team during my junior year as a research assistant, and I am currently serving as the research coordinator during my gap year before heading to graduate school. I graduated in 2024 with a B.A. in Human Development and Family Studies and a B.A. in Psychology.

Yutong (Alex) Gao

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

gyutong@unc.edu

Hi! I’m Alex and I am a third-year Ph.D. student in Applied Developmental Science and Special Education (ADSSE) at University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I’m from China and identify as a straight cisgender woman. After graduating from college, I worked as a tutor and academic counselor in Beijing, during which I became interested in youth mental health research. In May 2022, I graduated from the Graduate School of Education at University of Pennsylvania with a master’s degree in human development and statistics and research technology. Before UNC, I had also worked as a research assistant at Beijing Normal University on social-emotional learning and gender equality education. My research interests are school violence prevention and mental health promotion, particularly through a gender transformative approach. In my free time, I enjoy cuddling my cats and watching movies.

Noreen (Yinuo) Xu

Eliza Craig Parker

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Aidan Nance

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Aidan Nance is a senior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with degrees in Neuroscience B.S. and Psychology B.S. She is an undergraduate researcher currently working on the NIJ and AIR Meta-Analysis studying impulsivity as a root cause of school violence. She plans to pursue a career in medicine or neuroscience research and in her free time enjoys crocheting, reading, and spending time with her friends.

Alyssa Beasley

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hi! I’m Alyssa, an undergraduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I joined the RAVE Lab Team in Fall 2023 as a Research Assistant, which is the role that I currently hold. I am a Human Development & Family Science Major and an Education Minor, and I expect to graduate in Spring of 2025. I identify as a straight, cisgender, white woman who grew up in the small, rural community of Liberty, North Carolina. My research interests include promoting equitable and accessible education for all students and social-emotional learning in schools. Additionally, I am passionate about mental health promotion and holistic health & wellness. In my free time, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, creating art through pottery and painting, cooking/baking, and watching good movies.

Malia Harris

Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

Hi! I’m Malia Harris, a junior at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I joined the RAVE lab last year as a research assistant. I plan to graduate in 2026 with a B.A. in Human Development and Family Sciences and Spanish Linguistics. My research interest focuses on early childhood development, particularly how familial, cultural, and socioeconomic factors shape emotional and cognitive growth. I’m especially interested in how these influences affect problem-solving, social skills, and emotional regulation in diverse populations, and how specialized interventions can promote positive outcomes in marginalized communities. After undergrad, I hope to teach English a year abroad as my gap year and then attend graduate school. I enjoy running, camping, hiking, and spending time with friends and family.

Aseess Chadha

Hi! My name is Aseess, currently working as a researcher at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India. I am a research volunteer at the lab. I graduated with a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Amity University, Noida in 2023, and have served as a counselor at community hospitals and mental health organizations. My research interests focus on youth mental health promotion, and I am curious about understanding how culture and community can be used as tools to promote sustainable mental health through lasting and scalable interventions. I am also interested in addressing intergenerational psychopathology transfer among marginalized groups through brief targeted interventions. I strongly believe in the potential of research to drive meaningful change and want to use it to address disparities and improve well-being on a larger scale. While I’m not working, you’d find me trying new cuisines, cooking some of them, and chatting with family and friends (or perhaps making new ones!)