MIRECC / CoE

Meet the New SC MIRECC Fellow

Interview with Juinell Williams, PhD by Brandon Shanahan, MS

Q. Please tell us a bit about your educational background.

From my time completing my undergraduate degree at University of Maryland College Park through my time completing my doctoral degree at East Carolina University, I have had the pleasure of an interdisciplinary education that incorporated knowledge from fields including public health, sociology, the humanities, as well as clinical and health psychology.

My past experiences in research included working in labs focused on substance use and mood, young adult health and development, resilience and readiness of service members, military health, stress and coping, LGBTQ+ health, and health disparities. I ultimately earned my PhD in clinical health psychology from East Carolina University and completed my predoctoral internship at the Michael E. DeBakey VA here in Houston.

Q. What are your research interests?

I am interested in increasing mental health access and treatment engagement for marginalized Veterans and those historically excluded from research. More specifically, my populations of interest are racial and ethnic minority Veterans, LGBTQ+ Veterans, women Veterans, Veterans with disabilities, and those at the intersections of those identities.

I am also interested in adaptive adjustment to chronic health conditions and disability, tailoring interventions for marginalized groups, and multi-level approaches to health equity.

Q. Who is on your mentorship team?

My mentorship team includes Drs. Darius Dawson, Katie Kanzler, Derrecka Boykin, Richard Street, and Jeffrey Cully.

Q. Do you have any hobbies that you want to share?

I have enjoyed all things dance fitness, especially Zumba for some time. More recently, an IQuESt fellow suggested embroidery as an additional creative outlet and I have not been able to put down my embroidery hoop since I started!

Last updated: January 24, 2024