Sonyia Richardson, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Director
​Sonyia Richardson, PhD, LCSW is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry at UNC. Dr. Richardson is a dedicated health equity scholar whose research focuses on identifying and removing barriers (practical, systemic, organizational, and cultural) to mental health treatment for Black youth and developing interventions to support their persistence in mental health treatment. As a community-engaged researcher and clinician with over 20+ years of experience, she has extensive expertise in generating knowledge to enhance wellness among diverse populations and creating interventions that tend to their specific cultural needs. Dr. Richardson has been awarded funding as a principal investigator of a NIMH R34 feasibility study testing a culturally adapted care coordination suicide detection and intervention model for Black youth. Dr. Richardson graduated with a B.A. in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, an M.S.W. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Ph.D. in education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
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Margaret Phipps-Bennett, MSW, LCSWA, Lab Manager Margaret Phipps-Bennett is the lab manager for the Black Wellness Collective Lab and has worked with Dr. Richardson for approximately six years. She has her BSW and MSW degrees from UNC Charlotte. Her research interests include mental health, Black youth suicide prevention, and therapeutic interventions for the treatment of trauma. In addition to her research work, Margaret is a clinician-researcher who serves children and families primarily as a trained play therapist and an eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) provider.
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Austin Trujillo, BSW, MSW Student, Enrollment Coordinator
Austin Trujillo is the Enrollment Coordinator for the Black Wellness Collective Lab. He oversees enrollment and consent processes and ensures team members are adequately trained. Austin is pursuing an Advanced MSW Degree from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He is focused on mastering subjects related to suicide prevention and establishing caring connections among marginalized communities. His personal and professional experiences drive him to ensure that marginalized communities have access to culturally inclusive care.
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Shakara McDonald, PhD Student
Shakara McDonald is a first year PhD Student at the UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work. Her research interests are eliminating perinatal health disparities among Black families. Shakara is currently a Research Assistant with the Caring Connections Research Study and is under the guidance of Dr. Sonyia Richardson. Shakara's employment history includes more than seven years with multiple NC County Department of Social Services/Child Welfare Agencies and more than four years working in healthcare with the perinatal, pediatric, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at a local hospital system. While working in the NICU, Shakara noticed a distinct need for the family members. Shakara has been instrumental in bridging gaps of care for the mothers of our tiniest fighters, improving maternal and neonatal outcomes, as well as collaborating with community organizations to bring forth needed resources. Shakara hopes to cultivate more resources and efficient pathways to ensure that families are knowledgeable and receive the care that they need during a very critical time of their lives.​
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Savannah Robinson, Graduate Research Assistant
Savannah Robinson is a Graduate Research Assistant for The Black Wellness Collective, where she supports the Caring Connections study. She is currently a first-year student at the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Social Work and recently graduated from UNC with a B.A. in Psychology and English. During her time as an undergraduate at UNC, she was a research assistant in the Rodebaugh Lab, examining disparities in treatment for social anxiety disorder and the implementation of evidence-based treatments, including exposure therapy. Her research interests include disparities in mental health treatment, care solutions for underserved populations, and applying a bioecological framework to adolescent mental health. Savannah also interns with the NC Navigator Consortium, helping connect individuals to affordable health care resources. After completing her MSW, she hopes to work as a therapist specializing in adolescent mental health and expanding access to evidence-based treatment across North Carolina.
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Sydney Caddell, Lab Coordinator
Sydney is in her final year of undergrad at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studying Psychology with a minor in Sociology and was born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina. She is the director of the North Carolina Black Youth Wellness Advisory Board and helps to coordinate the lab's Caring Connections study as well as other lab projects. She is excited to contribute to research that will help improve mental health in the Black community. Sydney is interested in gaining experience in the treatment of mental health among Black youth and adolescents. She hopes to obtain a PhD in Clinical Psychology after she graduates from UNC and continue working with youth in a clinical setting, specializing in issues that affect youth of color and LGBTQ youth. She has a passion for social justice work and is eager to serve youth and adolescents on an individual level as well as in the community at large.
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Isabel Berge, Research Intern
Isabel is a 3rd year Psychology student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is from Hillsborough, North Carolina. She is interested in gaining experience in the treatment of mental health among underserved communities, and wants to work specifically with Hispanic communities in her future career. She plans on continuing her work after she graduates from UNC while getting a master's in Social Work and a PhD in clinical psychology. She aims to continue working with the Hispanic as well as other underserved communities in a clinical setting. She is passionate about social justice work and strives to serve her community.
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Amaya Hicks, Research Assistant
Amaya is a recent graduate of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and is from Durham, North Carolina. She is currently certified in Mental Health First Aid and serves on the North Carolina Black Youth Wellness Advisory Board, specifically on the Black Women’s Mental Health Committee. She hopes to obtain a Master's degree in Social Work, aiming to contribute to the field and improve mental health within the black community. Amaya hopes to gain experience working with mental health issues that affect black young adults, suicide prevention, and behavioral disorders.
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Sanvi Kadekoppa, Research Assistant
Sanvi Kadekoppa has worked as a High School Research Assistant with Dr. Richardson for over three years. She is currently a senior at Marvin Ridge High School in Waxhaw, North Carolina. Following graduation, Sanvi plans to attend college and study psychology and neuroscience, with the ultimate goal of earning an MD after completing her undergraduate education. She is passionate about addressing and combating healthcare inequity.
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Chloe Searles, High School Research Assistant
Chloe Searles is a high school senior in Charlotte, NC and serves as a research intern for the Black Wellness Collective Lab. She has had an ongoing interest in behavioral analysis and a passion for understanding risk factors associated with criminology. Her goals are to double major in psychology and neuroscience and learn more about the world of social work. After college, Chloe would like to pursue a career in forensic psychology, specifically focusing on offering support to those who have been harmed by the criminal justice system. Issues surrounding Black wellness are of interest to Chloe because of her awareness of resilience in the Black community.
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