Meet the Researchers and Graduate Students
THE BULLYING RESEARCH AND VICTIM EMPOWERMENT LAB: ENDING BULLYING THROUGH TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH
Susan M. Swearer, Ph.D.
FOUNDER, NEBRASKA BULLYING PREVENTION AND INTERVENTION INITIATIVE & EMPOWERMENT INITIATIVE
DIRECTOR OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY FOCUS, BULLYING RESEARCH AND VICTIM EMPOWERMENT RESEARCH LAB
BORN BRAVE EXPERIENCES STUDY
PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH STUDY
TARGET BULLYING INTERVENTION PROGRAM STUDY
Dr. Susan M. Swearer serves as professor of school psychology at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and co-director of the Bullying Research Network. As principal investigator of the Target Bullying: Best Practices in Bullying Prevention and Intervention project, Swearer has a long-standing track record of working with schools and districts nationwide to reduce bullying behaviors. She received a bachelor's in psychology from Swarthmore College, a master's in special education from the Pennsylvania State University, and a doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin.
For more than a decade, Swearer has developed and implemented a data-based decision-making model for responding to bullying among school-aged youth. She has conducted staff trainings in elementary, middle and high schools, with the goal of helping school personnel establish cost-effective and data-based strategies to reduce bullying behaviors. Swearer has authored more than 100 book chapters and articles on the topics of bullying, depression and anxiety in school-aged youth, co-authoring "Bullying Prevention and Intervention: Realistic Strategies for Schools" and co-editing "Bullying in North American Schools (2nd Edition)" and "Handbook of Bullying in Schools: An International Perspective."
Swearer's Target Bullying Intervention Program was featured on "CBS Sunday Morning" in February 2011, and she presented at the White House Bullying Prevention Conference in March 2011. In February 2012, she served as a panelist at Harvard University for the launch of Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation, appearing alongside Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelieus. Swearer also appeared as a featured bullying expert on Anderson Cooper's daytime show, "Anderson," in March 2012. Her work has been featured in numerous other print, radio and television outlets. Most recently, she has partnered with the Making Caring Common Project at Harvard University and Career Training Concepts to develop the H.E.A.R. presentation for the National Guard.
A licensed psychologist, Swearer serves as a supervising psychologist in the Child and Adolescent Therapy Clinic at UNL. She has devoted her career to the intersection of research and practice, serving as co-editor of the e-publication "Bullying @ School and Online" through Education.com. She chairs the research advisory board for the Born This Way Foundation and can be followed on Twitter (@DrSusanSwearer, @Bully_Research) and Facebook via the BRAVE Lab and Bullying Research Network pages.
Sam Kesselring, M.A., PLMHP
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Sam is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her interests include bullying prevention and intervention in historically underrepresented populations in research, particularly LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and refugee/immigrant students. She is also interested in the development and implementation of culturally-humble and inclusive programs targeting social-emotional learning, youth empowerment, and promotion of positive school climate.
Catie Carney, M.A., PLMHP
PRE-DOCTORAL INTERN
Catie is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship with NICPP, at Morningstar Counseling and Consultation. Her research interests include understanding the role of group norms and social processes in bullying behaviors, bullying experiences for historically marginalized youth, and the relationship between bullying and adolescent delinquent behavior. Catie’s dissertation research is testing the healthy context paradox by examining how school climate influences psychosocial outcomes for students with and without disabilities who have experienced bullying victimization. Catie also has clinical and research interest in assessing and treating trauma among justice-involved youth.
Emilea Rejman, M.A., PLMHP
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Emilea is a fourth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include bullying prevention and intervention, emotion regulation, as well as chronic peer victimization. She serves as the project director for BELONG, a virtual support group for victims of bullying.
Jared Noetzel, M.A., PLMHP
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Jared is a fourth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He serves as the project director for the BRNET International Study: Teacher's Perceptions of Bullying Behaviors investigating teacher's perceptions of bullying among school-aged students in 13 different countries. His research interests include cross-cultural differences in bullying behaviors, responses, prevention, and how to accommodate for cultural differences in diverse populations.
Melanie Willis, M.A., PLMHP
T-BIP DIRECTOR
Melanie is a fourth-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She serves s the project director for the T-BIP and @SocialThatSupports. She also serves as the coordinator for the Bullying Research Network (BRNET). Her research interests include bullying as an adverse childhood experience and the impact of positive childhood experiences and a resilient environment on long-term adult psychosocial and health outcomes.
Amanda Barrett, M.A.
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Amanda is a third-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include strengths-based interventions, differences in bullying behaviors in populations with disabilities, and the adaptation of interventions across modalities and for diverse populations.
Odera Malika Achingale, B.S.
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Malika is a second-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include cultural factors associated with resilience in immigrant youth; bullying and peer victimization in schools; the impact of school climate and parent-teacher relationships on students' wellbeing; and mental health disparities among minority youth, specifically African immigrant youth. She aspires to become a pediatric psychologist in a hospital setting and eventually work in private practice.
Hailey Kisner, B.A.
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Hailey Kisner is a second-year Ed.S. student at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas. She is originally from Hutchinson, Kansas. Hailey envisions using her degree to work in a rural school district. She has a passion for civil rights, educational neuroscience, and equipping young learners with the social-emotional skills needed to live and lead successful lives. Feel free to reach out to Hailey with any inquiries or questions at hkisner2@huskersunl.edu.
Liqun "Jenny" Feng, MA, BCBA
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Jenny is a first-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at UNL. Her research interests primarily revolve children with ASD, intellectual disability, and family with children with disability around exploring the functions, relationships, and correlations inherent in challenging behaviors and social reinforcement. Specifically, she is intrigued by the factors influencing the selection of behavior treatment plans by practitioners and families, as well as the subsequent implementation and effectiveness of these plans. Additionally, her focus extends to examining the efficacy of interventions addressing both behavioral and academic aspects.
Taylyn Petsche, BA
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Taylyn is a first-year doctoral student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research focuses on evidence-based interventions for child mental health and maltreatment, with a particular interest in adapting these interventions for diverse populations. She is passionate about exploring how adverse childhood experiences affect child development and influence long-term outcomes.
Johanna Galles
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Johanna Galles is a first-year Ed.S. Student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She plans to utilize her degree to support elementary school students. Her specific research interests include bullying prevention and intervention, emotion regulation, and the benefits of family, school, and community partnerships. She is passionate about promoting policies and practices that support the overall well-being of children.
Clarissa Marron
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Clarissa is a first year Ed.S. Student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln. She plans to use her degree to support elementary and middle school students. Her specific interests include mental health education, early childhood intervention, and bullying behaviors.
Annie Wrobel
T-BIP SPECIALIST
Annie is a first year Ed.S. student in the School Psychology program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She plans to use her degree to support middle school and high school students. Her specific interests include social and environmental impacts on adolescent mental health, education, and bullying behaviors.
Lab Alumni
Dr. Swearer has had many students graduate and contribute to research, policy, and practice across the country. See below to learn more about several alumni from the lab over the past two decades.
Adam Collins, PhD
Dr. Adam Collins is the founder of Envision Zero Bullying and co-author of Effective Bullying Prevention: A Comprehensive Schoolwide Approach and Untangling Data-Based Decision Making: A Problem-Solving Model to Enhance MTSS. Since 2023, he has served as a Board Member and Co-Vice Chair of Programming for Act To Change, the only national non-profit dedicated to ending bullying for Asian American and Pacific Islander youth. Dr. Collins has researched and implemented bullying prevention best practices for over 15 years at the state, national, and international level. His approach to ending bullying is focused on supporting the children involved and improving the systems around those children to prevent further incidents of bullying. His work has been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, Teen Vogue, and Time.
Currently serving in state government, Dr. Collins leads the largest state-funded bullying prevention program in the nation which has shown an over 32-percent drop in student-reported bullying. Additionally, he led the creation of his state’s first model bullying prevention policy and its subsequent revisions which included the collaboration of families with students targeted for bullying, education leaders, and community members.
Paige T. Lembeck, PhD
Paige T. Lembeck, PhD is a 2015 graduate of UNL’s school psychology program. Her dissertation was titled, “Adolescent Bullying: Do Weight, Body Size, and Body Size Dissatisfaction Influence Victimization?”, which was a product of the larger Bullying and Health Correlates Study. Dr. Lembeck completed her internship at UTHSC (St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital) and remained at St. Jude for fellowship, where she provided services to youth with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. Dr. Lembeck then worked as a Pediatric Psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at the Yale Medicine Child Study Center (2017-2021), where she provided pediatric psychology services within several multidisciplinary Neurology clinics. In 2021, Dr. Lembeck returned to her Oncology “roots” and transitioned to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where she is a pediatric psychologist embedded within the Very Rare Malignant Tumors Program and Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Her clinical and research interests include issues related to adjustment to rare cancers, family communication in the context of serious illness, and grief and loss. She is also actively involved in training/supervision and serves in several leadership roles, including the Behavioral Science liaison on the Rare Tumor Committee of the Children Oncology Group.
Alia Noetzel, PhD, LP
Alia is a 2022 graduate of UNL's School Psychology Program. Her dissertation focused on the mental health correlates of bullying perpetration and utilized data from the Targeted Bullying Involvement Program. She completed her predoctoral internship at Nationwide Children's Hospital (NCH) and went on to complete post-doctoral fellowship specializing in Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant at NCH as well. Alia has worked at NCH as a faculty member and licensed psychologist since 2023. She continues to provide psychological services to patients and families impacted by cancer and sickle cell disease, as well as patients undergoing bone marrow transplant and gene therapy.
Raul Palacios, PhD
SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
Raul is a 2024 doctoral graduate from the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He earned his Ed.S. in School Psychology from Seattle University. His research interests include bullying intervention and prevention, social justice, and the implementation of restorative practices in schools. His dissertation study investigated the association between machismo, caballerismo, ethnic identity identification, and bullying status (i.e., bully perpetrator, victim, bully-victim, not involved) among Chicano male youth. Raul completed his APA-accredited internship and fellowship at The School at Columbia University in New York City. He serves as the First Program Psychologist (Kindergarten to 3rd Grade) at The Dalton School, an independent school in the Upper East Side of New York City. He also teaches graduate courses at Bank Street College of Education. If you want to contact Dr. Palacios, you can reach him at raulapalaciosii@gmail.com.
Guadalupe Gutierrez, PhD
POST-DOCTORAL STUDENT
Guadalupe is a 2024 graduate of the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include the development of prevention and intervention programs for underrepresented youths and children from a strength-based perspective, with a particular focus on protective factors and resilience. She also wants to explore the underlying relationships between early school experiences like bullying and the detrimental impact on children's psychological well-being.
Linnea Swanson, PhD
POST-DOCTORAL STUDENT
Linnea is a 2024 graduate of the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include the influence of interpersonal relationships on outcomes associated with adverse experiences, including bullying, for youth and young adults. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Miriam Crinion, PhD
POST-DOCTORAL STUDENT
Miriam is a 2024 graduate of the School Psychology Program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Her research interests include the presence of bullying behaviors among students with disabilities and identifying and implementing system-wide bullying prevention programs. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
Kelley Wick, PhD
Kelley is a 2024 graduate of the Developmental & Learning Sciences program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She specializes in the other end of the bullying spectrum, examining what aids in higher levels of wellbeing and sense of belonging in emerging adults and teachers, especially in underrepresented and traditionally marginalized populations. Her other interests include exploring self-efficacy, self-compassion, and the role that the intersecting identities we subscribe to impact our experiences. Kelley has a strong foundation in statistics and methodology, and holds a certificate in Mixed Method Research, as well as a minor in Quantitative, Qualitative, and Psychometric Methods. Kelley has an expected graduation date of Spring 2024, and will be looking for a tenure-track faculty appointment in the Fall of 2024.