Amber Fredrick (Clinical, DCN)
Amber Fredrick is primarily interested in sexual violence prevention with a focus on how experiencing sexual violence affects service engagement, survivor’s trust in systems at large, and mental health outcomes. She is passionate about centering the lived experience of survivors in her approach to research.
Amber received her BS in Psychology with a minor in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Washington in 2021. She then moved to Eugene, Oregon to attend the University of Oregon for her MEd in Prevention Science in 2022. Her commitment to community involvement goes beyond research. Amber has worked at shelters that facilitate stable housing and previously served as the Legal Services and Systems Navigation Coordinator at Sexual Assault Support Services.
Courtney McCrimmon (Clinical Child, DCN)
Courtney McCrimmon's research interests include sexual violence and trauma, human trafficking, sexual relationships, and survivor-centered services. She is particularly interested in learning about these interests through the lens of culturally responsive practices for African Americans, trauma-informed services, intersectionality, and community engagement.
Courtney graduated from Hampton University (Psychology, BA) and Marymount University (Forensic and Legal Psychology, MA). Previously she served as a case management coordinator for a non-profit working with Washington DC’s Superior Court to maintain and improve the protection and identification of victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
Leah Waltrip (Clinical, DCN)
Leah Waltrip is primarily interested in understanding the interplay between neurobiological and psychological trauma, particularly the long-term impacts of traumatic brain injury in survivors of domestic violence. Being bilingual in Spanish and English, Leah is passionate about engaging the Spanish-speaking community in Denver in community-engaged trauma research.
Leah received her BS in Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience and Peace and Justice from Villanova University in 2020. She moved to New York City to pursue basic neuroscience research under Dr. Hirofumi Morishita, before realizing her research interests were in Clinical Psychology. She then began researching early stages of Alzheimer's Disease and the impact of menopause on cognitive decline with Dr. Stephanie Cosentino at Columbia University. During this time, she volunteered as a Sexual Assault and Violence Intervention advocate for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence in New York City emergency rooms, which sparked her passion for working with survivors long-term.
Becky Suzuki (Clinical, DCN)
Becky Suzuki is primarily interested in how marginalization affects service engagement after a traumatic event. She is committed to working with community partners to systematically improve the access to and quality of services across the healthcare, civic and nonprofit sectors.
Suzuki received her BA in psychology from Haverford College in 2016. After graduating, she taught English as a Fulbright Scholar in Essen, Germany and then served with AmeriCorps in Memphis, Tennessee. Prior to coming to DU, she worked as a research assistant studying anxiety, trauma and grief at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
