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Meet our current team!

Ryan Hill, PhD - Lab Director

Ryan Hill is a professor in the Department of Psychology at LSU and a licensed psychologist in the state of Texas. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a B.A. in Psychology, then received his masters and doctoral degrees in clinical science of child and adolescent psychology from Florida International University. He is the head and founder of the Research for Suicide Prevention Lab. His research interests are focused on suicide preventions among child, adolescent, and emerging adult populations. This includes more specific areas of interest such as examining interpersonal processes as they relate to the development of suicidal thoughts, developing web-briefed interventions to reduce suicidal risk and enhance resilience, and studies to prevent suicide among underrepresented and underserved populations. For more information on his recent publications, click here or visit his faculty page here

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Austin Starkey, B.S., Graduate Student Researcher

Austin Starkey is a first-year graduate student at LSU working with the SPRL Lab. He was born in Lima, OH and graduated from Florida State University with a B.S in Psychology and Sociology. After graduating, he worked in Dr. Pamela Keel’s Eating Behaviors Research Clinic at Florida State where he managed an R01 examining the biobehavioral indicators of binge eating disorder among adult women. Following this, he took a position as a research associate with the Suicide and Trauma Reduction Initiative for VEterans (STRIVE) where he worked with Dr’s. Craig Bryan, Justin Baker, and Lauren Khazem on clinical trials specifically aimed at treating suicidality.  His research interests include suicide prevention among transition age youth, namely those from minoritized and underserved populations. Additionally, he is interested the development of treatments for non-suicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescents. In his free time, he likes to spend time with his girlfriend Emily and their three cats, Dr. Wilson, Dwight, and Angela. 

You can contact Austin through his email: astar32@lsu.edu

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Tyler Hendley, B.S., Graduate Student Researcher

Tyler Hendley is a first-year graduate student on Dr. Ryan Hill’s Suicide Prevention Research Team. Tyler is from Kannapolis, NC, and graduated from Clemson University’s Honors College with a B.S. in psychology and a minor in life sciences. While at Clemson, he worked in Dr. Robin Kowalski’s Social Psychology Lab where he researched K-12, college/university, and mass shootings. After graduation, Tyler was accepted into McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School’s Post-Baccalaureate Clinical Fellowship in the Simches Center of Excellence in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. While at McLean Hospital, he served as a Community Residence Counselor, Clinical Educator Specialist, and research assistant at the 3East DBT Adolescent Residential Program. As a research assistant, under the supervision of Dr. Alan Fruzzetti, he tracked treatment progress and outcomes of adolescent patients receiving treatment at the 3East DBT Program. After graduating the fellowship, Tyler rejoined Dr. Kowalski’s research endeavors to investigate suicidality and mass shootings. His research interests include suicide prevention in child and adolescent populations, examining interpersonal processes as they relate to suicidal thoughts and behaviors, and gun violence on a mass and individual level. In his free time, he likes to fish, attend sporting events, and listen to live music.

You can contact Tyler through his email: thendl1@lsu.edu

Isabel Crumley, Lab Assistant

Isabel is a third-year student at Louisiana State University majoring in psychology with a concentration in forensics. She would like to go to graduate school for clinical psychology and is interested in psychological disorders. In her free time, she enjoys getting involved in her sorority, playing with her dog and cat, traveling, and going to the beach.

Lillian Sims, Lab Assistant

Lilli is a third-year undergraduate student majoring in psychology with a concentration in cognitive neuroscience and minoring in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. In addition to her studies, she serves as the president of Feminists in Action, a student organization on campus. She is also a participant in the Louisiana Service and Leadership (LASAL) Program with the Ogden Honors College. Through these activities, Lilli aims to use her knowledge to advocate for and destigmatize mental health in underrepresented communities.

Thais Wise, Lab Assistant

Thais is a third- year undergraduate student at Louisiana State University majoring in psychology with a concentration in forensics. Her goal is to improve the criminal justice system through her future career and wherever else she can make a difference. Fun fact- outside of forensic psych, she also has a strong passion for dance and hopes to keep it as part of her life.

                                                                                               Zoran Allen, Lab Assistant

​​​​​​​​​​Zoran is a fifth-year undergraduate at Louisiana State University majoring in Psychology with a concentration in Cognitive Neuroscience and a double minor in Biological Sciences and Italian Language. He hopes to become a clinical psychologist and has particular interest in systems/integrative neuroscience. Through his work with the SPRT team, he hopes to gain experience in social science research. A fun fact about Zoran is that he can speak Italian and yet has no Italian ancestry

Former Lab Members

Zain Hussain, BA

Sophia Abbahou

Carter McCray, BA

Blake Vieyra, BA

Kaylee Perkins, BA

Arya Menon

Janie Morgan, BA

Amelia Todd, BA

Jaidyn Procell, BA

Ava Wood

Jackson Bolner​

Alyson Rivers

Madison Williams

Ruth Nolen

Aaron Gotte

Caleb Yaccarino

Brityn Strickland

Elizabeth (Beth) Frait

Shania Winchester

Alena Knieper

Ky Trahan

Frequent Collaborators 

Mitigation of Suicidal Behavior (MOSB) Lab, Dr. Raymond Tucker

Anxiety and Trauma Research Program, Dr. Daniel Capron

SPRL often collaborates alongside the MOSB lab, led by Dr. Raymond Tucker and the Anxiety and Trauma Research Program, led by Dr. Daniel Capron. Both labs are interested in suicide prevention, with MOSB focusing on the testing and adaptation of theoretical models of suicide, the creation of new suicide risk assessment tools, and the identification of unique suicide risk and resilience factors in diverse populations. Dr. Tucker is an associate professor of psychology at Louisiana State University and a licensed clinical psychologist. For more about the MOSB Lab, visit their lab site

Dr. Capron is an associate professor of psychology at Louisiana State University. For more about the Anxiety and Trauma Research Program, visit their lab site.

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