Team Members

Maggie Cooper
Communications Lead
Maggie Cooper is the communications lead on SMAHRT and joined the team in 2018. Maggie is working on a project using LIWC, a text analysis software, and disseminating information about SMAHRT's work and programs. She is interested in bridging the gap between researchers and the general public.
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Amrutha Garimella
Research Intern
Amrutha Garimella is a student at University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is a research intern on the SMARHT Team. She is passionate about the intersection between mental health, adolescent health, and medicine. She is excited to investigate these topics through her independent project.
Isabel Garlough-Shah
Research Specialist
Isabel Garlough-Shah is a communications intern that joined the SMAHRT Team in 2022. Isabel majored in journalism and mass communications and gender and women studies. She is interested in studying social media research, strategic communication, and feminist theory.
Abby Hommer
Research Intern
Abby is a student at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Abby is a research intern on the SMAHRTeam. She is interested in the relationship between social media use and social anxiety for adolescents and is excited to learn more through her independent project.
Reese Hyzer
Research Specialist
Reese joined the team in January of 2018 as an undergraduate research intern. She graduated from UW–Madison in May 2018 with a degree in psychology and earning certificates in gender and women’s studies and global health. She is interested in how social media affects the physical and psychosocial health of adolescents. In addition to working part-time on SMAHRT, Reese is attending the Loyola University of Chicago for her PhD in school psychology.
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Brad Kerr
Researcher I
Brad joined SMAHRT in 2011 as a research coordinator. He has worked on several projects related to adolescents’ health displays on social media and is currently leading an intervention study. With a Master’s in Higher Education Administration, Brad also focuses on educational initiatives, including working with a team of undergraduate interns in supporting the research of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine division faculty.
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Matt Minich
Graduate Program Assistant
Matt is a PhD student in School of Journalism and Mass Communication, where he studies health communication, media psychology, and communication neuroscience. At SMAHRT, he uses inductive quantitative analyses to identify ways to improve communication between healthcare practitioners and their adolescent patients. He also provides statistical and editorial consulting on other projects as needed.
Chelsea Olson
Scientist
Chelsea Olson is a SMAHRT scientist that joined the team in 2022. Chelsea is working on the SMAHRT study TYAH and is interested in studying adolescent involvement in cyberstalking on social media and associated mental health outcomes.
HyunJu Park
Statistical Intern
HyunJu is a research intern that joined the team in 2022. HyunJu is majoring in data science, junior, interested in studying data analysis and management on social media.
Avery Salerno
Research Specialist
Avery joined SMAHRT in November of 2022. She holds a B.A. in psychology and spanish and hispanic Studies from Earlham College and is a former elementary school teacher. Passionate about both research and education, Avery is excited to engage in learning and teaching through the unique mentorship model at SMAHRT. Avery is interested in how adolescents portray substance use and misuse behaviors on social media.
Jacqueline Sii
Research Intern
Jacqueline is a research intern that joined the team in 2021. Jacqueline is working on the SMAHRT study TYAH and is interested in studying what persuasive elements in tobacco-free ads are most effective in deterring youth and adolescents from tobacco and electronic cigarette use.
Gage Stratman
Research Intern
Gage is a research intern that joined the team in 2023. Gage is majoring in biology and is interested in studying pediatrics, dentistry, and mental health. Gage is currently coding on the B3 project as well as running an independent project investigating oral health care on social media.