Barbara is a lead project manager and research coordinator on studies funded by a grant from USAA’s Face the Fight Foundation which includes coordinating both a pilot study and a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of n=510 Veterans and military members, and collaborating with an interdisciplinary team to develop a new web-app to deliver the Caring Contacts intervention.

Barbara’s educational background includes graduating from Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, with an MSW emphasizing rural and/or Indigenous communities. During her social work practicum, Barbara had the opportunity to work within the Cherokee Nation, where she focused on community-based interventions and suicide prevention.  From those experiences, she gained a passion for advocacy within communities to best serve the individual. Her experience with CSPAR dates back to 2019 with the NIMH-funded study Caring Texts: A Strength-based, Suicide Prevention Trial in 4 Native Communities (CARE, PIs. Nelson & Comtois).