Role

Payton leads the day-to-day operations of the Searchlight Study, serving also as a study lead and coordinator. As lead assessor, she completes baseline interviews with participants experiencing suicidal ideation.

Background

Payton graduated from the University of Washington in 2021 with a B.S. in Psychology. As an undergraduate, she interned at the Center for the Study of Health and Risky Behaviors working with Dr. Jennifer Cadigan on Project SEA, a web-based intervention for young adults who use alcohol to cope with negative emotions. She joined the CSPAR in 2021 as a Research Study Assistant working on the Searchlight Study as an assessor. In the future, she hopes to pursue a PhD in Clinical Psychology. Her research interests include suicidality in adolescents and adults, substance use treatment, and advancing mental health treatments using technology.