PEOPLE — PRIDE LAB

The Psychology of Racism, Identity, Diversity, and Equity (PRIDE) Lab

Simon Howard, Ph. D.

simon.howard@miami.edu

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Dr. Simon Howard is the Director of the Psychology of Racism, Identity, Diversity, and Equity (PRIDE) lab and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Miami. He is a first-generation college graduate who completed his undergraduate degree at San Jose State University. Dr. Howard went on to earn his Ph.D. in Social Psychology at Tufts University. His research examines how racism, social identity, and structural inequality shape psychological well-being, health, judgment/decision making, and social behavior, with a particular focus on the experiences of historically marginalized people. A central focus of his work investigates how exposure to vicarious racism (i.e., indirect exposure to racism) through social networks, media, and digital environments influences collective action, mental health, physical health, and future orientation. In addition to his work on racism and identity, Dr. Howard examines how religious beliefs and conceptions of God (and other deities) shape attitudes toward social hierarchy, inequality, and intergroup relations. His emerging research explores the roles of spiritual connectedness, belonging, and meaning-making in promoting resilience, well-being, and human flourishing. He also conducts research on health inequities, including projects examining barriers to preventive healthcare engagement among formerly incarcerated Black men and other populations disproportionately affected by structural disadvantage.

Dr. Howard's research is currently supported by funding from organizations including the John Templeton Foundation, the Center for HIV and Research in Mental Health (CHARM), and the Center for Global Black Studies at the University of Miami. Dr. Howard is the recipient of several honors, including the 2022 Michelle Alexander Early Career Scholar Award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues (SPSSI), an Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring award from SPSSI, and multiple teaching awards for his innovative pedagogy from the University of Miami, Marquette University, and SPSSI.

Outside the lab and classroom, Dr. Howard enjoys traveling, training capoeira, working on music (hip-hop), attending spoken word open mics, and eating good food.

Samantha Tellefsen

sxt1267@miami.edu

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

Sam is the lab coordinator for the PRIDE Lab. She received her BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences from the University of California, Santa Barbara, during which time she worked as an RA for Dr. Nancy Collins’ Close Relationships Lab. Prior to joining the PRIDE Lab, she was a lab manager for the Applied Moral Psychology Lab at Cornell, where she contributed to projects on grudge-holding and effective leadership. Her present research interests center around experiences with collective injustice and its relationship to forming, maintaining, and ending interpersonal relationships. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring local thrift stores and getting lost in a good book.

Graduate Students

iem54@miami.edu

India McCray is a graduate student in the Adult Track of the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. Program at the University of Miami. She received her BA in psychology at the University of Louisville. Her research interests include the effects of systemic factors in marginalized communities, with an emphasis on racism and mental health, and quality of life for individuals in underserved populations. In addition, understanding how systemic racism, socioeconomic disparities, health disparities, and historical trauma shape perceptions of personal and collective well-being. India strives to produce research that aims to identify factors that contribute to improving quality of life, achievement, and inform interventions that support the well-being of minority populations in a nuanced and culturally responsive manner. Outside of the lab, India enjoys running, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.