PEOPLE — PRIDE LAB

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

Simon Howard, Ph. D.

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

simon.howard@miami.edu

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.

Sarah Tahir, B.A.

RESEARCH ASSOCIATE

smt322@miami.edu

Sarah Tahir is the Lab Coordinator for the PRIDE Lab. She received her BA with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology & Anthropology from Lake Forest College. Before joining the PRIDE Lab, she completed her Senior Thesis which examined the relationship of identity threat and safety cues at predominantly white institutions and their effect on social & behavioral outcomes for students of color. She previously worked as a Lab Manager for the Science of Early Education and Development (SEED) Lab and an undergraduate RA in the Identity and Intergroup Relations Lab at Lake Forest College. Her research interests include examining how environments shape belonging, connection, and socio-cognitive development among racially marginalized youth and emerging adults. In her free time, she likes yoga, watching a good show, and scrapbooking.

Graduate Students

Sam is a first-year PhD student in the PRIDE Lab specializing in Evolution, Cognition, and Behavior within the Psychological Sciences track. She received her BS in Psychological and Brain Sciences in 2023 from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Prior to becoming a graduate student, she was the lab manager for the PRIDE Lab, and before that, the lab manager for the Applied Moral Psychology Lab at Cornell. Her present research interests center around investigating psychosocial and psychophysiological responses to vicarious experiences (e.g., vicarious racism) and evaluating their dependency on shared identity. Outside of the lab, she has committed to befriending as many dogs and cats as possible within the broader Miami community.

Samantha Tellefsen, B.S.

sxt1267@miami.edu

India McCray, B.A.

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.

Meet the Research Assistants