Principal Investigator: Dr. Dana Saifan
Dr. Dana Saifan is the Principal Investigator (PI) of the FREEDOM Lab. Dr. Saifan earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, with a minor in Community Health Sciences, from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2022. She earned her B.A. in Psychology, with a minor in Public Health, from the University of California, Los Angeles in 2014. She is a Palestinian-American Muslim scholar and brings this lens into all of her work.
Dr. Saifan's research has primarily focused on how to improve mental health and address barriers to mental health care in marginalized communities. Her past work has examined these topics in community mental health settings across Los Angeles County, and her current work examines these topics in the Muslim American community. Her goal is to develop community-based collective approaches to healing for marginalized communities, integrating historical, social, and political perspectives with psychology. Dr. Saifan's clinical work has focused on children and adolescents who have been impacted by trauma, with a specialization in working with systems-impacted youth (e.g., foster youth). She has provided therapy in a variety of settings, including outpatient community mental health clinics, schools, short-term residential treatment centers, trauma recovery centers, and university training clinics. Her teaching aims provide students a critical perspective on psychology, challenging traditional / mainstream perspectives in order to think critically about mental health and research. Her goal is to help students understand psychology through the lens of social issues and social justice, and to draw connections between class concepts and their lives and communities.
Graduate Students
Nimrat Brar is a 1st year graduate student in the Master of Arts in Psychology program at CSULA and a Lab Assistant at the UCLA Psychology Clinic. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Economics from UCLA in 2021. Nimrat’s research interests include determining how to effectively implement evidence-based practices in underserved communities, with a specific focus on developing brief, scalable treatment models such as single-session interventions (SSIs). She is particularly interested in using community-based and personalized methods to achieve implementation within marginalized groups. Her population of interest includes minorities who have experienced trauma. She enjoys reading, writing poetry, exploring the world with her film camera, and has been learning how to sew as her newest hobby. She also enjoys dancing and competes as part of a Bhangra team - a traditional dance form that originally emerged as a way to celebrate the harvest season in Punjab.
Gabriel Alaniz graduated from UCLA in 2023 with a B.A. in Psychology. He is now a first-year grad student in Cal State LA’s M.A. in Psychology program where he is broadly interested in investigating racial/ethnic disparities and implementing evidence-based practices to support marginalized communities. Outside of research, he loves to go to concerts, try new restaurants, and play video games.
Research Assistants
Madison Bradfield-Davis is a post-baccalaureate research assistant, having graduated from USC in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in NGOs and Social Change. Madison pursued research in both the psychology and international relations departments, most notably leading a research initiative into Mexico’s poverty policy through the lens of institutional economics, examining its ability to interrupt the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Madison currently works for CASA of Los Angeles, a non-profit providing advocacy for children and families in LA County’s overburdened child welfare system. Madison’s research interests include improving mental health interventions and outcomes among system-impacted foster youth through understanding individuals’ unique contexts and intersectional identities. Outside of work and the lab, Madison enjoys writing, filmmaking, and excessive amounts of hot yoga.
Unity Cordova is a senior research assistant in the Psychology department at Cal State LA, where she explores the intricate connections between mental health, trauma, neuroscience, and neuropsychology. She earned an associate's degree in Behavioral Science, focusing on Psychology, to transfer from Riverside City College in 2023. She is passionate about understanding how the brain and behavior interact, especially in response to trauma and mental health challenges. In addition to her academic work, she thrives on staying active and connected to the world around her. She loves hiking in the nearby mountains, powerlifting to push her physical limits, and fueling her day with a great cup of matcha. Her little brothers are her biggest inspiration, and she cherishes the time she spends with them, whether they’re exploring new trails, playing games, or enjoying a good laugh together.
Andrea Gutierrez-Gallardo is a junior undergraduate student at Cal State LA majoring in Psychology. She is currently volunteering at KP’s Los Angeles Medical Center. Her research interests are in prejudice, stereotyping, and mental health in low-income communities. For fun, she likes to listen to music and do ceramics.