Kelly Dixon, M.A., is a graduate student in the trauma track of the Clinical Psychology PhD program at UCCS. Following her undergraduate years, she was awarded an international Bonderman Fellowship and traveled to 15 countries throughout Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and the Balkans learning about disaster response and mental health resources in developing countries, international migration, and refugee trauma. She also lead research and development operations for a nonprofit organization focused on sustainable solutions (including implementation of mental health programs) within refugee camps in Northern Uganda, as well as within indigenous communities of the Hopi Nation in Arizona. Kelly hopes to pursue additional research at UCCS (and via institutional collaborations) working with diverse populations, namely refugees, targeting mechanisms of resilience in adaptation to trauma as well as culturally informed treatment adaptations for PTSD. She is passionate about finding ways to incorporate EDI values in order to enhance extant research, teaching, and clinical practices within the community at UCCS.

M.A., Clinical Psychology (Trauma), University of Colorado Colorado Springs
B.A., Psychology, minor in Gender and Health Studies, University of Michigan

Kelly Dixon’s research has focused on (1) global mental health, (2) posttraumatic adjustment trajectories among refugees, immigrants, and asylum seekers, and (3) the experiences of minoritized populations who experience sexual assault. Recent EDI research includes global collaborations examining culturally-specific predictors of risk for suicide in Indian women who have experienced gender-based violence in slum communities in Bombay, and differences in reactions to sexual disclosure by college women as a function of immigration status. Past service and advocacy work includes nonprofit positions held for humanitarian aid organizations during tenure as an international Bonderman Fellow from 2017-2018, and lead of Research and Development for a nonprofit organization focused on sustainable solutions (including implementation of mental health programs) within refugee camps in Northern Uganda, as well as within indigenous communities of the Hopi Nation in Arizona.