Meet the Team

Administration

Melissa M. Pearrow, PhD

Executive Director, BIRCh Center

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Melissa M. Pearrow, PhD serves as the executive director of the BIRCh Center and has been an professor in the School Psychology PhD Program at UMass Boston for 15 years
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Sara Whitcomb, PhD

Co-Director of BIRCh Center; Associate Director of Research and Evaluation, Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships

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Sara Whitcomb, PhD, is Co-Director of BIRCh Center and Associate Director of Research and Evaluation at Boston Children’s Hospital Neighborhood Partnerships.
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Kathryn Doherty Kurtz, PhD, NCSP

Project Director, BIRCh Center

Kathryn Kurtz
Kathryn Doherty Kurtz, PhD, NCSP, is Project Director for the BIRCh Center.
Kathryn Kurtz
Bethany Nichols, CAGS, NCSP

Western Massachusetts TA Center Director, BIRCh Center

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Bethany Nichols, CAGS, NCSP, is the Western Massachusetts TA Center Director for the BIRCh Center.
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Ashley Niggl-Aguiar, MEd, EdS

Central Massachusetts TA Center Director, BIRCh Center

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Ashley Niggl-Aguiar, MEd, EdS, is the Central Massachusetts TA Center Director.
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Christopher Overtree, PhD

Director of Advancement, BIRCh Center; Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow, College of Education, UMass Amherst

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Chris Overtree, PhD, is Director of Advancement for the BIRCh Center and Senior Lecturer and Research Fellow in the College of Education at UMass Amherst.
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Student Researchers

Ritushree Bagepalli

BIRCh Center Research Assistant

School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A smiling Indian woman with dark hair past her shoulders stands in front of a white brick wall painted with colorful graffiti
Audra Dankwardt

BIRCh Center Research Assistant

School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A white woman with dark brown, should-length hair and wearing a navy cable knit sweater smiles
Hannah Fung

BIRCh Center Research Assistant

School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A woman with long, straight dark hair smiles while standing in front of a red brick wall with some greenery on it
Julia Kausel

BIRCh Center Research Assistant

School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A white with a long blonde braid over one shoulder smiles while wearing a blue-striped shirt
Diana Laenen

BIRCh Center Research Assistant, School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A white woman with dark hair and hoop earrings smiles broadly
Jacqueline Osborn

BIRCh Center Research Assistant, School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A brunette woman with sunglasses on top of her head smiles while standing in front of a bush of pink hydrangeas
Paige Pannozzo

BIRCh Center Research Assistant, School psychology doctoral student, UMass Amherst

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A white woman with straight brown hair and wearing glasses and a beige sweater smiles in front of an autumn tree
Minelia Rodriguez

BIRCh Center Research Assistant

School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A smiling Latina woman with curly dark hair to her shoulders and wearing a black top
Kristina Ruggeri

BIRCh Center Research Assistant, School psychology doctoral student, UMass Boston

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A smiling white woman with long brown hair and red fingernails sits at a wooden table in front of a white background
Julie Tanguay

BIRCh Center Research Assistant

School psychology doctoral student, UMass Amherst

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A white woman with short brown hair and wearing a black shirt and light brown sweater smiles

Acknowledgements

Thank you to the following individuals who have provided tremendous input to the development of the BIRCh Center:

  • Whitney Walker
  • Talia Berkman
  • Kelsey Gordon
  • Alec Hall
  • Cleary McKenzie
  • Amanda Priest
  • Kerstin Schnopp
  • Bryce Scottron
  • Myriam Stiven

Stay In Touch with BIRCh

Stay up to date with the latest research, training, and implementation news from the BIRCh Center by subscribing to our newsletter.

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How Can We Help?

For more information about the BIRCh Center, or to find out how the School-Based Behavioral Health Technical Assistance (SBBH TA) Center can help your school or district, please contact @email.