Community Health Interventions and Resilience Promotion (CHIRP) Lab at USC
Meet the Team
Sarah Grace Frary, MA
Graduate Student
Sarah Grace Frary is a final-year graduate student currently on an internship. Sarah Grace’s research interests include health promotion among minoritized people by strengthening community assets. In particular, Sarah Grace is interested in consulting with affirming communities of faith to promote well-being among LGBTQ+ congregants and community members. Sarah Grace is an avid birdwatcher and loves to return to the Appalachian mountains, where they were raised, to hike and camp.
Kaylyn Garcia, MA
Graduate Student
Kaylyn A. Garcia (she/her) is a 5th-year doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology program. As a community-engaged researcher, she is passionate about partnering with communities to promote collective well-being. Her work centers on the theories and principles of Community Psychology and is implemented through a Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) framework to address health disparities and promote systems change. Prior to her time at USC, she worked for two years as a Senior Research Assistant at The Consultation Center at Yale University, completed her Master’s degree in Community Psychology at the University of New Haven, and her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Western Oregon University. Kaylyn is originally from Portland, Oregon, is a first-generation college graduate, and a coffee enthusiast who loves to travel.
Zion Crichlow, MA
Graduate Student
Zion Crichlow is a third-year student in the Clinical-Community Psychology doctoral program at USC. A Newark (N.J.) native, Zion received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in psychology from Rutgers University-Newark. Zion is currently an I-CaRe Fellow receiving extensive training in integrated care and engages in rigorous research aimed at improving the quality of life of those most in need as a Center for Health Care Quality (CHQ) Junior Scholar through the Arnold School of Public Health. Zion’s research interests center on the sociopolitical climate as macro-level invalidating environment with specific attention to outcomes linked to emotion dysregulation, substance use, and coping styles among minoritized communities.
Hanna Smyles, MA
Graduate Student
Hanna Smyles (she/her) is a third-year student in the University of South Carolina’s Clinical-Community Psychology PhD program. Hanna’s research examines how belonging, identity, and social connection shape mental and physical health, particularly in communities facing structural barriers to care. Across her work, Hanna is committed to translating psychological research into practices grounded in community strengths and lived experience by utilizing arts- and community-based approaches to intervention development. Hanna graduated from University of Pittsburgh with a major in Psychology and minors in Studio Art and Japanese. Prior to USC, Hanna worked as a Research Assistant at University of Pittsburgh and The Ohio State University studying neural and behavioral mechanisms underlying differential outcomes to treatment of anxiety and depression. In her free time, Hanna enjoys crocheting, jewelry-making, and reading!
Kalyn Prothro, BA
Graduate Student
Kalyn Prothro is a 2nd-year doctoral student in the Clinical-Community Psychology PhD program, working in the CHIRP lab! Prior to attending the Clinical-Community PhD Program at UofSC, she received a BA in Psychology from the University of North Texas. Following the completion of her degree, she worked as a post-baccalaureate Research Coordinator across multiple institutions, including the University of Alabama, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, and UTHealth Sciences Center at Houston. Her research interests are centered on using community-engaged research methods to study how cultural contexts and values promote resilience for Black youth experiencing adversity and trauma. Through her work, she would like to empower and promote positive outcomes among Black youth, contributing to the dismantling of unjust systems. Outside of academia, she greatly enjoys playing volleyball and has been learning how to ride horses!
Ralph Francois, BA
Research Project Coordinator
Ralph is interested in studying different types of stress and their long-term mental and physical effects. He is passionate about designing community and family-based programs that foster emotional resilience, healthy coping strategies, and culturally sensitive practices. Ralph graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2025 with degrees in Psychology and Medicine, Health, and Society, and a minor in Data Science. During his time at Vanderbilt, he worked in the BRAINS Lab under Dr. Kaczkurkin and the Nock Lab under Dr. Nock at Harvard. Outside the lab, Ralph enjoys traveling and playing pickleball.
Undergraduate Research Assistants
Adriana Craig
Shannon Deutsch
Kendra Ho
Trishna Patel
Will Turner