Christian Cortes

Christian earned his B.S. in Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Psychology from UC San Diego, where he was selected as a STARTneuro Scholar. In Dr. Risbrough's Lab, he contributed to research examining posttraumatic stress among military service members and veterans and developed interests in clinical assessment, psychological vulnerability, and suicide-related thoughts and behaviors.

Christian is currently a research assistant in the Nock Lab at Harvard University, where he contributes to research aimed at improving the assessment and prevention of suicidal behavior. His current work examines how emergency department clinicians evaluate suicide risk, navigate uncertainty, and make hospitalization decisions, as well as the psychological experiences surrounding self-injurious thoughts and behaviors. He is particularly interested in understanding how suicide risk is shaped by emotional, interpersonal, cultural, and clinical factors and in using qualitative and mixed-methods research to improve suicide risk assessment and care.