Justice Herrera

Justice Herrera is a doctoral candidate in the Clinical Science program at Harvard University, jointly advised by Dr. Matthew Nock and Dr. Joseph Gone. Her research focuses on understanding and addressing culturally relevant factors that contribute to disparities in mental health outcomes such as suicide and substance use among Native American and other ethno-racially diverse populations. She aims to use traditional/cultural knowledge, community-based participatory research, and mixed methods to inform the development or adaptation of interventions to address these disparities.

Prior to Harvard, she studied at San Diego State University, where she worked as an undergraduate research assistant in various labs and graduated with a B.A. in Psychology with specializations in sociology and counseling. She was a member of the Leadership Alliance National Consortium and participated in its Summer Research Early Identification Program the summer before her senior year. Through the program, she was selected for the Summer Research Opportunities at Harvard program, where she was first introduced to the Nock Lab. After graduating, she was accepted into the Research Scholar Initiative post-baccalaureate program and returned to Harvard, where she spent two years further developing her research interests and experience.

She plans to establish a career in clinical psychology dedicated to advocating for Indigenous communities through research.