Faculty, staff and consultants

Poco Kernsmith, PhD: Principal Investigator

Poco Kernsmith is a Professor and PhD Program Director in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington. Her research focuses on the etiology and prevention of perpetration of violence among peers, in families, and intimate relationships. She has integrated her practice and research experience into the development and implementation of several federally funded research and intervention projects. These included a longitudinal study on the modifiable protective factors to prevent intimate partner and sexual violence perpetration, and the development and evaluation of school-based violence prevention programs in university and middle school settings. Her current work involves the analysis of school policy to create inclusive, trauma-informed environments to prevent and respond to violence or threats of violence in middle and high schools. Her additional research areas include sexual health education, hate-motivated violence and domestic terrorism.

Joanne Smith Darden, PhD: Principal Investigator

Joanne Smith-Darden is the Ruth T. Koehler Endowed Professorship in Children's Services at the Michigan State University School of Social Work. She received doctorates in Social Work and Developmental Psychology and draws from 40 years of experience in the fields of special education, speech and language pathology, social work, and developmental psychology. Her research focuses on examining the etiology of intimate partner violence within evolving contexts including early relational experiences, social norms, gender norms, and the influence of both masculine and feminine discrepancy stress on behavioral trajectories. She has significant expertise in building community partnerships and implementing longitudinal community engaged research projects from conceptualization and design, implementation, analysis, and evaluation. Smith-Darden is currently Co-Principal Investigator on two CDC-funded studies including an evaluation of sexual violence policy implementation in Michigan school districts and a four-year prevention implementation study. She is also Co-Investigator on a CDC-funded evaluation of a social marketing campaign to reduce sexual harassment and bullying.

Heather McCauley, Sc.D.: Co-Investigator

Heather McCauley is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at Michigan State University. A scholar trained in global health and social epidemiology at Harvard University, McCauley's research portfolio focuses on the prevention of sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and reproductive coercion. She has been Co-I on multiple NIH-, NIJ-, and CDC-funded randomized controlled trials of violence prevention interventions in college health centers, family planning clinics, school-based health centers, and high school athletics programs. She is Co-Principal Investigator of a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention focused on the primary prevention of child sexual abuse. She is also MPI of an R21 study funded by NIMHD & NCI to develop novel measures of minority stress among transgender & gender diverse people. She is Co-Investigator on two CDC-funded studies -- an evaluation of sexual violence policy implementation and an evaluation of a social marketing campaign to reduce sexual harassment and bullying in high schools. McCauley is also involved in the 2021-2022 revision of the Sexual Experiences Survey. 

James Tulppo: Policy Intervention Coordinator

James Tulppo is the Policy Intervention Coordinator at the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH), working on the Promoting Protective Policy (P3) Project. He is especially passionate about creating and implementing inclusive education policy and served on the Michigan Department of Education's LGBTQ+ Students' Project before joining P3. Fun facts include: he is an identical twin and a car enthusiast.

Terri Gilbert, MSW: Restorative Practices Consultant

Terri Gilbert has extensive experience in public and private sector leadership positions in human services. She has been actively involved in the development of a state-wide juvenile justice reform agenda and related initiatives. Specializing in organizational change and continuous improvement interventions, she developed the Child Welfare Improvement Bureau within the State of Michigan Department of Human Services' Children's Services Agency under the Granholm administration and served as the Director of Child Welfare Funding and Juvenile Justice under the Snyder administration. She has also served as the transitional executive director for two non-profit organizations, one serving juveniles in the state's largest county and the other directing the state's largest voluntary bar association. Her current interests are focused on improving and evaluating systems changes within juvenile justice, policy development and advocacy in child welfare and juvenile justice, and development of prevention programming in local educational and justice systems.

Amber Fischer, MSW: Research Coordinator

Amber Fischer is a Research Coordinator at Wayne State University. After graduating from Oakland University with a Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and Criminal Justice, she received her MSW from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Policy Evaluation and a special interest in Criminal Justice reform. Currently, Amber co-coordinates Joanne Smith-Darden & Poco Kernsmith's CDC grant funded P3 (Promoting Protective Policies) Project, evaluating school violence prevention and response policy and collaborating with community partners to promote healthy relationships and reduce youth violence among students and previously co-coordinated the CDC funded youth violence prevention project, YES-HR, under the same PIs. In addition to her responsibilities on the research project, Amber is earning a Graduate Certificate in Research and Evaluation, with intentions of pursuing her PhD, from the Wayne State University School of Social Work. Amber's ultimate goal is to contribute to the institution of equitable and effective justice policy that foster the growth and wellbeing of individuals and communities. In her free time, Amber spends time with her son and enjoys crafting and home projects.

Meara MacWilliams, MSW-IMH: Project Coordinator

Meara MacWilliams is one half of the co-coordinating team that oversees the Promoting Protective Policy Project (PIs: Smith-Darden & Kernsmith). She has also co-coordinated on the Youth Empowerment Solutions- Healthy Relationships (YES-HR) Project (PIs: Smith-Darden & Kernsmith) and previous to that had coordinated on the Michigan Study of Teenagers' Relationships (MI-STAR) Project (PI: Simon) and the Singing to Babies in Motown!: The Detroit Lullaby Study (PIs: Dayton & Matthews).  In the past, she was also a case manager on a Social Innovation Fund (SIF) grant project that evaluated the impact of collaborative goal setting to empower Metro-Detroit families with children aged 5 and under, through a home-visiting model.  She received her BSW from Michigan State University with a certificate in Child Welfare, and her MSW from Wayne State University with a dual-title in Infant Mental Health. Meara's work has spanned from early childhood into adolescence, with a focus on promoting healthy relationship development and understanding the impact of trauma and violence. When not on-the-clock, she loves to cook and bake and spend her time with her dog, as well as her family and friends.

Eli Kim, MPH: Research Assistant

Eli Kim is currently a research assistant with Joanne Smith-Darden and Poco Kernsmith's Promoting Protective Policy (P3) project. Eli got her Master of Public Health degree from Wayne State University in 2019 and has over a decade of research experience spanning medical, social work, activism, and program-based research. Before joining the P3 team, Eli worked with numerous programs implemented in over 50 schools and community organizations in Michigan. She has experience with program development, implementation, and evaluation. Eli is currently focused on qualitative and mixed methods research, as well as information dissemination. She is passionate about ensuring research is accessible and digestible to the public and dedicated to working with communities on what matters to them. When she is not working with the P3 team, she is a dedicated mother, small business owner, and a visual artist.

Jude Krajnyák: Regional Coordinator

Jude Krajnyák is one of two regional coordinators for the Promoting Protective Policy (P3) project. He completed his Bachelor’s in Anthropology with the University of Michigan Flint in 2022 and has been captivated by the research process for years, even working as a research assistant for the University’s History department. While finishing his degree, he was employed with UM Flint’s Center for Gender and Sexuality to provide comprehensive sexual health and social equity education for youths and adults. They also assisted in teaching English to Spanish-speaking community members and connected individuals to local resources for citizenship. With this experience, he moved on after graduation to work in harm reduction and disease prevention, which significantly shaped his connection to the Flint community. Now, they are incredibly honored to be a part of the MOASH and P3 teams! When Jude is not working in sexual health and community building, you can find him cleaning up cemeteries around the state of Michigan, or cuddling with his two cats - Fish and Lentil.

Sampoorna Ravikanth: Regional Coordinator

Sampoorna Ravikanth (she/her) works with the Promoting Protective Policy (P3) project as one of the two Regional Coordinators. She graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and Biopsychology, Cognition, & Neuroscience. Currently, Sampoorna also works with the Michigan Organization on Adolescent Sexual Health (MOASH) as a youth advisory council facilitator! Sampoorna has a strong background in research and has previously been a student research assistant within the Psychology and Political Science departments at the University of Michigan. She is also a strong advocate for sexual health advocacy, violence prevention, and marginalized communities. Sampoorna is very excited and honored to be a part of the P3 team!