Our people
Team
Our lab brings together students, social work practitioners, and faculty collaborators from multiple universities. We are united by a shared commitment to community-engaged, culturally grounded research.
Founder & Director
Ed-Dee G. Williams, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor, Boston College School of Social Work
Ed-Dee G. Williams, PhD, MSW, joined the faculty at Boston College School of Social Work in 2023. He obtained his PhD in Social Work and Sociology from the University of Michigan Joint PhD program in 2021, and his MSW from the University of Michigan School of Social Work in 2014. Prior to joining BCSSW, Dr. Williams completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Level Up Employment Simulation Skills Lab and was a Research Associate in the Vivian A. and James L. Curtis Center for Health Equity Research and Training, where he received training in developing and evaluating technology-based mental health interventions.
Dr. Williams's research centers on the mental health needs and experiences of Black youth and Black autistic youth, with a particular emphasis on depression and related mental health help-seeking behaviors. In his most recent work, he has begun developing an innovative simulation-based mental health help-seeking intervention to support Black autistic youth in gaining positive help-seeking skills for depression and depressive symptoms.
He is part of a collective of Black male scholars currently examining Black male well-being and resiliency as a mechanism of positive health and mental health outcomes. He is also part of the Black Empowerment in Autism (BEAM) network, a new network of Black autism scholars and scientists working to make autism research more inclusive and to examine the ways autism impacts Black children and their families.
Dr. Williams has a passion for supporting and serving Black youth and their families. He utilizes engaged community participatory research methods, mixed-methods methodologies, and a socio-ecological and sociocultural approach so that the voices of Black youth and their families lead his work.
Prior to pursuing his PhD, Dr. Williams worked as a clinical social worker providing therapy and counseling services to adjudicated youth in residential facilities. Though his clinical work is currently limited, he continues to provide clinical support and works as a consultant for clinical services that target Black individuals. Ultimately, his goal is to improve the mental wellness of Black youth and their families through rigorous innovative research, community engagement, effective policy change, and direct service.
Lab members
Fatima Vakil, LCSW
Project Coordinator / Lab Manager
Fatima Vakil (she/her) graduated from BC SSW with her Master's of Social Work with a clinical concentration in May 2025. In addition to working for the Black Mental Wellness Lab as a project coordinator, she is currently working for Justice Resource Institute as a trauma clinician in one of their residential programs. Her long-term goals include further developing her clinical skills in trauma work and related modalities, as well as integrating research and clinical practice.
Angelina Latin
Graduate Research Assistant
Angelina Latin (she/her) is a second-year Master's student in the Clinical Social Work program at Boston College and is involved in the Black Leadership Initiative (BLI). Through the Lynch School of Education and Human Development, she is a fellow at the Center for Child and Family Policy, working toward a certificate in Child Policy and Leadership. Besides being a research assistant for the lab, she interviews residents for the Housing Opportunity and Mobility Experiment (HOME) study. Her research interests include educational disparities, social determinants of mental and physical health, and the mental wellness of Black children. She aspires to become a therapist providing mental health services to Black youth, and to conduct research that centers the Black community to inform policy.
Oluwatobi "Tobi" Abubakare
PhD Student
Oluwatobi “Tobi” Abubakare is a social psychology PhD student at Boston College, working in the labs of Dr. Kengthsagn Louis and Dr. Ed-Dee Williams. Their research interests are in identity, social cognition, culture, and health, to better understand social communication and health inequities in autism. Much of their work is influenced by their experiences as a Black autistic disabled Nigerian immigrant who grew up in the vibrant low-income neighborhood of Southwest Alief (Houston), Texas. Tobi's research has been recognized and funded by the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and Spectrum. Outside of research, Tobi performs violin with the Harvard Baroque Chamber Orchestra and local ensembles.
Lauren Ware, MSW
Research Assistant
Lauren Ware (they/them) is a macro Master's in social work student serving as an intern on the Global Product Policy team, where they contribute to shaping inclusive and equitable digital experiences. At Boston College, they serve as the graduate assistant for the Black Leadership Initiative, supporting the development of emerging Black student leaders, and are a dedicated leader within the Spectrum LGBTQIA+ community. Lauren's research interests lie at the intersection of technology, identity, and society, with a focus on how social media algorithms exacerbate political division and the implications of digital design on civic discourse and marginalized communities.
Malia Sample, MSW
Graduate Research Assistant
Malia Sample (she/her) is a graduate research assistant with the Black Mental Wellness Research Lab. She graduated in 2021 from the University of Virginia with her B.S.Ed. in Kinesiology, and she obtained her M.Ed. from the University of Virginia in Kinesiology for Individuals with Disabilities in 2022. After graduating, Malia moved to Boston, where she was a disability support teacher and where she coached middle and high school cross country and track & field. After two years of teaching and working with families, Malia decided to return to school to obtain her Master's of Social Work in 2024 to learn more about how she could work with children and families in education and community settings. She is interested in community-engaged interviewing and research as a means of community development for traditionally marginalized communities in Boston and across the United States.
David (Dave) Nelson
Undergraduate Research Assistant
David (Dave) Nelson (he/him) is an undergraduate research assistant in the Black Mental Wellness Research Lab. He is currently a junior at Boston College, majoring in Psychology on the pre-med track, while concurrently pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy at Tufts University School of Medicine. His research interests include the social determinants of mental health in Black communities, psychiatric epidemiology, and culturally responsive public health interventions. Dave is particularly passionate about understanding how structural inequalities such as racism, economic disinvestment, and medical bias shape mental health outcomes. His long-term goal is to blend clinical practice and epidemiological research to advance mental health equity, inform policy, and improve access to care for historically marginalized populations and families in clinical and community settings. He is interested in community-engaged interviewing and research as a means of community development for traditionally marginalized communities in Boston and across the United States.
Collaborators & partners
We are grateful to collaborate with a network of community partners, institutions, and advisors who help ensure our research is relevant, respectful, and impactful.
- Boston College School of Social Work
- Community mental health organizations
- School systems and educators
- Clinicians and service providers
- Family advisors and community advocates
Join the lab
We welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students, research assistants, and community collaborators who are passionate about Black mental wellness.