Lisa Wexler, Ph.D., MSW is a Professor in the School of Social Work and a researcher at the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan. Her decades-long participatory research program collaborates with Indigenous communities, primarily rural and remote Alaska Native villages, and aims to (1) translate research into strategic, self-determined community action; (2) describe and amplify sources of strength in rural Indigenous communities that promote youth wellness and resilience; and (3) develop practical multilevel approaches to reduce youth suicide risk across the prevention spectrum. The universal prevention approach of the Family Safety Net builds on the strong family orientation of many Alaska Native people, and encourages adults to promote safe firearm storage within their homes as an important way to keep young people safe.
Megan Leys, MSW (she/her/hers) is the Family Safety Net Coordinator at Maniilaq Health Services in Kotzebue, Alaska. Megan has worked in a variety of roles supporting young people and their families in communities across the nation in both rural and urban contexts. Through participatory and collaborative organizing and research, she is interested in working at the local level to find equitable, accessible, and sustainable solutions to promote wellness and community change. Megan has worked for Family Safety Net since 2022 after graduating with her Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan with a concentration in program evaluation and applied research.
Roberta Moto Bio coming soon!
Avery Moje, MPH (she/her/hers) is a Professional Research Assistant at the University of Colorado Boulder’s Center for the Study & Prevention of Violence and a Research Consultant with the Family Safety Net project. Her interests in the development and evaluation of violence prevention programs for youth, harm reduction, and community-based public health work led her to first join the Family Safety Net team as a graduate student in 2022. Avery holds a Master of Public Health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Jennifer Shaw, PhD, is a Research Associate Professor in the Center for Alaska Native Health Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Since 2010, she has conducted community-engaged, participatory research on suicide prevention and other behavioral health topics in the Alaska Tribal Health System. These studies have focused on identifying protective factors among individuals with lived experience of suicide risk, cultural adaptation and implementation of suicide prevention interventions, and the use of routinely collected medical record data to reduce suicide risk in the Alaska Native community. Jen’s research aims to improve health equity through the delivery of clinical and community-based health services that center the values, priorities, and strengths of the individuals, families, and communities they serve.
