Our Team

Arielle H. Sheftall, PhD 
Director 

Dr. Sheftall, PhD is an Associate Professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center in the Department of Psychiatry in Rochester, New York. She is also the Director of Academic Affairs for the Diversity, Inclusion, Culture, and Equity (DICE) Board for the department. Her research focuses on the developmental mechanisms in early to middle childhood that confer vulnerability to future suicidal behavior. It is her goal to frame targets for early intervention to decrease incidence of a first suicide attempt in at-risk youth. Additionally, Dr. Sheftall is interested in the racial disparities present in suicidal behavior among youth. She is a member of the Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Taskforce that continues to examine risk factors, practice, and policy recommendations necessary to decrease suicidal behaviors in Black youth and is a subject matter expert for SAMHSA, the Office of Minority Health, and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention focusing on mental health promotion and suicide prevention for Black youth. Finally, Dr. Sheftall receives funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. 

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Ellen-ge Denton, PsyD, MS
Clinical Advisor

Dr. Ellen-ge Denton is an Associate Professor and licensed psychologist with an overall research aim to build mental health capacity and develop suicide prevention in resource limited settings. Dr. Denton’s publications highlight biopsychosocial risk factors to severe depression and suicide attempts among child welfare youth in a low-middle-income-country (LMIC), Guyana. She is currently funded by the National Institute of Mental Health to understand suicide risks among suicide attempters, family members who lost loved ones from suicide, and exposure to suicide in the general Guyanese population. She also works on investigation resources to treat and respond to patients following a suicide attempt and hospitalization. She has presented at the NIMH preteen suicide research roundtable, International Association of Suicide Research, European Symposium for Suicide and Suicidal Behavior, Ministry of Health in Guyana, etc. She currently serves on the steering committee for the Youth Suicide Research Consortium (YSRC)and has found greatest reward in mentoring first-generation undergraduate students into doctoral training programs at research institutions.

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Rachel Missell-Gray, MS
Sheftall Lab Coordinator

Rachel Missell-Gray (she/her), MS is the Sheftall Lab Coordinator. She has a Master’s Degree in Human Development from the University of Rochester Margaret Warner School of Education and Human Development. She is pursuing her Ph.D. in Human Development from the Warner School.  Her research interests include promoting mental health across the lifespan and how social determinants of health affect healthy development. 

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Dakota Daniels
Human Subjects Research Coordinator

Dakota Daniels (she/her) is a human subject research coordinator at the Sheftall Lab. She graduated from Hunter College in May of 2022 with her B.A. in clinical psychology. Her clinical and research interests include (a) identifying suicidality and self-injurious thoughts among marginalized youth, (b) investigating predictive factors of these thoughts and behaviors, and (c) developing preventative measures and tailored interventions for suicidality and self-harm. 

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Jenson Rowan
Human Subjects Research Coordinator

Jenson Rowan (he/they) is a human subject research coordinator at the Sheftall Lab. He received a B.A. in Psychology and English from the University of Rochester in May 2023. They previously worked as a research assistant at the Social Development and Family Processes Lab under Dr. Judi Smetana. His research interests include cognitive childhood development and its relation to suicidal behavior. He also has an interest in research focusing on the LGBTQ+ population.  

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Allan Shikh
Human Subjects Research Coordinator

Allan Shikh (he/him) is a human subject research coordinator at the Sheftall Lab. He received his B.A. in Clinical Psychology from CUNY Hunter College. At Hunter, Allan worked with Dr. Regina Miranda investigating suicide ideation subtypes in teens as a means of predicting future suicide attempt. His research interests include suicide risk assessment in emergency department settings, the use of cognitive and behavioral measures as a means of predicting future suicide attempt, and the use of smartphone and wearable technology to assess suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. 

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Wiljar Ojuro, MEd
Human Subjects Research Coordinator

Wiljar Ojuro (she/her) is a Human Subject Research Coordinator at the Sheftall Lab and is currently pursuing her PhD in Counseling Education & Supervision at the Warner School of Education and Human Development. Her research focuses on the impact of intergenerational trauma and building resilience within Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. She aims to understand how this trauma manifests through family systems, identify resilience factors, aiming to improve mental health support through better understanding and targeted interventions. Prior to her doctoral studies, she earned her Master of Education in Clinical Professional Counseling from the University of Oklahoma, and her Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Science, with a minor in Women's and Gender Studies from North Dakota State University. 

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Kaidence Pacheco
Research Assistant

Kaidence Pacheco (She/Her) is a research assistant. She is currently a rising sophomore at the University of Rochester majoring in psychology and minoring in dance. She has worked as an undergraduate research intern at the HOPE Lab URMC and is currently working as a research intern at Project FLIGHT 2.0 through the Mount Hope Family Center. She hopes to pursue a PsyD/PhD in Clinical Psychology to work with marginalized youth.

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