Our Team
Dina Birman
Professor and Director, Community Well Being Ph.D. Program Editor in Chief, International Journal of Intercultural Relations
Degree: Ph.D.
About me: My research focuses on acculturation and adaptation of refugees and other migrants. I have always been interested in understanding the ways that culture shapes human behavior. I received my B.S. in Foreign Service from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, where I studied cultural and international issues. As a refugee to the U.S. from the former Soviet Union, I was fascinated with cultural differences between these two dramatically different societies. I also studied Mandarin Chinese to learn about yet another culture dramatically different from both of the ones I consider my own. I continued to pursue these interests in graduate school, focusing on understanding the cultural shifts immigrants experience during their transition between countries. I received my Ph.D. in Clinical/Community Psychology from the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1991. Since coming to the University of Miami in 2014 I have been enjoying experiencing the unique and multicultural environment of Miami and our campus.
Ashmeet Oberoi
Clinical Assistant Professor and Director of the Community and Social Change Master’s Program
Edison Trickett
Visiting Professor and Community Well-Being Scholar
Hanna Taylor
Research Assistant
Degree: Double-Major in Human and Social Development & Sociology; Minors in Psychology and Spanish
About me: Hanna is a junior from San Rafael, California interested in youth issues, immigration, education, urban development, and social justice issues. Outside of this research project she is a student ambassador for the University of Miami, as well as enjoys traveling and volunteering. Hanna works over the summers at a local summer camp in her hometown, and has volunteered in Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica.
Miryam Haarlammert
Graduate Student
Degree: Doctoral Candidate, Ph.D. Program in Community Well-being
About me: Miryam is a third-year doctoral student in the Community Well-being program from Miami. Her research interests include international migration issues and trends and refugee well-being and employment. She approaches her research from a feminist community psychology perspective and utilizes qualitative methods such as grounded theory in her work. In addition to working on projects with her colleagues at UM related to social justice issues and community well-being, Miryam is also the Managing Editor of the peer-review journal, International Journal of Intercultural Relations. She is also currently working on her dissertation project, which focuses on refugee women and their employment experiences during resettlement. Miryam enjoys traveling, art, and literature. Before pursuing her PhD, Miryam lived, interned, and studied in different cities such as Helsinki, Hong Kong, Berlin, and Washington, D.C. Her background is in the humanities, having received her Master’s in Art History, Theory, and Criticism. Her prior research focused on art and activism from Latin America, Europe, and Southeast Asia.
Alexandra Lane
Graduate Student
Degree: Doctoral Candidate, Ph.D. Program in Counseling Psychology
About me: I am in my second year of the doctoral program. My research interests include the psychological impacts of immigration, acculturation processes, and cross-cultural identity development. I'm originally from New Jersey, though I lived in San Francisco for several years before moving to Miami. In my spare time I read novels and hang out with my cat.
Maria Fernanda Garcia
Graduate Student
Degree: Doctoral Student, Ph.D Program Community Well-Being
About me: Maria is a doctoral student at the Community Well-Being program at the University of Miami. Her research is centered around immigration issues and refugee well-being. She is interested in the experience of unaccompanied refugee and immigrant minors after resettlement in the United States. As an immigrant herself, she is interested in the cultural experience as well as the acculturation process. Maria was born in Ecuador and has since moved to different countries around the world. Her personal experience with immigration has led her to research the migration experience. Before pursuing her Ph.D, Maria Fernanda obtained her master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy and currently holds her state license as a Family therapist.
Past Members
Kristin Kibler
Graduate Student
Massiel Leiva
Research Assistant
Andrea C. Ruiz-Sorrentini
Graduate Student
Elsy M Mallarino Mejia
Research Assistant
Caroline Culberth
Research Assistant