The UPLiFT Lab is a diverse team of researchers interested in suicide behavior, trauma-related psychopathology, and emotion regulation.

At the UPLiFT Lab, we highly value and encourage diverse perspectives.

In science, diverse perspectives are associated with both increased work quality and more positive health outcomes (Gomez & Bernet, 2019).

Click through the slideshow below to learn more about our lab values!

References:

Gomez, L. E., & Bernet, P. (2019). Diversity improves performance and outcomes. Journal of the National Medical Association, 111(4), 383-392.

Research

Our work seeks to identify neurobiological mechanisms underlying behavioral responses related to PTSD, borderline personality disorder (BPD), other forms of trauma-related psychopathology, and their link to suicide behaviors and functional impairment. Via PET and fMRI imaging, we aim to explore novel biomarkers and potential treatment targets with the potential to reduce risk in survivors of trauma. We aim to contribute to the development of precision psychiatric interventions, harnessing PET’s unique capacity to test brain and behavior relationships at a molecular level. We also aim to assist with the design and validation of psychological assessments to optimize measurement of constructs relevant to trauma-related and suicide behaviors.

We strive to honor lived experiences of mental health, especially those most at risk for deaths by suicide, at every step of the research process.

To date, Dr. Davis and UPLiFT affiliates have collaborated with over 7 academic institutions and even more collaborators at Yale.

Intervention

We seek to identify disparities in mental health care in order to guide the design of effective mental health interventions that are also equitable. Specifically, we plan to examine a dataset of millions of visits to Yale New Haven Health System emergency rooms, outpatient programs, and interventional psychiatry to understand how we can improve interventions. We hope to use this information to combat stigma in healthcare systems to improve resilience and quality of life for people with BPD and the people who love them.

Additionally, Dr. Weiss is currently leading a study in a DBT IOP (Intensive Outpatient Program) in the Yale New Haven Health System that combines Tae Kwon Do (TKD) practice with traditional mindfulness exercises. The goal of this study is to examine how TKD can help patients to integrate mindfulness skills taught during group into physical practice in order to increase positive emotions and decrease negative emotions.

We strive for all of our research projects to inform the development of improved interventions for trauma survivors and their loved ones.

Advocacy

The UPLiFT Lab is committed to advocate for humane, holistic, and accessible mental health treatment for all. A key component of our mission is to increase treatment options and resources and combat stigma in service of trauma survivors and the people who love them.

The UPLiFT Lab values and welcomes collaborations across all disciplines and training levels. Via bi-weekly lab meetings and recurrent consultation meetings with outside collaborators, we aim to embody the true spirit of scientific collaboration and provide opportunities for trainee growth and development.

Outside of the academic setting, Dr. Davis works closely alongside 4 national non-profit organizations dedicated to the destigmatization of BPD, suicide risk reduction, and overdose awareness. UPLiFT values community partnerships and seeks to better learn from and honor the lived experiences of those affected by trauma, BPD, and suicide.

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Lab Affiliates

All members of the UPLiFT Lab are expected to uphold these values, as well as follow additional guidelines designed to create an inclusive and equitable lab culture and conduct compassionate clinical research.

UPLiFT Policy on Social Media and Lab Affiliation

If you are a collaborator of the UPLiFT Lab, you may put the UPLiFT Lab as your affiliation (e.g., John Doe, UPLiFT Lab Affiliate) on your social media. However, you must also include the following disclaimer in a visible space on your profile if you choose to do so:

  • All views represented on this platform are my own, and do not necessarily reflect those of the UPLiFT Lab.

UPLiFT Policy on AI Use in Research

AI is a powerful tool that allows individuals to generate information rapidly and synthesize empirical ideas. While AI has great promise to guide the future of research, the rapid advent of this technology is continuously being discussed for its implications in conducting empirical research over concerns about authenticity and scientific merit. There are incidences when the use of AI for research is appropriate. If you have used any form of AI in your research or writing process (i.e., writing code for R, summarizing key points from articles while conducting a literature review), it is our policy that the AI use be fully disclosed to the Principal Investigator (PI) and Dr. Davis, both ahead of AI usage and continuously. The UPLiFT Lab asks that any and all lab-affiliated papers do not use AI platforms (ChatGPT, OpenAI, Google Gemini) for writing papers. If an affiliate is suspected of using AI to draft information for an UPLiFT paper, they will be given an official warning. If after the official warning the individual is suspected of using AI again, they will be dismissed from the UPLiFT Lab.

If you have any questions or concerns about the use of AI in research, please contact Dr. Davis (margaret.t.davis@yale.edu).

UPLiFT Policy on General Research Project Involvement

  • All prospective authors planning to use data from within the UPLiFT Lab, from its PIs, and/or collaborators must use our request form for database projects throughout the writing, review, and submission process.**

  • Changes to authorship staff and/or their respective order must be approved by senior authors and the project PI.

    • The UPLiFT Lab follows APA guidelines for authorship. UPLiFT adheres to specific APA guidance in respect to student authorship, which includes an emphasis on the importance of recognizing all authors for authorship. To learn more about these APA guidelines, please click here.

  • Communicate as far in advance as possible to project leads and the PI if you anticipate you may not be able to meet certain project deadlines.

  • Manuscript writing, and science generally, takes time! Please be patient with project leads regarding next steps and/or future directions for your project - many of us are working on multiple projects under different deadlines.

    **For additional details and access to this form, please contact uplift@yale.edu

Lab Website Policy on AI and data usage

The UPLiFT Lab does NOT approve the use of any of its materials on this website in the development of Large Language Models (LLMs) for contribution to scientific projects.

AI is not used for writing by any products published by this lab.