Cheryl King is a Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry and Psychology at the University of Michigan. As Director of the Youth Depression and Suicide Research Program, she has provided leadership for multiple federally funded research initiatives focused on developing evidence-based strategies for adolescent and young adult suicide risk screening, assessment, and intervention. These include three current NIMH-funded multi-site studies, 24-Hour Warning Signs for Adolescents, Emergency Department Screen for Teens at Risk for Suicide (ED-STARS) and Electronic Bridge to Mental Health for College Students (eBridge). Dr. King serves as a research advisor and career development mentor to doctoral students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career faculty. In addition to her clinical teaching, she has published widely on youth suicide prevention and conducted workshops worldwide on best practices in suicide risk assessment and intervention. She is an author of the recently published book, Teen Suicide Risk: A Practitioner Guide to Screening, Assessment, and Management. In addition, Dr. King has provided testimony in the U.S. Senate on youth suicide prevention and is a Past President of the American Association of Suicidology, the Association of Psychologists in Academic Health Centers, and the Society for Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology.
Research Program Coordinators
KRISTIN AHO, MS
Research Program Manager
Kristin serves as the program lead for the Youth Depression and Suicide Prevention Program and the project coordinator for Electronic Bridge to Mental Health for College Students (eBridge) and 24-Hour Warning Signs for Adolescents. This entails supervising staff and volunteer research assistants, coordinating study operations, and contributing to scientific reports and publications. Kristin earned her BA and MS in psychology from Oakland University where she managed the Trauma Risk, Resilience, and Recovery (T3R) Lab. During this time, she also worked for the Macomb County Crisis Center as a suicide hot-line counselor and also as a research assistant, in conjunction with the University of Michigan, for a continuity of care program to enhance the safety and support of high-risk youth following a suicidal emergency. Kristin aims to pursue doctoral training in clinical psychology with a developmental focus. She is broadly interested in emotion, self-regulation, internalizing disorders (mood, anxiety, substance use), relationships, and longitudinal and dyadic statistical analyses.
TAYLOR MCGUIRE, BS
Research Assistant
Taylor is a research assistant at the Youth Depression and Suicide Prevention Program. She's also the project coordinator for ED-STARS. She received her Bachelors of Science in Human Development from Cornell University. As a research assistant, her primary responsibilities are: managing participant incentives, supervising undergraduate research assistants, and offering support across multiple studies. Taylor plans on pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology. She is interested in the comorbidity of mood disorders in adolescents and young adults, specifically related to emotion regulation and cognitions in daily life.
