Deena (she/her) is a fifth year Neuroscience and Cognitive Science PhD student in the Growth and Resilience Across Development (GARD) Lab. She received her B.S. in Biological Sciences and previously worked as a full-time research assistant conducting functional neuroimaging research on socioemotional and cognitive processes. Her research examines how neighborhood, family, and structural factors shape adolescent mental health, with a focus on resilience-promoting factors among youth facing socioeconomic disadvantage. She uses mixed and interdisciplinary methods, including community-based participatory research, quantitative modeling, and reflexive thematic analysis. Deena is committed to policy-relevant research that advances equity in historically marginalized communities.