About Me (download my CV ♦ show some love on Patreon)

I am a trilingual (English, American Sign Language, Spanish) Black-Indigenous-Latinx; psychological scientist-practitioner; passionate science communicator; sign language interpreter; group fitness instructor; certified holistic yoga teacher; artist; writer; musician; and proud father.

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I am interested in improving access to physical and mental health education, assessment, and interventions for minoritized and underserved groups — always in close partnership with the communities I serve. I am committed to using decolonized qualitative and quantitative methods in my research and practice.  Finally, I am passionate about improving statistical and data analysis education for all.

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2020 Updates

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November 2020

• I am super excited about #BlackInDataWeek, a week-long global celebration (November 16-21, 2020) to (1) highlight the valuable work and experiences of Black people in the field of Data, (2) provide community, and (3) educational and professional resources. I was involved in co-founding and early planning stages. Follow the action on Twitter (@BlkInData).

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​​​October 2020

• Please read What Civically Engaged Science Can Look Like: Our Work Doesn’t End With Elections, co-created by my Compass Scicomm 2020 Science Sentinels Cohort, led by the fabulous Priya Shukla. Twitter thread.

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September 2020

• I am very proud to have helped co-founded Black In Mental Health, highlighting Black excellence in mental health throughout the world. Our first event #BlackInMentalHealth week is September 20-26. Follow us on Twitter/Instagram at @BlackInMH. I am participating in a marthon day of planned panels listed below:

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September 25, 2020, 1:00 - 2:00 pm EST | Black In Mental Health Highlights Roque Rodriguez, co-founder of Suryaside Yoga in Queens, New York (Instagram: @suryaside) . 45 minute discussion. 15 minute meditation.

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September 25, 2020, 3:00 - 4:30 pm EST | Mental Health Panel for Students and Early Career Professionals. Hosted by the Younger Chemists Committee of the Northeast Section of the American Chemical Society. Serving younger chemists in Eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire (Twitter: @NSYCC).

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September 25, 2020, 5:30 - 7:00 pm EST | The “Nature” of Black Mental Health Stories: Stories of how engagement in our natural environments can heal us.

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Collaborator

Nicole Jackson from Black In National Parks (Twitter: @BlackInNPsWeek)

Co-Presenters

Jessica Newton from Vibe Tribe Adventures (Twitter: @AdventuresTribe)

Dana Fletcher from Embrace Your Unknown (Twitter: @eyuorg)

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August 2020

• I am thrilled to begin working as a psychotherapist at Genesee Valley Psychology.  Check out my full bio here. The Clinical Expertise section of my bio is below for easy reference. Note that we take insurance, and that I am currently treating clients in English and American Sign Language:

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Clinical Expertise: Mani is trained in treating the effects of adverse childhood experiences, trauma, and PTSD using Group Attachment-Based Intervention; Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Prolonged Exposure for PTSD. He is also trained in treating anxiety, depression, OCD (using Exposure and Response Prevention), and adult ADHD using a blend of cognitive behavioral, emotion regulation, mindfulness, compassion-focused, and gestalt therapies. Finally, Mani has experience treating clients with bipolar and psychotic disorders.

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• ​I am honored to join some powerful Black mental health leaders at the For Us By Us Black Mental Health Summit hosted by Embrace Your Unknown (Twitter: @eyuorg).  On Saturday August 15 I will be speaking on the panel Blackness, Beautiful & Buoyant: Centering Joy and Healing As a Form of Resistance.

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July 2020

• I recently had the great pleasure of sharing what it means for me to identify as Black, Indigenous, Latino with The Xylom. This is my first written story to be published after hundreds of submissions over the last few years. Yay! More about this on my blog.

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June, 2020

• I am excited to have received a COVID-Affected Research Agenda (CARA) Grant of $1700 from the CUNY Publics Lab.  I will work with three amazing artists and humans (to co-create graphic novel/comic style science communication and infographics for my community engaged dissertation project: exploring how Black, Latino, and Indigenous young men and women living in the poorest areas of NYC are using the art of parkour to promote community, leadership, and health.

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May 2020

• My latest publication, The Syllabus as a Social Contract for Restorative Justice, was just released, as part of a Special Edition on the State of the Syllabus by the journal Syllabus.

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February, 2020

• I recently participated in The Story Collider, and am very pleased that my story, August One, was selected for the Story Collider Podcast (English transcript at link) Leap of Faith: Stories about finding and losing faith. This story was recorded December 2019 at The Tank NYC, (scroll to 21:22 for my story).

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January, 2020

• I am thrilled to have been selected as one of 15 Science Sentinels in the Civic Engagement and Leadership Program 2020 cohort by COMPASS SciComm.

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