Allyson M. Blackburn

Allyson Blackburn (she & they) is a doctoral candidate interested in recovery from sexual violence, the role of social networks in recovery, longitudinal data analysis, and sexual violence experiences of sexual and gender minority people. As a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Allyson has worked under the supervision of Dr. Nicole Allen (now at Vanderbilt) on several projects, including a state-wide evaluation of the Rape Prevention and Education (RPE) program. Allyson has also worked with Dr. Rachel Garthe in the school of social work on an NIMH R21(PI: Hereth, UW-Milwuakee) using Life History Data to examine transgender women's victimization experiences and trajectories. Currently, Allyson teaches PSYC 239: Introduction to Community Psychology. Additionally, Allyson served as the editorial assistant for the American Journal of Community Psychology (AJCP) from 2020-2022, and was the action editor of the 50th anniversary special issue of AJCP. Additionally, Allyson is on the editorial board for Psychological Trauma: Research, Theory, Practice, and Policy as well as Sexual Abuse. Allyson volunteers at Uniting Pride of Champaign as a facilitator for the teen support group.  

Allyson graduated from Tufts University in 2017 with a B.A. in Clinical Psychology. As an undergraduate, Allyson was the student co-chair of the Resource Working group on the Tufts University President's Task Force for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Education, working to implement resources and effective pathways for referrals for survivors of sexual assault. Allyson worked as a Research Assistant at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Community Psychiatry Program for Research in Implementation and Dissemination of Evidence-Based Therapies (PRIDE) under Dr. Luana Marques, where Allyson completed a senior honors thesis on the specific barriers to care faced by Latinos seeking treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Upon graduation, Allyson worked as a post-baccalaureate research assistant within the MGH Department of Psychiatry studying the treatment and treatment engagement of people with PTSD, working at both the Center for Anxiety and Traumatic Stress Disorders and Complicated Grief Program (CATSD) as well as the Home Base Program, which serves veterans and family members struggling with the invisible wounds of war. Allyson also served as a Rape Crisis Counselor at the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center on the 24-hour Hotline.