Our Team
Gil Noam
Gil G. Noam, Ed.D., is an Associate Professor at Harvard Medical School focusing on prevention and resilience and leads the Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth (ISRY) at McLean Hospital. He served as the director of the Risk and Prevention Program and founded the RALLY Prevention Program, a Boston-based intervention bridging social and academic support in school, afterschool, and community settings. Through HMS/MGH, Dr. Noam trains child and adolescent psychiatry fellows in youth development and developmental psychopathology.
Dr. Noam has published over 200 papers, articles, and books in the areas of child and adolescent development as well as risk and resiliency in clinical, school, and afterschool settings. He also served as the editor-in-chief of the journal New Directions for Youth Development: Theory, Practice and Research with a strong focus on out-of-school time. Dr. Noam is trained as a clinical and developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst in both Europe and the United States.
Virginia Andrews
Virginia Andrews, MPH, is the Research Project Manager for ISRY. She supports the current NSF Award #2101554, Dimensions of Success: Transforming Quality Assessment in Middle School Science and Engineering. Virginia received bachelors’ degrees in biology and psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University and a master of public health in maternal and child health from the George Washington University. She was a certified high school chemistry teacher in Arkansas and has volunteered teaching English as a Second Language to adult learners.
Virginia works at the intersection of health research and education practice to support wellbeing across the life course.
Ray Karaczun
Ray Karaczun, BS, is an AmeriCorps VISTA. She joined ISRY in August 2024 to support Project Brainy. Ray received a Bachelor of Science in psychology with a minor in child & adolescent studies from Lasell University.
Ray’s career interests include statistics, data analytics, developmental psychology, and social psychology.
Patty Allen
Patricia J. Allen, Ph.D., is the Director of Research at the Institute for the Study of Resilience in Youth at McLean Hospital and an instructor in psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Allen received a doctoral degree in Nutritional Neuroscience from Tufts University in 2013. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship in basic and translational research in the Stewart T. Hauser Clinical Research Training Program at Judge Baker’s Children’s Center and Harvard Medical School.
Dr. Allen’s research focuses on social, emotional, and academic development. After many years conducting “bench-to-bedside” research in laboratory settings, she was drawn to ISRY, a translational center that adapts social, emotional, and academic data into practices for educators using a strengths-based public health approach. Dr. Allen is dedicated to developing assessment tools to help educators support every child and to finding innovative ways of translating data to transform practice.
Sabie Marcellus
Sabie Marcellus, MPH, is a Senior Research Assistant for ISRY. She attended Northeastern University and earned her Bachelor of Science in behavioral neuroscience. Sabie joined ISRY as a Graduate Student Intern in January of 2022 while completing her master’s degree at The George Washington University. She supports Project Brainy.
Sabie's career interests center on mental health care and behavioral health research.
Victoria Oliveira
Victoria (Tori) Oliveira, M.S., is a Research Assistant for ISRY who provides support on various projects across the organization, including the current NSF Award #2101554, and other initiatives. Tori earned bachelors’ degrees in sociology and crime and justice with a minor in psychology, and a master’s in crime and justice studies. She joined ISRY in November 2021 after receiving both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Suffolk University.
Tori's goal is to strengthen youth development within STEM learning.
Sara Hoots
Sara Meyers Hoots, Ed.M., is the Director of Administration for ISRY. She has supported the research, training, evaluation, and business aspects of ISRY for over 15 years. She attended the University of Vermont and Harvard Graduate School of Education, and was a certified high school teacher in Massachusetts. She has also worked in administration at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and in finance and trust investments.
Sara is committed to improving outcomes for all students.