About the Developers
Amanda L. Sanchez is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology and a core member of the Center for Evidence-based Behavioral Health at George Mason University. Her research focuses on the intersection of implementation science and health equity to address mental health disparities for minoritized youth and families. Her research program is aimed at increasing access, engagement, and quality of care for youth from minoritized backgrounds. For example, she was funded by NIMH to examine the effects of augmenting standard intake assessments with person-centered cultural assessment (i.e., Cultural Formulation Interview) on parent satisfaction, engagement and clinical outcomes. She has also received external funding from the International OCD Foundation to co-develop a toolkit to support culturally responsive practices (Revamping Evidence-based Strategies to Promote Effective Culturally responsive Treatment: RESPECT Toolkit) for anxiety and OCD. Importantly, she is committed to community-engaged research and practice that centers the needs and values of frontline providers, youth, and their families.
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Dr. Sanchez received a Ph.D. in Child-Clinical Psychology from Florida International University, completed a clinical internship with a focus on multicultural trauma services at University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center, and post-doctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania focused on implementation science and community engaged practices. She also provided clinical services and supervision at the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH) program, a community based mental health center for youth with anxiety and OCD. Dr. Sanchez has expertise in culturally responsive care for youth with anxiety, OCD, behavioral challenges, and trauma. Currently she serves as a clinical supervisor for GMU doctoral students working with children, adolescents, and families and a trainer for the Fairfax Consortium in Culturally Responsive Assessment.
Emily M. Becker-Haimes, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine. She is an implementation scientist and clinical psychologist dedicated to improving mental healthcare for youth.
Dr. Becker-Haimes’ research focuses on treatment optimization for pediatric anxiety disorders. In addition to authoring The READY Toolkit, she has developed and led research concerning the implementation and utilization of exposure therapy in diverse clinical settings. Dr. Becker-Haimes has authored over 40 peer-reviewed publications and her work is funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH). She has received several national awards for her work, including the Future Directions Launch Award from the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and the Outstanding New Investigator Presentation Award from the Society for Implementation Research Collaboration.
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​Clinically, Dr. Becker-Haimes is an expert in the treatment of anxiety disorders, with expertise in the application of exposure therapy for anxious youth with complex comorbidities. She is the Clinical Director of the Pediatric Anxiety Treatment Center at Hall Mercer (PATCH) program, which is the only specialty anxiety clinic in Philadelphia dedicated to serving youth in the public mental health system. She has trained hundreds of clinicians in the application of exposure therapy and continues to advance the reach of exposure therapy through her extensive research and clinical work.