Invictus Staff

Current & Recent Staff

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Charli Kirby

Invictus Lab Manager

Charli Kirby is the Lab Manager for the Invictus Lab. Formerly a research assistant in the Addiction Sciences division, she has worked at MUSC for 5 years and has previously worked with adults, civilians, veterans, individuals, and couples with myriad co-occurring conditions and social circumstances, including PTSD, substance/alcohol use disorders, and relationship conflict. Charli received her BA in psychology & criminal justice from Anderson University. Prior to her work at MUSC, she was the first lab coordinator for the Center for Research in the Behavioral Sciences Research Lab at her alma mater and a victim services intern at her county's sheriff department—an experience that informs and drives her work still today. Charli is responsible for the daily coordination of the Lab and of the research study funded by Dr. Danielson’s K24 award, Mentorship and Research in HIV and Addiction Prevention Among Traumatized Youth. She is also the site coordinator for Dr. Danielson’s active R01 clinical trial, Evaluation of Clinical Effectiveness, Cost, and Implementation Factors to Optimize the Scalability of Treatment for Co-Occurring SUD and PTSD Among Teens.

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Kayla Visser

EMPOWERR Program Coordinator

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Kayla Visser is the Program Coordinator for the EMPOWERR Program. Passionate about community level health, she previously served as a co-chair with Healthy Tri-County in the Charleston area and was recognized as “Community Champion of the Year” in 2021. Her professional interests include reducing unplanned pregnancy, STIs, drug and alcohol dependence, homelessness, and trafficking in adolescents and young adults, specifically those in or aging out of the foster care system. She has been involved in adolescent health education since 2019,  is trained in many evidence-based risk reduction interventions, and is skilled in providing trainings around Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) for alcohol and other substances to community partners. Kayla oversees the day-to-day operations of both the Risk Reduction and Prevention programming and the Family Tree substance use treatment programming at EMPOWERR.

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Madison Lance

Health Educator

Madison Lance is a Health Educator for the National Crime Victims’ Research & Treatment Center’s EMPOWERR Program. She completed her BA in Psychology and Women’s and Gender Studies from Bucknell University in 2022. She is a trained Tobacco Treatment Specialist and has experience working with students in various capacities. Through her passion for teen wellness, she creatively engages students across Charleston, Berkley, and Dorchester counties.

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Carly Polk, LPC

Human Services Coordinator

Carly Polk, LPC, currently works full time at MUSC’s National Crime Victim Research and Treatment Center as a Human Services Coordinator II. She completed her Bachelor of Science at Clemson University with a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology in 2016, and completed her Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling at the Citadel in 2019. Prior to MUSC she worked as a forensic interviewer/Child and Family Therapist at Dorchester Children’s Advocacy Center, providing trauma treatment to children and their families. She is trained in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy With Commercial Sexual Exploitation Components (TF-CBT-CSEC), Problematic Sexual Behavior Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (PSB-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Risk Reduction Through Family Therapy (RRFT).

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Ciara Robinson

Human Services Coordinator

Ciara Robinson is a Human Services Coordinator II with Family Tree. She has been working for MUSC Family Tree for 1 year working with families and treating adolescents struggling with substance use. Previously, she worked for the Department of Mental Health, for over 6 years, as a school-based clinician working with youth from elementary to high school and later working with adults. Ciara earned her Master’s degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in family therapy modalities and is currently working on her license to be a Marriage and Family Therapist. In her career she has used several modalities to support youth and adults such as Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Motivational Enhancement Therapy, Solution Focused Behavioral Therapy, and most recently Risk Reduction Through Family Therapy.

Michaela Buckhannon

Human Services Coordinator 

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Tiarra Deleston

Human Services Coordinator 

Tiarra Deleston is the Youth Recovery Support Specialist for Family Tree at the MUSC National Crime Victims’ Research & Treatment Center. Tiarra graduated with her bachelor’s in public health and human services and is a currently candidate for her MSW. She has been a case manager with a history of working with vulnerable children and adolescents in total for 6 years. Prior to her employment at MUSC, Tiarra was an intensive foster care case manager for the Department of Social Services.

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Erin Bisca, LPC

Human Service Coordinator 

Erin Bisca, LPC currently works part-time at MUSC’s National Crime Victims’ Research & Treatment Center as a Human Service Coordinator II, and part-time at the College of Nursing as a project therapist. She completed her BA in Biology with a minor in Neuroscience from the College of Charleston, and received her Masters degree in Clinical Counseling from The Citadel in 2017. Prior to MUSC, she worked as a forensic interviewer and therapist at Dorchester Children’s Advocacy Center, providing trauma treatment to children and their families. She is trained in multiple trauma treatment modalities, to include Risk Reduction Through Family Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Alternatives for Families Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.

Former Staff

Nathalie Slick

Nathalie Slick, MS

Invictus Lab Manager & Program Coordinator II

Nathalie Slick, M.S. was the Invictus Lab Manager and Program Coordinator II for multiple studies within the lab. She completed her BS in Biology with a concentration in neuroscience from Pennsylvania State University. After college, she received her Master’s degree in Medical Science from Boston University in 2014 where she studied the ocular manifestations of chronic traumatic encephalopathy at the BU CSTE. Prior to arriving at MUSC, she worked as a clinical research coordinator in the Sports Medicine division at Boston Children’s Hospital and in the Adolescent Medicine division at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

 

  Curtisha Shackelwood'

Curtisha Shacklewood, BS

CHARM Program Assistant

Curtisha Shacklewood was a program assistant for the CHARM study. She is originally from Sunrise, Florida. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology and a minor is criminology from Florida State University in 2018. She is currently enrolled in the Clinical Community doctoral program from the University of South Carolina, where she focuses on trauma, specifically community violence in underserved populations.

Hall MUSC

Kayla Hall, MS

CHARM Program Assistant 

Kayla Hall was a program assistant for the CHARM study. She is originally from Glasgow, Kentucky. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Kentucky in 2017 and her master’s in applied clinical psychology from the University of South Carolina Aiken in 2021. Her previous research involvement includes topics such as childhood sexual abuse disclosure, substance abuse treatment outcomes, and perceptions of survivors of childhood sex trafficking. She plans to pursue a doctorate degree in clinical psychology to further her research and clinical interests in posttraumatic stress and substance abuse in adults and military veterans. Her hobbies include baking, trying new restaurants, and visiting her family in Kentucky.

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Malayna Nesbitt, BS

Charleston Teen & Family EMPOWERR Program

Malayna Nesbitt was the Community Health Educator for the EMPOWERR program which serves to reduce HIV infection and substance use among ethnic minority teens and young adults in the Charleston area. Malayna graduated from the College of Charleston receiving her Bachelor of Science in Public Health and minor in African American Studies. Malayna is also a master's candidate at the Medical University of South Carolina where she plans to receive her MPH with a concentration in Health Promotion and Health Behavior. Malayna’s general interests include health inequalities and disparities research. She was also a trained facilitator of various evidence-based interventions that are implemented into EMPOWERR’s health education programs.

Swaim MUSC

Jessica Swaim, LMSW

Staff Clinician

Jessica Swaim, LMSW, was a staff clinician working with adolescents under the Family Tree Grant at MUSC’s National Crime Victims Research & Treatment Center. She completed her BS in Business Administration from North Carolina State University and her Masters in Social Work from the University of South Carolina. Prior to working at MUSC she was a forensic interviewer and trauma therapist at Dorchester Children’s Advocacy Center. She also worked as a therapist for the Department of Mental Health providing therapy to elementary and middle schoolers.