Maha Al-Suwaidi (she/her) is a graduate student currently in the Health Psychology program at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and a certified yoga teacher (RYT200). As a Muslim, Arab, Middle Eastern woman, she is acutely aware of the impact of colonialism and systemic oppression on minoritized communities and is committed to collective action to advocate for systemic change and communal healing. Her research aims to examine how structural factors (e.g., racism, poverty) contribute to mental health disparities, and identify modifiable, scalable tools (e.g., mindfulness, physical activity) that can bolster mental and physical health equity among structurally disadvantaged groups. Overall, her scholarship is rooted in a desire to decrease equity gaps in mental health research, with a focus on increasing the accessibility and cultural competency of psychological treatment for minoritized groups.
