Meet the Team

Dr. Jordan Thomas is a clinical psychologist, the Beatrice Wright Assistant Professor of Psychology, and director of the Trauma and Reproductive Psychology (TARP) Lab at the University of Kansas. She is also affiliated with KU's NIH-funded Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) "Leveraging Big Data to Improve Women's Health." Dr. Thomas studies intersections between traumatic stress and women's health across the reproductive lifecycle, with a focus on PTSD during the perinatal period. The ultimate goal of her research is to improve the quality and accessibility of trauma-focused interventions for perinatal women, in service of advancing women's health. Dr. Thomas earned her BA in Psychology from Connecticut College and her MA and PhD in Clinical Psychology with a Health Psychology minor from the University of California, Los Angeles. She completed her predoctoral clinical internship at the VA Boston Healthcare System (PTSD Clinical Team Track) and received postdoctoral training as an NIMH T32 Fellow with VA Boston’s National Center for PTSD/Boston University. When not teaching, mentoring, researching, or doing clinical work, Dr. Thomas enjoys swimming, biking, and hiking with her dog, June.

Email: thomasjl@ku.edu

Dr. Thomas intends to admit a graduate student for Fall 2026 admission.

Kaitlyn Atkins

Hi, I’m Kaitlyn! I am a junior majoring in cognitive behavioral neuroscience. I am interested in research focused on the intersection of health and psychology. In my free time I love to hang out with my cats, crochet, and watch movies especially documentaries!

Ava Lauer

Ava is an undergraduate student at the University of Kansas, where she is majoring in psychology and minoring in business. She plans to pursue graduate school to earn either a PhD or PsyD in psychology and ultimately open her own therapy practice. Ava is interested in understanding what makes relationships healthy and how relational dynamics impact different areas of life. She hopes to work closely with couples, as well as young girls and women who have experienced relationship trauma or abuse. Additionally, she is passionate about supporting sexual abuse survivors and individuals struggling with anxiety. Outside of her academic and professional interests, Ava enjoys shopping and spending time with her roommates and sister.