Jaylen (Jay) Santos (He/Him), M.A., is currently a third-year PhD student in developmental psychology at the Institute of Child Development and a LEAH predoctoral fellow. He received his B.S. in psychology and criminal justice from Southern Oregon University, where he worked as a research assistant with the Center for Critical Public Health to investigate alcohol and tobacco use and culture in rural Northern California communities. Jaylen worked as a juvenile justice specialist in Jackson County, Oregon, where he worked with justice-involved youth and developed his desire to pursue a higher education in developmental psychology and public health to learn how to best support youth at county and state levels. Jaylen’s current program of research investigates health disparities in the LGBTQ+ adolescent population such as early initiation of substance use and developmental trajectories of mental health. In his free time, Jaylen enjoys biking the beautiful trails in the Twin Cities, cooking Italian food, and singing in a local choir.
