Division on South Asian Americans

Geetanjali is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and works as a multilingual therapist at the counseling center of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Geetanjali grew up in India and is passionate about reducing mental health stigma and barriers for the South Asian immigrant/international community. Geetanjali primarily works with South Asian American and international undergraduate and graduate students on issues related to family & interpersonal trauma, interpersonal relationships and cultural identity development. She provides therapy in Hindi, English and Marathi and uses a decolonized, trauma informed and multicultural approach to treatment. Geetanjali is actively involved in advocacy and outreach and passionate for increasing mental health accessibility and visibility for underrepresented communities.

Akansha (she/her) is honored to serve as DoSAA’s Communications Chair. At UCLA and as a current research coordinator at the University of Florida, she led initiatives that bridged her interests in research, advocacy, and community engagement, allowing her to work closely with youth, families, schools, and community partners. Her experiences have shown her the importance of integrating clinical, research, and community perspectives to create mental health approaches that are attuned to the needs of those most vulnerable. She hopes to become a research‑clinician whose work informs policymakers and healthcare providers about the long‑term health effects of intimate partner violence and the value of family‑level interventions, ultimately developing evidence‑based strategies that strengthen caregiver self‑regulation and support children’s emotional development during periods of instability or separation. These commitments shape the perspective she brings to DoSAA, where she aims to help bridge clinical practice, research insights, and community perspectives to advance a shared vision for community wellbeing.

Zubin DeVitre, Ph.D. (he/him), is a Teaching Faculty within the Department of Counseling Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Licensed Psychologist in New York state and Wisconsin. His research primarily focuses on South Asian American groups, with a specified focus on mental health accessibility and college student wellness. With a high value set on visibility and accessibility, Zubin is fortunate to teach across all student levels (i.e., undergraduate, masters, doctoral) which informs his understanding of wellness, education, and didactics. Zubin is excited to step into the DoSAA EC sphere and help promote the understanding, visibility, and accessibility of South Asian Americans.

Tejasvini Mantripragada (she/her/hers) is a Counseling Psychology Ph.D. candidate at Seton Hall University. Her research interests primarily lie at the intersection of race and gender for South Asian American women. More recently, she has been interested in studying the experiences of queer South Asian Americans, the implementation of liberation psychology within doctoral programs, supervisory-related issues, and chronic illness among South Asian Americans. She hopes to become a psychologist who meaningfully serves marginalized communities in the face of systemic oppression and institutional betrayal.

Salman Safir (he/him) is a 5th year counseling psychology doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Salman holds an M.A. in Divinity Studies from the University of Chicago, where he also earned a certificate in Health Care Administration and Policy. Prior to his M.A., Salman earned B.A. in Educational Studies & Psychology from Swarthmore College. Salman is interested in improving mental health care for People of Color with chronic illness. Additionally, Salman hopes to further psychological research pertaining to Shī’ī Muslims. Salman is grateful for the constant support of his family, friends, colleagues, and teachers, all of whom shape his ethics, research, carework, and approach to everyday life. Outside of clinical work and research, Salman is tolerated by his two cats Chotu and Sonu.

Abisha Ebenezer (she/her) is a 1st year PhD student in the Counseling Psychology program at Seton Hall University. She moved to the United States in 2017 for college, and was raised in Bermuda and India. She received her B.Sc in Psychological and Social Sciences from Pennsylvania State University in 2021, and her M.Ed in Counseling Psychology from Temple University. She worked as an outpatient therapist in a community mental health setting before starting her PhD. Her research interests broadly include exploring the experiences of BIPOC college students, acculturation and international student adjustment, and navigating harmful supervision experiences. Outside of academia, she enjoys traveling abroad, exploring New York City, and spending time with her cat Artemis.

Shimei షిమీ (she/her) is a clinical psychology trainee committed to improving access to evidence-based mental health care for all youth and families. She strives to contribute to DoSAA’s mission by uplifting culturally responsive resources centering South Asian mental health while cultivating an inclusive and collaborative professional community. A proud graduate of Alief ISD public schools and grateful daughter of brave Telugu Indian immigrants, Shimei draws from a rich mix of lived and professional experiences to promote equity across clinical practice, research, and graduate psychology training/education. To her delight (and hopefully yours), her name is pronounced like the dance move.