

Malena Nygaard
School Psychology PhD Student, Research Lead
Malena A. Nygaard, M.S.Ed., is a doctoral candidate in the School Psychology program at Indiana University Bloomington. She is also a certified teacher in the state of Texas. Malena joined Dr. Ormiston’s research team in her first year at Indiana University and continues to be an active member as she enters her fourth year of the program. She is a graduate assistant for a U.S. Department of Education grant, led by Dr. Ormiston, examining the impact of trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of supports on student academic, behavioral, and socioemotional outcomes. Malena’s research focuses on school-based mental health practices including trauma-informed multi-tiered systems of support in schools, suicide prevention, and social justice in school psychology. She is particularly interested in examining school-based mental health services and the continuity and coordination of care for students with intensive socioemotional needs.