Raven Garuda is a research data analyst motivated to reduce human suffering. She began her career as a mathematician contributing to the field of algebraic combinatorics at Texas State University. After gaining industry skills in data analysis, she found work in biotechnology, where she spent several years working on pre-clinical trials for treatments of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. More recently, she has been working on pro-longevity gene therapy treatments aimed at reversing the effects of aging and improving outcomes of muscular dystrophy patients. She has also served as an evaluator for Recovery People’s recovery house manager training program.
Her involvement with TIEMH as a social science research associate is the realization of a dream to use her mathematical background and lived experience to be in service to the mental health of others. Her primary work focuses on studying and advocating the use of peer specialists for mental health treatment in Texas. She has a special interest in bringing her data skills to the team to develop new and more efficient ways of conducting analyses and reporting with state data.
Raven has additional education in addictions counseling and is a Level 1 NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) Informed Professional.
Professional Interests
Peer support, mental health services research, trauma-informed care, substance abuse and addictive disorders, affective neuroscience, autism/ADHD/neurodiversity awareness, LGBTQIA+ issues, worker advocacy, data analytics.