Michele R. Cooley-Strickland

Michele Cooley-Strickland, M.Ed., Ph.D., is an award-winning licensed psychologist, researcher, and podcast co-host. She joined the UCLA faculty in 2009 and is now on staff as a Project Scientist in the David Geffen School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences. She’s also been on faculty at Johns Hopkins University since 1996, first as an Assistant Professor, then Associate Professor, and now Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Mental Health in the Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Michele also has a small private practice and has made national television and radio appearances as an expert psychologist. 

Dr. Michele earned a Master’s degree of education in clinical and school psychology from the University of Virginia and a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Virginia. She had a clinical psychology internship at the University of Pittsburgh and a post-doctoral fellowship at the Medical University of South Carolina. 

Dr. Michele has been a psychologist, professor, and researcher for over two decades, giving over 100 regional, national and international presentations and publishing nearly 50 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and clinical treatment intervention manuals. She has served the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on advisory committees, extramural review committees, and has been the principal investigator of multiple federal research grants, including a R01 grant from the National Institute on Drug Abuse. She is currently the co-principal investigator of a pilot study entitled, "Plan A: Intergeneration STI, HIV, and Pregnancy Prevention - 'Sex, Cookies, & COVID'." Dr. Michele has served on many panels and task forces for national professional organizations (e.g., American Psychological Association, Anxiety Disorders Association of America), as well as held elected positions within them.