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Celebrating New DBH Graduates

By December 3, 2025No Comments11 min read

Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies (CGI) proudly celebrated the graduation of ten new Doctors of Behavioral Health (DBH) during the DBH commencement ceremony held on May 12, 2025, in Chandler, Arizona, on the ancestral homelands of the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) Peoples of the Gila River Indian Community, who have been stewards of this land since time immemorial. The event honored a diverse group of healthcare visionaries committed to advancing integrated behavioral health through leadership, innovation, and advocacy.

Graduate Highlights:

Dr. Jilian Aesir, DBH, M.Ed.

Dr. Jilian Aesir is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and STEM educator serving the Central Coast of California, dedicated to empowering secondary and post-secondary students to engage deeply in scientific and medical learning as they prepare to become future innovators and global contributors. Her work centers on neuropathology, adolescent suicidality, and restructuring systems to improve mental health service delivery within school environments. Her culminating project, A Population Health Approach to Identifying and Mitigating Adolescent Suicidality and Associated Risk Factors in Educational Settings, explores how a district-wide population health framework can better identify students at risk for suicidality and reduce symptom severity through data-driven interventions. Through research and a community needs assessment, she developed a multi-level system integrating district, school, and community partnerships to enhance screening, assessment, and referral processes for at-risk adolescents.

Learn more about Dr. Aesir and her culminating project.

Dr. Brandy K. Biglow, ​DBH, LMHC, QS, CCTP

Dr. Brandy K. Biglow is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and the co-founder of Renovation Integrative Health, LLC, and has spent 12 years serving as a counselor, clinical supervisor, and licensed clinical program manager. A licensed mental health counselor and supervisor in Florida, she is also a certified clinical trauma professional, certified coach, and burnout expert. During her Doctor of Behavioral Health studies at Cummings Graduate Institute, she completed certificates in Integrated Behavioral Health, specializing in Leadership and Military Families and Veterans. Her culminating project, Surveying Occupational Burnout, Self-Care Practices, and Work Environment in the Healthcare Industry, combined a literature review, mixed-methods research, and a business plan for RIH to identify how workplace conditions and self-care practices influence burnout among healthcare professionals. Her findings highlight opportunities for improved support, prevention, and system-level interventions to reduce burnout and strengthen the healthcare workforce.

Learn more about Dr. Biglow and her culminating project.

Dr. Eddie Lee Blakes Jr., ​DBH, MSAC, LIAC, BHP

Dr. Eddie Lee Blakes Jr. is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and the Founder/CEO of VR Psych Services LLC, where they are pioneering Trauma-Focused Virtual Reality Therapy to transform access to trauma care. Inspired by their upbringing in Peoria, Illinois, and years of experience supporting high-risk youth and adults across multiple levels of care, Dr. Blakes is committed to creating equitable, innovative mental health solutions for underserved communities. Their culminating project, Treating Trauma’s Effects on the Body, Mind, and Soul Through Virtual Reality-Trauma Focused Therapy (VR-TFT), explores how integrating virtual reality with established trauma treatments, such as Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), can enhance emotional regulation and reduce symptoms of treatment-resistant PTSD, depression, and anxiety. By engaging all five senses through immersive VR environments, their work demonstrates how VR-TFT can improve patient engagement, strengthen therapeutic outcomes, and bridge the gap between traditional trauma care and emerging technology.

Learn more about Dr. Blakes and their culminating project.

Dr. Cory H. Cannady, DBH, BCBA, LBA

Dr. Cory H. Cannady is a Doctor of Behavioral Health based in Chattanooga, Tennessee, whose career spans education and applied behavior analysis. Originally from Holladay, Tennessee, he earned his bachelor’s degree in secondary English education before transitioning into Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), completing his master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati and becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2019. He now serves as Assistant Clinical Director at Elevate Behavior Services, where he supports families, advances evidence-based ABA practice, and mentors aspiring clinicians. For his DBH culminating project, he focused on developing a structured, objective framework for determining effective ABA dosage in pediatric outpatient settings. His project addresses the long-standing gap in standardized dosage guidelines by analyzing medical necessity criteria and historical pediatric data for children ages 15 months to 14 years, offering a model designed to improve consistency, clinical decision-making, and patient outcomes.

Learn more about Dr. Cannady and his culminating project.

Dr. Michelle Francis, DBH, LCSW, LICSW, QS

Dr. Michelle Francis is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and Licensed Clinical Social Worker committed to expanding access to compassionate, culturally responsive mental health care. Born in Jamaica and raised in South Florida, she founded Pinnacle Clinical Solutions to serve clients in Florida, Texas, and Massachusetts, inspired by early experiences witnessing the impact of untreated mental health symptoms in communities with limited resources. Her work blends professionalism, cultural insight, and a deep dedication to empowering clients and future clinicians. Her culminating project, Improving Access to Treatment in African American Communities Through Integration and Collaboration, explores how culture, religion, and race influence treatment-seeking behaviors among African American adults with co-occurring mental health and substance use symptoms, and evaluates whether embedding culturally competent behavioral health services within primary care can increase referral follow-through and improve health outcomes.

Learn more about Dr. Francis and her culminating project.

Dr. Jerrika Olivia Henderson, DBH, CMHC

Dr. Jerrika Olivia Henderson is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and Clinical Mental Health Counselor with a background in counseling, business development, and community-based healthcare in Memphis, Tennessee. Dedicated to improving health outcomes for diverse populations, she has supported individuals, families, and organizations through patient-centered, mindfulness-informed care and quality service delivery. Her culminating project, Enhancing Consumer Outcomes through Effective Care Management: The Impact of Quality of Service Within a Community Setting Utilizing a Patient-Centered Care Approach, examines how personalized care plans, effective communication, and collaborative service models influence consumer outcomes in community health settings. By highlighting the critical role of patient-centered care in strengthening satisfaction and improving overall health outcomes, Dr. Henderson’s research offers actionable strategies for elevating service quality and advancing community-based behavioral healthcare.

Learn more about Dr. Henderson and her culminating project.

Dr. Rhea L. Hill, DBH, LPC

Dr. Rhea L. Hill is a Doctor of Behavioral Health and licensed professional counselor based in Dallas, Texas, with more than a decade of experience supporting survivors of domestic violence, youth with behavioral challenges, and individuals facing depression, anxiety, trauma, and women’s mental health concerns. She holds degrees from Dallas Baptist University and Nova Southeastern University, a Doctor of Behavioral Health from Cummings Graduate Institute, and an Entrepreneurship Certificate from El Centro College. For the past eight years, she has led her private practice while remaining active as a National Certified Counselor and Texas Counseling Association member. Her culminating project, Factors Contributing to the Development of Autoimmune Diseases in Trauma Survivors and the Impact of Equine-Assisted Therapy on Treatment Outcomes, examines how trauma-related autoimmune symptoms interact with equine-assisted therapy and how collaboration with medical providers can strengthen treatment outcomes and support holistic wellness.

Learn more about Dr. Hill and her culminating project 

Dr. Shadiase R. Jack, DBH, LCSW-C, M. Sc.

Dr. Shadiase R. Jack, a Doctor of Behavioral Health from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is a Licensed Certified Social Worker with more than a decade of experience providing mental health services to diverse populations across varying socio-economic backgrounds. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Sciences from Andrews University and dual master’s degrees in Social Work and Gerontology from Loma Linda University. Guided by a commitment to improving the well-being of individuals and families, she aims to advance healthcare throughout the Caribbean by integrating mental health services into primary care systems. Her culminating project, Integrated Healthcare in the English-Speaking Caribbean, explores how adopting integrated healthcare models alongside electronic medical record systems can strengthen care coordination, enhance service quality, and improve overall health outcomes throughout the region.

Learn more about Dr. Jack and her culminating project

Dr. Markias Kaiyan Littlejohn, DBH, LCSW, CST

Dr. Markias Kaiyan Littlejohn is a Doctor of Behavioral Health, Licensed Sex Therapist, Clinical Sexologist, and Integrative Practitioner specializing in sexual health since 2013. As the owner of Kairos Therapeutic Alliance, LLC and a member of AASECT and the Royal Society of Medicine (UK), he has advanced effective sexual and mental health interventions across the U.S. and U.K., helping clients reclaim healthy sexuality through innovative, discreet, evidence-based approaches grounded in sex therapy, medical sexology, and neuroplastic sexual training. His culminating project, Utilizing Sexological Interventions in Primary Care to Improve the Sexual Functioning and Quality of Life for Men Experiencing Sexual Dysfunction, introduces the Sexological Interventions in Primary Care (SIP-C) model, a structured pathway that reduces stigma, equips providers to address sexual health confidently, and integrates accessible assessment and treatment options. The project demonstrates how SIP-C can improve outcomes, strengthen workflows, and fill a critical national gap in male sexual health care.

Learn more about Dr. Littlejohn and his culminating project.

Dr. Kenneth L. Roberts, DBH, MPS, LPCC, LADC

Dr. Kenneth L. Roberts is a Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH), Director of Behavioral Health at La Clinica del Pueblo, and Founder of KLR Behavioral. With over 15 years of experience as a clinician, clinical supervisor, and administrator, he has worked across multiple levels of co-occurring care treating substance use and mental health disorders. He is certified in Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) for the treatment of PTSD. Dr. Roberts holds a master’s degree in Professional Studies (Co-Occurring Disorders) from the University of Minnesota and a DBH from Cummings Graduate Institute (CGI), where he also serves as adjunct faculty alongside Metropolitan State University. His culminating project, Entrepreneurial Development of Integrated Recovery Services (IRS) and the Integrated Narrative Schema Exposure Model (INSET), outlines a research-based business plan for a trauma-informed training company designed to expand clinician access to high-quality instruction and improve outcomes for individuals with co-occurring PTSD and substance use disorder.

Learn more about Dr. Roberts and his culminating project.

“CGI graduates are different,” said Dr. Cara English, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Academic Officer of CGI. “Not only do they fundamentally understand that the person seeking care must be restored to the center of care design, they passionately pursue joining with the individual to get to the root causes of their health concerns so that they can experience relief as soon as possible and without developing dependence on the clinician or system. These Doctors of Behavioral Health are innovating healthcare with a better quality of life for all as their compass. I am so proud of their work.”

 

The DBH program at CGI prepares healthcare professionals to lead transformative change in integrated behavioral healthcare delivery through advanced education, research, and collaboration. Graduates are equipped to address complex health challenges across medical, behavioral, and community systems.

For more about the DBH program, visit cgi.edu/dbh.

About Cummings Graduate Institute

Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies is a nonprofit, DEAC-accredited, online institution of higher learning offering post-graduate education and training in the field of integrated behavioral healthcare. CGI is focused on meeting the healthcare industry’s need for a highly-skilled workforce to support an integrated approach to addressing patients’ needs.

For further information or to arrange interviews, contact:

Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies
Melissa McGurgan, Sr. Director of Marketing
melissa@cgi.edu

Testimonials

“As a member of the AAPI community, I’m very familiar with the barriers to mental health services and the need to break through the glass wall of cultural stigma that prevents many from receiving potentially life–saving treatment. I was the only Asian American person in my master’s cohort, the only Asian American person in many of my clinical work settings, the only Asian American person to walk into many of the professional settings that I pushed myself to show up to. In my current practice, I’m constantly reminded by my patients of how difficult it is to find an Asian American mental health provider, though this reminder constantly informs me that more needs to be done for my community. Day after day, I read stories of Asian American people who die by suicide as a consequence of our culture’s avoidance of mental health topics. As a DBH, my biggest goal is to use my expertise in whole–person care to amplify the conversation around mental health and help my community understand that mental healthcare is not a privilege that we are not entitled to, it is a crucial part of our healthcare that will manifest differently in us than what many Western psychology or psychiatry textbooks will describe, and that our unique experience of mental health issues are valid, important, and is time to be part of the larger conversation.”

Willam Chum, LMHCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - September 16, 2022

“The Doctor in Behavioral Health (DBH) program has changed my understanding of the subject and career path. Before this academic journey, my knowledge of behavioral health was primarily theoretical, including essential ideas and methods. However, the DBH curriculum combined intense academic research with practical application, helping me understand behavioral health from multiple angles. Recognizing mental health as part of total health changed my perspective. The biopsychosocial model, which showed how biological, psychological, and social variables affect mental health, was stressed in the DBH curriculum. This comprehensive approach made me realize how complex human behavior is and how important it is to address mental health issues. Effective interventions must target the individual’s surroundings, relationships, and life experiences, not just symptoms. The curriculum also gave me enhanced evidence-based practice training to execute successful solutions. Studies methods and data analysis classes improved my critical thinking and allowed me to evaluate and apply behavioral health studies. This gave me the confidence to contribute to the field’s knowledge base through practice and research.”

Dr. Rhea Hill, DBH, LPCDBH Alumna, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - February 17, 2025

“This program will change how you present to the world, not just as a professional but as an individual. Understand this is work but the work is worth it and the journey is undeniably transformative. If you are seeking a doctorate for the title, this is not the program for you. If you are seeking a doctorate to interrupt and disrupt the course of healthcare, then this is the program for you. You won’t find a more supportive program with professors who are dedicated to your success and your education. This program is not about the regurgitation of information. It is about the appropriate applied application of knowledge and information to push forward and become an advocate for equitable and quality care for all.”

Brandy K. Biglow LMHC, CCTP, QSDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - February 5, 2024

“The Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) program has definitely transformed my understanding of behavioral health. Understanding the links between physical and mental health has taught how to make better treatment decisions. The DBH program has also given me insights that otherwise would not be possible and allows me to view individuals through a lens that I was previously ignorant of. This program has helped me grow into a more confident individual, provider, and parent.”

Cory H. Cannady, BCBA, LBADBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - March 13, 2024

“The DBH program has reinforced my vision of viewing behavioral health (BH) as an integrated component of the healthcare system rather than a siloed service. As a practitioner in the focused BH realm of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment, I observe on a regular basis how identifying and serving SUD patients is often missed, ignored and stigmatized in primary healthcare, despite the fact that early intervention at these check-points often has the potential to intervene earlier and lessen the negative SUD outcomes frequently seen by the time a patient reaches specialty SUD services. Reinforcement received in my DBH program has motivated me to promote integration as a leader in my workplace and is a primary factor in considering the long-term trajectory of my individual career path.”

Kenneth L. Roberts, MPS, LPCC, LADCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - November 5, 2024

“Graduating from the DBH program has influenced and enhanced my approach to addressing behavioral health challenges and making a difference in the field by preparing me to become a serious business owner. Through the DBH program, I understand now that becoming a business owner not only assists me in reaping the financial benefits of working for myself, but the program also offers me a sense of freedom to make a difference in an individual’s life.”

Dr. Rebecca K. Wright, DBH, LBA, BCBA, QBADBH Alumna, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - December 18, 2024

“I have always wanted to pursue a higher degree but never found a program that met my needs. When I investigated the DBH program, I can honestly say I was excited. It was a program that would expand my knowledge in behavioral health but also how it relates to physical health. The philosophy of treating the whole person was exactly what I was looking for.”

Elizabeth Nekoloff, M.Ed., LPCC-S, NCCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - January 16, 2025

“Prior to obtaining my DBH, I practiced behavioral health within the boundaries of behavior analysis. The DBH degree has given me the ability to broaden my scope of competence allowing me to provide a higher quality of care to my clients through a person-centered approach, while still staying within my scope of practice. I was in the beginning stages of opening my business when I enrolled in the DBH program which set my trajectory towards being a stronger leader. The program equipped me with essential healthcare leadership and entrepreneurial skills, allowing me to ensure high-quality services for my clients and foster a supportive work environment for our staff. It has also given me the confidence to expand my business and pursue other healthcare ventures, reaching a broader range of patients in need.”

Dr. Pauline Tolentino Pablo, DBH, BCBA, IBADBH Alumna, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - January 21, 2025

“Although I have worked with many patients who have mental health diagnoses, or behaviors which make managing their medical diagnoses and day to day life difficult, the DBH program at CGI is broadening that knowledge and providing a deeper understanding of behavioral health and how best to help these individuals manage their health and improve their quality of life. This will allow me to provide and advocate for more meaningful and seamless integrated care, providing new tools for my intervention toolbox, and the confidence and skills to collaborate within and lead whole person focused interdisciplinary teams. I also anticipate building upon my knowledge as a nurse case manager and long time caregiver, as well as my personal passions and professional vision, learning about processes and operations, to be in position to start up and lead my own company one day, offering the services and care I know every person should have access to.”

Hollie Wilson, MSN, RN, CCMDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - February 11, 2025

“The DBH program will open opportunities for me to contribute to healthcare system innovation, particularly through trauma-informed care and integrated behavioral health settings. I will be better positioned to advocate for and implement holistic care models that improve health outcomes for underserved populations. Ultimately, this program will help me transition into higher-level roles, such as a director or consultant in behavioral health, where I can influence broader system changes and contribute to the future of healthcare delivery.”

DeKyn Rashad Peters, MPH-CHES,BSW/BA,APCDBH Candidate, Cummings Graduate Institute for Behavioral Health Studies - March 4, 2025

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