Muncie Maternal Mental Health Coalition
Our Leaders
Corie Hess, Ph.D.
Dr. Corie Hess is the founder of the Muncie Maternal Mental Health Coalition. She is a Psychologist who specializes in working with children and families. She is also the proud mother of two boys. Her personal experiences with pregnancy loss and a pregnancy related near death experience in 2018 have fueled her passion for work in Maternal Mental Health. Dr. Hess has conducted advocacy work at the local, state, and national levels to promote increased awareness about perinatal mood and anxiety disorders and to increase accessibility to quality mental health care services for new parents. In 2019, Dr. Hess was honored by 2020 Mom with the distinction of Ambassador of the Year for her efforts to close gaps in maternal mental health care. Dr. Hess founded this coalition with the hopes of breaking the stigma that is often associated with seeking help so that no parent has to struggle in silence with mental health problems.
Lina Burkhart, Ph.D., HSPP
With us since our founding, Dr. Burkhart is a clinical psychologist and specializes in working with children of all ages and their families. She has an authentic desire to support, empower, and be present with moms/parents as they navigate through challenges and uncover, reconnect to, and/or embrace their worth.
Molly Graybeal, WHNP
With us since our founding, Molly Graybeal is a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner who started working with Open Door Health Services in 2008. Molly currently works as an NP in the Open Door Family Planning Clinic where she enjoys giving women the opportunity to take charge of their reproductive healthcare needs. Now, Molly is excited to be a part of the Muncie Maternal Mental Health Coalition where she can advocate and raise awareness for women’s mental healthcare needs.
Eric Lester, Ph.D., HSPP
With us since our founding, Dr. Eric Lester is licensed psychologist and provides integrated primary care behavioral health services at the IU Health Ball Memorial Family Medicine Residency clinic in Muncie, Indiana. He works closely with medical providers in his organization to ensure that all individuals are treated as a whole person. When working with moms and dads, he strives to help them learn coping skills to better navigate all the twists and turns of parenthood that sometimes includes depression, anxiety, and other emotional needs. As a part of the Muncie Maternal Mental Health Coalition, Dr. Lester is honored to be an advocate for parents who would benefit from maternal mental healthcare services.
Jean Marie Place, Ph.D.
With us since our founding, Dr. Jean Marie Place is a maternal and child health researcher. She began teaching at Ball State University in 2014 and studies adverse experiences in a woman’s reproductive life, particularly issues in the perinatal period such as infertility, postpartum depression, sexual violence, maternal opioid use disorder, and infant mortality. She also examines fertility awareness among young people and prenatal care models. Her work has centered on exploring these issues in low-resource contexts including Mexico, Guatemala, and immigrant populations in the United States. In her work, she draws on Strategic Frame Analysis to create targeted communication recommendations. Dr. Place has collaborated with the World Bank Group, UNICEF, the National Institute of Public Health in Mexico City, and the Fertility Studies Research Group in Cardiff Wales. She is passionate about maternal mental health "because when we lift up women and children, we lift up whole communities and change trajectories of lives."
Kalyn Renbarger, Ph.D., RN
Dr. Renbarger is a registered nurse and Assistant Professor of Nursing at Ball State University. The growing concerns for maternal mental health have been evident during my time caring for women and their children. I am an advocate for promoting maternal mental services and raising awareness to this growing concern. Every mother and child deserve the support they need to thrive during pregnancy and postpartum
Jennifer Young
Bio Coming Soon
