Behavioral Health Innovations Lab Team

Jennifer Dahne, Ph.D.

Faculty Profile
dahne@musc.edu

Dr. Dahne is a licensed clinical psychologist, the Director of Research Innovation and Integration within MUSC’s Office of the Vice President for Research, a Tenured Professor in the Addiction Sciences Division of the MUSC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, a Research Member of MUSC’s National Cancer Institute-designated Hollings Cancer Center and the Melvyn Berlinsky Distinguished Endowed Chair in Cancer Research.

The overarching goal of Dr. Dahne’s research program is to leverage digital health to significantly reduce the public health impact of mental health disorders, with a focus on depression and substance use disorders among vulnerable populations (e.g., individuals with physical and mental health comorbidities, socioeconomically disadvantaged adults, rural residents). An additional area of emphasis within Dr. Dahne’s research program centers around the development, evaluation, and dissemination of innovative methods to improve both the feasibility and rigor of decentralized (also known as “remote” or “virtual”) clinical trials.

Dr. Dahne is an academic entrepreneur and has co-founded two startup companies, both within the digital health space. In 2022, Dr. Dahne was named the inaugural Director of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science’s Innovation Sciences Unit, via which she works with faculty across the University to turn academic innovations into commercially viable products. Dr. Dahne also serves in a leadership capacity within the South Carolina Clinical & Translational Research Institute. Dr. Dahne’s prior and ongoing work has been supported by numerous grant awards from the National Institutes of Health, including R01, R21, R41, R42, and K23 awards.

Dr. Dahne is especially passionate about mentoring the next generation of researchers, clinicians, and difference makers. She regularly serves as a mentor to junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and undergraduate students.

If you are interested in research opportunities, please reach out.

Noelle Natale

Noelle is a Program Manager for Dr. Dahne and began with Behavioral Health Innovations Lab in 2017. She focuses on supervisory duties for other research staff members, recruitment, retention, and maintaining the purchasing and regulatory submissions for the team’s research studies. She has a Master’s in Clinical Counseling Psychology from the Citadel, a B.S. in Psychology from College of Charleston, and is currently working toward becoming a Licensed Professional Counselor to help treat patients with Depression, Anxiety, and Bipolar Disorder.

Olivia Levins

Olivia Levins is a Program Coordinator I for Dr. Dahne and started with the Behavioral Health Innovations Lab as a Program Assistant in 2022. She works across studies in the areas of participant recruitment, enrollment, study administration, and acts as a point of contact for study participants along with her other lab members. She has a B.A. in Psychology from the College of Charleston and is interested in furthering her education in this area in the future.

Juliana Hayden

Juliana is a program assistant for Dr. Dahne who joined the Behavioral Health Innovations Lab in 2023. She helps with study participant recruitment, enrollment and general administration. Juliana graduated with a BA in psychology from Binghamton University in 2023 and hopes to obtain a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the future.

McKay Lucas

McKay joined the Behavioral Health Innovations Lab in May 2025. As a program assistant, she helps to run study visits, recruit participants, and manage data. She graduated from Vanderbilt University in 2025 with a B.S. in psychology, French, and child development. Her research interests focus on the intersection of chronic illness and mental health, and she plans to pursue a Ph.D. in clinical psychology in the future.

Caitlyn Sebastian

Caitlyn is a program assistant for Dr. Dahne who joined the Behavioral Health Innovations Lab in 2025. She holds a BA in Psychology & Politics and International Affairs from Wake Forest University and an MA in psychology from American University; she hopes to further this education by obtaining her Ph.D. in clinical psychology. Across studies, she helps with study participant recruitment, enrollment, and general administration.