Dr. Isha Metzger is a first generation American from Atlanta, Georgia by way of Sierra Leone, West Africa. She graduated from Georgia State with a BA in Psychology. Subsequently, Dr. Metzger earned her M.A. and Ph.D. in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina. Dr. Metzger completed her pre-doctoral internship in Clinical Psychology at the Medical University of South Carolina, where she also completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center. Dr. Metzger currently serves as Visiting Research Faculty in the Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS’ Research Education Institute for Diverse Scholars Program at Yale University. In her primary role, Dr. Metzger is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Metzger has developed a systematic research program aimed at elucidating the role of culture in treatment to better inform outcomes for African American youth receiving services in “real world” settings. She considers culture in her focus on the study of risk and protective factors associated with risk behavior engagement and related consequences among minority youth; the evaluation of evidence-based treatments and organizations; and the modification, implementation, and dissemination of evidence-based mental health treatments and services for African American youth. Dr. Metzger’s research interests focus on reducing mental health disparities through increasing engagement and enhancing treatment outcomes among underserved minority populations (e.g., African Americans). Specifically, Dr. Metzger is interested in preventing engagement in risky behaviors (e.g., sexual activity, alcohol use, delinquency) as well as understanding risk and resilience factors (e.g., trauma experiences, racial socialization and discrimination, family and peer relationships) that impact the relation between trauma exposure and problematic outcomes (e.g., STI/HIV exposure, unintended pregnancies, revictimization, drunk-driving accidents, legal system involvement).

Dr. Metzger teaches Graduate and Undergraduate students at the University of Georgia and she is both professionally and personally devoted to instruction in Psychology. Among her many roles, Dr. Metzger is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist focused on providing direct services, consulting, and supervising the delivery of evidence-based treatments to thousands of underserved individuals seeking treatment for a broad range of problems related to trauma exposure, anxiety and mood, substance use, risky sexual behaviors, self-harm, and a range of internalizing and externalizing problems. Additionally, Dr. Metzger is an advocate in the local community, and she serves as a culturally sensitive Consultant and Program Evaluator to trainees and professionals and organizations both locally and nationally.