Boulder is proud to celebrate Barbara Kalu as the 2025 Clinical Mental Health Counseling Student of the Year. Her dedication to mental health, research, and advocacy is already making a meaningful impact.
A Voice for Change
Barbara is a Master’s Candidate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Johns Hopkins University. With a background in Psychology from Boston University, she brings both academic rigor and heartfelt compassion to her work.
She’s not just studying mental health—she’s helping shape its future.
Leading with Impact
In addition to her academic work, Barbara serves as Research Ambassador and Dissemination Team Lead at the NourishED Research Foundation. Through this role, she manages social media and outreach campaigns that reach thousands of people.
Her infographics and educational content have transformed how qualitative data is shared and understood. Some have been featured in past AboutBoulder Health Columns.
Research with Reach
Barbara is also a key contributor to two upcoming publications on binge eating disorder lead by Boulder’s own Dr. Brenna Bray, PhD. She’s a co-first author on a study mapping environmental factors and a co-author on a mixed-methods analysis of treatment access barriers…