Athlete Mental Health Alliance

Robert J.F. Elsner, PhD, DMin

Research Committee Chair

Robert J.F. Elsner, PhD, DMin, is Professor and Chair of Psychology at Samford University. Having led research projects and programs in several countries, Rob is on numerous Editorial Boards and was Editor-In-Chief of Current Research in Psychology for five years. As a lacrosse player in college, as well as a former professor of Family and Community Medicine, Rob has deep personal experiences with athletes and mental health from a variety of perspectives. He has taught Sport Psychology for 20 years.

Justin E. Morales, MD

Research Committee Co-Chair

Justin E. Morales, MD is a current 4th year psychiatry resident at NYU and a rising  Massachusetts General Brigham (Harvard) Addiction Fellow. After getting his BS in Biology, he served as Class President all four years at Howard University College of Medicine and graduated with academic and professionalism honors (AOA and GHHS). He is getting subspecialty training in addiction, with other interests in sports psychiatry, interventional neuromodulation, and psychotherapy.

Doria Josma

Legislative Committee Chair

Doria hails from NYC and holds a bachelor of science in political science and a master’s in public administration. Her background entails policy analysis, advocacy, and equity-centered leadership. With over a decade in the nonprofit sector, her experience spans direct service and administration. She is a fundraising and philanthropy professional with expertise in developing initiatives that target key social issues, raise visibility to donors, sponsors, and clients, and help drive value to non-profit brands. Doria is passionate about arts and culture, social justice, and youth and girls/women empowerment and is the Founder of Your Why LLC.

Matt Triplet

Legislative Committee Co-Chair

Matt is currently the head boys lacrosse coach at St. Francis DeSales High School in Columbus, Ohio, has a professional career in commercial banking and is currently the Policy and Advocacy director for Alston for Athletes. Matt played lacrosse for The Ohio State University and has been coaching at DeSales since 2005, winning State Championships in 2012, ’18, ’22, & ’24. Matt has always been passionate about the mental aspect of sports, but his advocacy work began as a result of a troubled player who reached out for help in the summer of 2018. Matt’s experience taught him that he was il-equipped to know what to do when a player came to him for help without formal training.

As a result, Matt organized Central Ohio lacrosse coaches to be trained in Mental Health First Aid in the fall of 2018 after seeing the value and importance of being trained. During the pandemic of 2020, many coaches who couldn’t attend the training began to reach out to him for help with their players who were suffering mental health crises. Matt knew that the troubles he saw couldn’t be isolated to one sport or group of coaches, so he decided to act and pursued a legislative path to ensure all high school coaches in the State of Ohio are equipped with Mental Health training via a requirement in the training curriculum for coaching certification through the State.

After a lot of time, help, and research, Matt’s legislation would ultimately be included in Ohio HB33 and signed in to law the summer of 2023, the first legislation of its kind in the country…requiring high school coaches to have mental health training to be able to coach high school sports. Matt has helped advise with similar legislation passed in Maryland and Virginia and is currently advising with similar legislation in multiple states.

Matt believes that coaches need to understand that winning and understanding mental health aren’t separate, but linked with together.

Kaitlyn Lyle

Athlete Committee Chair

Kaitlyn is a former Division 1 gymnast and a graduate of the University of California, Davis, with a degree in Psychology and double minors in Education and Spanish. She is committed to being a voice for athletes of all backgrounds and levels, advocating for their mental well-being and representation within the sports world and beyond.

Working alongside researchers, legislators, and athletes, she strives to advance mental health initiatives in legislation while helping coaches find a healthier balance—pushing athletes to perform at high levels without compromising their well-being. She is particularly passionate about the connection between mental health and athletic performance, focusing on integrating psychological tools into coaching to establish sustainable support systems for athletes.

Her ultimate goal is to destigmatize mental health in athletics and dismantle systems that prioritize athletic achievement over the human being behind it.

Anna Hodge

Athlete Committee Co-Chair

Anna is an undergraduate student at The Ohio State University, where she studies marketing with a minor in leadership studies. Her passion for leadership and athlete development has grown through her involvement with the university’s novice rowing program, where she discovered a calling for coaching. Anna is deeply committed to fostering an environment where athletes grow not only in their sport but also as individuals.

With a coaching philosophy rooted in empowerment, Anna believes a coach’s impact extends far beyond technique and training—it’s about building confidence, character, and community. She strives to be the kind of coach who helps athletes recognize their own potential through consistent belief and support. After college, Anna plans to pursue a career in coaching, where she can continue to inspire and uplift the next generation of athletes.