Raven Garuda is a clinical data analyst and social science researcher working at the intersection of complexity science, mental health, and biotechnology. She specializes in translating large-scale, opaque datasets into systems-level understanding and actionable insights for stakeholders, with the goal of creating optimal conditions for care delivery and advancing human potential.
Her career began as a mathematician in algebraic combinatorics at Texas State University, later expanding into industry roles in biotechnology. During this period, she also sought formal training in counseling, pursuing additional education in addictions counseling and completing Level 1 training as a NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM) Informed Professional to integrate human and social dimensions into her data-driven work.
She has contributed to pre-clinical trials targeting autoimmune and inflammatory conditions and currently collaborates with Minicircle on pro-longevity gene therapy initiatives. Her work on Follistatin-344 focuses on reversing age-related sarcopenia and improving outcomes for muscular dystrophy and ALS patients, while her upcoming work on Klotho will explore pathways for enhancing cognitive functioning and extending healthspan.
At the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health (TIEMH), Raven assists in projects evaluating the role of peer specialists and family partners in mental health treatment across Texas. She integrates her background in statistical modeling, data science, and counseling to develop innovative approaches for analyzing and visualizing state data, and she is expanding her research toward understanding organizational values and systems through complexity-informed frameworks.
Her broader research agenda combines genomics, epigenetics, neuroendocrine science, and social systems analysis to envision new frontiers in human health and care. She views her work as part of a larger vision to optimize the human organism and advance toward higher orders of complexity — embodying the University of Texas’s motto: “What starts here changes the world.”
Projects
Peer Outcomes Project (MHRR)
Family Partners (MHRR)
Professional Interests
Complexity-informed approaches to social systems and care delivery; organizational values and culture as determinants of service outcomes; trauma-informed mental health research; peer support and family-centered practices; autism, ADHD, and neurodiversity; disorders of sex development and intersex conditions; genomics, epigenetics, and neuroendocrine biology in relation to mental health and healthspan optimization; statistical modeling, data science, and interdisciplinary methodologies for advancing evidence-based practice and optimal care delivery.