Meet Makiya Hugee

Washington, D.C. Clinical Psychology Impact Fellow

A passion for understanding mental health and human behavior has long driven Makiya Hugee’s educational and professional goals. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology at Claflin University and Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina-Columbia.

From what she learned in completing her MSW degree and from receiving hands-on experience in a developmental pediatric office, Hugee looks back on her high school experience and realizes that many of her high school classmates likely struggled with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, and other mental health disorders. Some became addicted to drugs, others were incarcerated, and still others died at an early age. She wonders how many of their lives may have been different had psychological services been available and not perceived as a luxury.

Hugee currently works as an acute care psychiatric and emergency room social Worker in the District of Columbia, reflecting her commitment to increasing psychological representation in marginalized communities. She has worked with a wide range of clients, including the homeless, those with substance use disorders, veterans, neurodivergent adolescents, oncology patients, and hospice patients. And these experiences have confirmed her belief that early diagnostic intervention can positively impact a person’s life. Especially since she had seen in her work as a social worker that many of her clients received a diagnosis later in life though their symptoms were apparent far earlier.

For this reason, on top of Hugee’s list of career objectives is to encourage and promote early assessment. She would like to work with local hospitals, clinics, and primary care offices in underserved areas to increase diagnostic support. “By normalizing early mental health screenings, clinicians, healthcare workers, or other professionals may be able to recognize behaviors that would otherwise go unnoticed,” she says.