Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology

Why did you choose graduate school at IUPUI?

I chose graduate school at IUPUI because I am particularly interested in studying serious mental illness (SMI) and IUPUI’s clinical psychology program offers numerous clinical and research opportunities working with this population. These experiences include specialized classes within the program’s SMI concentration, practicum sites at community mental health centers focused on treating those with psychosis, and working in my mentor Dr. Kyle Minor’s lab investigating cognitive and affective impairment in those with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders.

What has been your favorite academic accomplishment since you’ve been here?

I was recently awarded the Indiana CTSI TL1 Pre-doctoral Fellowship which will help support my dissertation research and offers various educational and research experiences. So far, I’ve really enjoyed designing and beginning to collect data for my project, and I appreciated the opportunity to present and discuss my project with other trainees and faculty at the CTSI annual meeting.

What do you enjoy most about life in Indianapolis?

As someone who grew up in the New York City metro area, I REALLY enjoy the cost of living in Indy! But I also love the many, genuinely kind people I’ve met here and how the smaller-sized city makes it easy to explore. After three years here, it certainly feels like home.

Please provide some details about your work/research as a graduate student and/or any activities you are involved in.

I am a fourth-year doctoral student in the clinical psychology program at IUPUI. I work in the Cognition, Language, and Affect in Serious Psychopathology lab with Dr. Kyle Minor, and I’ve developed an emerging program of research focusing on how social and emotional impairment manifest in the daily lives of those with schizophrenia. My research uses ambulatory methods such as ecological momentary assessment to measure to daily functioning and gain a more nuanced understanding of social deficits in schizophrenia. I’ve presented my work at various national and international research conferences including the Society for Research in Psychopathology, the European Conference for Schizophrenia Research, and the International Conference on Early Intervention in Mental Health. I’ve also had numerous clinical experiences throughout graduate school. I’ve worked as a behavioral health clinician in both primary care and community mental health settings. I’ve had the opportunity to work with diverse clientele ranging from those with adjustment disorders to those with serious mental illness. I am currently completing a practicum placement in Eskenazi’s Center for Brain Care Innovation doing neuropsychological testing. I also volunteer on the Indiana Psychological Association (IPA)’s Student Committee and will be presenting at the IPA’s fall conference this month.